More than ever before, the NFL is obsessed with finding game-changing wide receivers. Of course, that begs the question of what colleges are the best at producing NFL wide receivers. There are so many great pass-catchers in the league these days that it’s difficult to pick just school that has done it better than most. However, we have come up with a list of five colleges that deserve the moniker Wide Receiver U.
Alabama
For decades, Alabama has produced quality wide receivers who played in the NFL. But the emergence of Julio Jones and Amari Cooper into bonafide stars has made the Crimson Tide a serious Wide Receiver U candidate.
Depending on how guys like Calvin Ridley, Jerry Jeudy, and Henry Ruggs develop, the Crimson Tide could be a lot higher on this list in a few years.
LSU
LSU is amazing at developing running backs and defensive backs, but the Bayou Bengals also have an underrated list of wide receivers in their history. Odell Beckham Jr. is probably the most notable, but the list goes on.
LSU gets credit for Jarvis Landry and Dwayne Bowe, not to mention Eddie Kennison, who was vastly underrated in his day. The likes of Rueben Randle, Michael Clayton, and Brandon LaFell are also worth mentioning.
Ohio State
Michael Thomas is the latest Buckeye wide receiver to make it big in the NFL, and he might end up being the best, but he’s far from the first. The legendary Chris Carter also played at Ohio State.
Plenty of fine wide receivers, including Santonio Holmes, Joey Galloway, and Terry Glenn, also played college football at Ohio State. Among the players still in the NFL, Ohio State gets credit for Ted Ginn, Curtis Samuel, and rising star Terry McLaurin.
Clemson
If we were to limit ourselves to the past decade, Clemson might have enough to be the one true Wide Receiver U. The Tigers have produced a lot of star receivers in a short period of time, highlighted by Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins. Mike Williams, Adam Humphries, and Martavis Bryant have also made an impact in the pros.
Just wait until the likes of Tee Higgins, Hunter Renfrow, and Amari Rodgers establish themselves as stars in the NFL.
USC
If you go back and look at the past few decades, there’s no college football program that has produced a better collection of wide receivers than USC. Of course, you could probably say the same about the Trojans for a few other positions too. JuJu Smith-Schuster has been a great reminder of USC’s excellence at the wide receiver position.
But players like Marqise Lee, Robert Woods, Steve Smith, and Nelson Agholor have all had long and productive careers as well. Of course, there are a few legends that help put the Trojans over the top in this argument, most notably Lynn Swan and Keyshawn Johnson, who were both among the best receivers of their generation.