- Jeremiah Smith is once again at the top: The generational talent from Ohio State is only the fifth player in PFF history to top his position ranking in multiple years.
- Malachi Toney comes in second: The star from Miami (FL) had one of the greatest seasons ever seen by a true freshman wide receiver.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
The 2026 college football offseason is in full swing. With that, it’s time to start ranking the top-10 returning players at every single position.
Next up is wide receiver. There are plenty of star wideouts returning to school, including the player who topped this list last offseason.
Below is a list of PFF’s top 10 returning wide receivers in college football with an honorable mention nominee. Please note that NFL projection was not taken into account in these rankings.
Click below to view our other position rankings
1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Smith tops this list for the second-straight year, joining an exclusive group of players who have done so.
Players who were the top returning player at their position for multiple years in PFF’s rankings
| Name | Position | School | Seasons |
| Trevor Lawrence | QB | Clemson | 2019, 2020 |
| Derek Stingley Jr. | CB | LSU | 2020, 2021 |
| Brock Bowers | TE | Georgia | 2023, 2024 |
| Caleb Downs | S | Ohio State | 2024, 2025 |
| Jeremiah Smith | WR | Ohio State | 2025, 2026 |
Over his first two seasons of college football, Smith leads all wideouts in receiving grade (92.9), receiving yards (2,554), receiving touchdowns (27) and is the most valuable one during that stretch according to PFF’s wins above average metric. He’s a generational talent at the position who will have teams tripping over themselves to draft him in 2027.
2. Malachi Toney, Miami (FL)
While they weren’t quite as dominant as Jeremiah Smith’s 2024 campaign, Toney’s numbers from this past year are up there with the best seasons from a true freshman wide receiver in college football history. Like Smith in 2024, he was the most valuable wideout in America according to our wins above average metric.
Toney’s 841 yards after the catch were the most in the FBS as were his 33 forced missed tackles after the catch. The former three-star recruit also led the nation with 58 receptions that went for either a first down or touchdown, while his 1,211 receiving yards were second to only Smith in the Power Four. Not to mention, Toney reclassified in high school and should only be entering his freshman year this upcoming season.
3. KJ Duff, Rutgers
Duff exploded onto the scene as a sophomore, placing sixth in the Power Four with 1,084 receiving yards and ninth with an 83.4 PFF grade. He has a massive frame at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds and uses that catch radius to his advantage. Duff’s 22 contested catches this past season were tied for the most in America. He was also the ninth-most valuable wide receiver in the nation according to PFF’s WAA metric.
4. Mario Craver, Texas A&M
KC Concepcion is a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but his sophomore teammate essentially matched him in production while being far more efficient. Craver’s 917 receiving yards were nearly identical to Concepcion’s 919 yards, and Craver was third in the Power Four with 3.25 yards per route run.
What the Mississippi State transfer lacks in size (5-foot-9, 165 pounds), he makes up for after the catch. Craver’s 575 yards after the catch were third in the Power Four, while his 22 forced missed tackles were fifth.
5. Cam Coleman, Texas
Coleman is the highest transfer on this list, taking his talents to Texas from Auburn. While his 70.9 career PFF grade doesn’t jump off the page, that number is significantly hampered by Auburn’s abysmal play at quarterback. The Tigers were 63rd in team passing grade during Coleman’s true freshman campaign in 2024 and just 111th this past season.
The former top-five recruit still found a way to produce despite Auburn’s struggles under center, pacing the SEC with 13 receiving touchdowns over the past two seasons. He’s an elite athlete at 6-foot-3, 201 pounds, scoring above a 99 in PFF’s Game Athleticism Score in each of his first two years. With a top-three quarterback now in Arch Manning, expect Coleman to have a massive junior campaign.
6. Ryan Williams, Alabama
Williams was No. 2 on this list a year ago, trailing only Jeremiah Smith after a terrific true freshman season. It was a nightmarish sophomore year for Williams, though, as he dropped 16.9% of his targets, the seventh-highest rate in the Power Four.
His 1,554 receiving yards over the past two seasons are still second to Smith among returning Power Four wideouts, though. Williams’ 728 yards after the catch in that stretch are third to only Smith and Makai Lemon in that same group. The talent is still there, but he’ll need a major bounce-back junior campaign.
7. Duce Robinson, Florida State
Following two relatively quiet years at USC, Robinson finally showed why he was a five-star recruit after transferring to Florida State. He was fifth in the Power Four with 3.03 yards per route run, while his 1,081 receiving yards placed seventh in that same group.
Robinson has a massive frame at 6-foot-6, 223 pounds and uses that to his advantage. His 18 contested catches this past season were tied for third among all receivers in college football.
8. Charlie Becker, Indiana
Becker was hardly used in Indiana’s offense until he broke out in Week 11 against Penn State. Therefore, his 679 career receiving yards are far lower than anyone else on this list.
However, he still deserves a spot in the top 10 for how big a role he played during Indiana’s national championship run. The sophomore’s 90.0 PFF grade from Week 11 on was the highest in the country by 2.5 points, while his 522 receiving yards in that stretch were third. Becker’s 3.41 yards per route run on the season were second to only Jeremiah Smith in the Power Four, while his 89.1 PFF grade was third in the nation to Makai Lemon and Smith.
With Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. off to the NFL, expect Becker to become much more of a focal point in the Hoosiers’ offense as a junior.
9. Amare Thomas, Houston
Thomas had a couple of nice seasons at UAB before transferring to Houston for his junior year. Despite the jump up in competition level, he had his best year yet.
His 12 receiving touchdowns were the most in the Big 12 and he was second in that group in PFF grade (79.2), receiving yards (966), yards after the catch (475) and forced missed tackles (15). His nine touchdowns from the slot are the most among all returning receivers in America.
10. Wyatt Young, Oklahoma State
Young was one of a few North Texas stars to follow head coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State. He may be the only player on this list who played for a Group of Five school in 2025, but he more than deserves a spot here.
Young’s 1,264 receiving yards were third in the FBS last year, while the sophomore’s 89.9 PFF receiving grade was third to only Makai Lemon and Jeremiah Smith. He also led the nation with 3.69 yards per route run, while his 32 forced missed tackles were second. Expect him to become much more of a household name now that he’s playing in the Big 12.
Honorable Mention: Cooper Barkate, Miami (FL)
Barkate spent the first three years of his career at Harvard and tallied 1,084 receiving yards during the final season of his career with the Crimson. He transferred to Duke for the 2025 campaign and was even more productive, placing fifth in the Power Four with 1,093 receiving yards.
Barkate followed his star quarterback, Darian Mensah, to Miami (FL) this offseason. He and Malachi Toney form arguably the best receiver duo in the country.
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