Sunday, December 22, 2024

College football transfer portal: Where the best WRs are playing in 2024

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As we move into the summer preseason period, the college football transfer portal has closed up, and most of the several thousand players who have taken advantage have already found their schools and are being situated on their rosters and fighting for attention on the depth chart.

As ever, the wide receiver position remains one of the most consequential on the football field, given the modern game’s greater emphasis on spreading out offenses and employing speedsters who can get behind a defense and pick up chunks of yards.

Read More: Ranking College Football’s Best Transfer QBs in 2024

Let’s take a look at the 10 best wide receivers in the college football transfer portal, and where they will play when the 2024 season kicks off this fall.

A year ago at Liberty, the former two-star recruit caught 10 touchdowns while covering just over 1,000 yards, emerging as one of college football’s unsung big-play wide receivers. Now he steps into an offense led by quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, one of the 10 best passers in the game.

Dave Doeren revamped his skill rotation on offense this offseason, a group led by the ex-Ohio State pass catcher. Rogers played in just four games a year ago, but projects to be one of Grayson McCall’s most important targets in what figures to be an improved offense in a more-open ACC title race.

Coming into their SEC debut this season, the Longhorns were active in the portal at the wide receiver position, and the ex-Houston target was a key acquisition. He scored 13 times over the last two seasons and is a potential difference-maker in the return game, as well.

Coming out of Vanderbilt, Humphreys should get prominent playing time on a Bulldogs offense that loses Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers, and needs consistent targets for Carson Beck downfield. Humphreys posted 20 yards per grab a year ago for the Commodores.

Young quarterback Jackson Arnold needs a sure thing going downfield, and the former Purdue wideout fits the bill, boasting credible deep-play ability, and coming off career-highs in catches, yards, and touchdowns last season.

One of college football’s most improved teams via the transfer portal, the Hurricanes added key talent at important positions, including Brown, the former Houston wideout who had 62 catches for 815 yards and 3 scores a year ago, and should be a primary outlet for incoming QB Cam Ward.

Another key acquisition in Georgia’s effort to get Beck quality targets, the ex-Miami wide receiver had career-highs in receptions and yards last year and has scored 10 touchdowns over his two collegiate seasons.

Although the former South Carolina wideout missed much of last season with an injury, Wells is expected to return to form this fall. His best outing came at James Madison as a sophomore two seasons ago, when he scored 15 times while covering 1,250 yards. Now he pairs with Jaxson Dart in a Rebels offense that can play itself into contention for the expanded playoff.

Alabama fans will forever remember Bond for his catch in the back corner of the end zone on that 4th and 31 play at Auburn to win the Iron Bowl. But he was also the first Bama player to transfer out after Nick Saban’s retirement, the Longhorns’ massive gain before moving to the SEC and giving Quinn Ewers an elite downfield target.

A former five-star prospect who was part of Texas A&M’s legendary 2022 recruiting class, Stewart figures to earn prominent snaps in a Ducks offense that seems tailor-made for his skill set, paired up with veteran transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel heading into the Big Ten.

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