The list of college football yearly receiving leaders identifies the major college receiving leaders for each season from 1937 to the present. It includes yearly leaders in three statistical categories: (1) receptions, (2) receiving yardage; (3) yards per reception; and (4) receiving touchdowns. Eleven players have led the NCAA in one or more of these categories in multiple seasons. They are: Reid Moseley of Georgia (1944–1945);

Hugh Campbell Hugh Campbell (born May 21, 1941) is a former American football and Canadian football player, coach, and executive. He served as a head coach in three different professional gridiron football leagues: the Canadian Football League (CFL), the Unit ...

of Washington State (1960–1961);

Vern Burke Vernon Eugene Burke (born April 30, 1941) is a former American football tight end who played five seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, and the New Orleans Saints. High school career Burke attended North High Scho ...

of Oregon State (1962–1963);

Howard Twilley Howard James Twilley Jr. (born December 25, 1943) is a former American football player. He played college football at the University of Tulsa and was the runner up for the Heisman Trophy in 1965. Twilley played professionally as a wide recei ...

of Tulsa (1964–1965);

Ron Sellers Ronald "Jingle Joints" Sellers (born February 5, 1947) is a former American football player. He played college football for Florida State University, where he was a two-time All-American ( 1967, 1968). Despite being limited to a total of 30 g ...

of Florida State (1967–1968); Jerry Hendren of Idaho (1968–1969);

Mike Siani Mike Siani (born May 27, 1950) is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for nine seasons for the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts. Career Siani was a high school football star with the New Dorp High School ...

of Villanova (1970–1971);

Steve Largent Stephen Michael Largent (born September 28, 1954) is an American former football wide receiver and politician who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. A member of the Republican Party, he serv ...

of Tulsa (1974–1975); Jason Phillips of Houston (1987–1988); Alex Van Dyke of Nevada (1994–1995); and Brennan Marion of Tulsa (2007–2008). Since 1937, the NCAA record for receiving yards in a single season has been set or broken nine times as follows:

Jim Benton Jim K. Benton (born October 31, 1960) is an American illustrator and writer. Licensed properties he has created include Dear Dumb Diary, Dog of Glee, Franny K. Stein, Just Jimmy, Just Plain Mean, Sweetypuss, The Misters, Meany Doodles, Vampy Do ...

of Arkansas in 1937 (814 yards);

Hank Stanton Henry R. Stanton (August 24, 1920 – March 11, 1975) was an American football player. He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats football team from 1939 to 1941 and professional football for the New York Yankees (AAFC), New York Yankee ...

of Arizona in 1941 (820 yards);

Ed Barker Edward Ross Barker (born May 31, 1931 – September 6, 2012) was a National Football League (NFL) end who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Washington State University and was drafted ...

of Washington State 1951 (864 yards);

of Washington State in 1960 (881 yards);

of Oregon State in 1962 (1,007 yards);

Fred Biletnikoff Frederick S. Biletnikoff (born February 23, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He was a wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons and ...

of Florida State in 1964 (1,179 yards);

of Tulsa in 1965 (1,779 yards);

Alex Van Dyke Franklin Alexander Van Dyke (born July 24, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver who was selected by the New York Jets in the second round (31st overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Nevada, ...

of Nevada in 1995 (1,854 yards); and Trevor Insley of Nevada in 1999 (2,060 yards). During that same time, the record for receptions in a single season has been set or broken 13 times as follows: Jim Benton of Arkansas in 1937 (48); Hank Stanton of Arizona in 1941 (50); Barney Poole of Ole Miss in 1947 (52); Ed Brown of Fordham in 1952 (57); Dave Hibbert of Arizona in 1958 (61); Hugh Campbell of Washington State in 1962 (69);

Larry Elkins Lawrence Clayton "Larry" Elkins (born July 28, 1943) is a former American football player. He was a two-time All-American flanker at Baylor and later for the AFL's Houston Oilers. Early life Elkins is the youngest of ten children. One of his ...

of Baylor in 1963 (70); Howard Twilley of Tulsa in 1964 (95) and 1965 (134);

Manny Hazard Manny Hazard (born 1969) is a former professional American football wide receiver who played collegiately at the University of Houston and in the CFL for the Toronto Argonauts. Hazard, who played with Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Andre War ...

of Houston in 1989 (142);

Freddie Barnes Freddie Lee Barnes (born December 6, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Bowling Green. D ...

of Bowling Green in 2009 (155); and

Zay Jones Isaiah Avery "Zay" Jones (born March 30, 1995) is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at East Carolina. Jones is the all-time NCAA Division I career r ...

of East Carolina in 2016 (158).

Leading programs

Programs with multiple receiving leaders (at least three different individuals, in any of the four categories) include: *

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

– 9 (

Ken Hebert Kenneth Daniel Hebert (born c. 1947) is a former American football player. He played for the Houston Cougars football team from 1965 to 1967. In 1966, he caught 38 passes for 800 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also kicked 41 points after touchdow ...

Elmo Wright Elmo Wright (born July 3, 1949) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). While at the University of Houston, he became the first football player ever to perform an end zone dance. Wright was an All-A ...

, Jason Phillips,

, Fred Gilbert, Sherman Smith, Ron Peters,

Brandon Middleton Brandon Anthony Middleton (born January 2, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver and currently is the offensive coordinator at Royal High School in Brookshire, Texas. Middleton was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free ...

, and

Patrick Edwards Patrick Michael Edwards (born October 25, 1988) is a former wide receiver in American football. Early years Edwards was born in Temple, Texas, to Patrick Dixon and Patricia Edwards. He was raised in Hearne, Texas, where he attended Hearne High ...

) *

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

– 7 (Tom Reynolds, Keith Denson,

Dwight McDonald Dwight Vinson McDonald (born May 24, 1951) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played for the San Diego Chargers from 1975 to 1978. He played college football at U.S. International University and San ...

Jim Sandusky Jim Sandusky (born September 9, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the BC Lions and Edmonton Eskimos. In a 12-year career from 1984 to 1996, he caught 58 ...

, Patrick Rowe,

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts ...

, and J. R. Tolver) *

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...

– 6 (

Billy Ryckman William Thomas Ryckman is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He is the host of The Sports Note, a sports talk radio program aired on ESPN ESPN (originally a ...

, Rod Foppe, James Jordan,

Troy Edwards Troy Edwards (born April 7, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech University, became o ...

Trent Taylor Trent Nelson Taylor (born April 30, 1994) is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana Tech and was drafted by the San Francisco 49e ...

, and

Carlos Henderson Carlos Henderson (born December 19, 1994) is an American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football, Louisiana Tech, and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Ea ...

) *

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

– 6 ( Keyarris Garrett, Brennan Marion,

Chris Penn Christopher Shannon Penn (October 10, 1965 – January 24, 2006) was an American actor. He was the brother of actor Sean Penn and musician Michael Penn. Noted as a skilled character actor from a prominent acting dynasty, he was typically cast a ...

, Ronnie Kelley,

, and

) *

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

– 5 (

, Bill Steiger, Jack Fanning,

, and Corey Alston) * Baylor – 5 (

Corey Coleman Corey Defians Coleman (born July 6, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at Baylor and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first ...

Sam Boyd Samuel A. Boyd (April 23, 1910 – January 15, 1993) was an American entrepreneur, casino manager and developer. He was noted for introducing successful marketing, gambling and entertainment innovations into the casino gambling industry, as w ...

, Melvin Bonner, and

Terrance Williams Terrance Tyrone Williams (born September 8, 1989) is an American football wide receiver for the Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played college football at Baylor, where he earned All-American recognition, before being drafted b ...

) *

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

– 5 ( Jay Miller, Clay Brown, Kirk Pendleton, Mark Bellini, and

Austin Collie Austin Kirk Collie (born November 11, 1985) is a Canadian former professional gridiron football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) in the fourth round (127th overall) in the 2009 NFL D ...

) *

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

– 5 (

Bill McColl William Frazer McColl Jr. (born April 2, 1930) is an American athlete, surgeon, and politician. He is best remembered as a college football star before becoming a professional with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League, for whom he ...

Sam Morley Samuel Robertson Morley (May 12, 1932 - January 25, 2014) was an American football end in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Stanford University and was drafted in the 20th round of the 1954 ...

, John Stewart,

Chris Burford Christopher William Burford III (born January 31, 1938) is a former American football wide receiver. Burford was a football captain at Stanford, leading the NCAA in receptions with 61 in 1959. The following year, he was a first round draft pick ...

, and Devon Cajuste) *

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

– 5 ( Bryan Reeves,

, Damond Wilkins, Trevor Insley, and

Nate Burleson Nathaniel Eugene Burleson (born August 19, 1981) is a Canadian-born television host, American football commentator, and former wide receiver. He played college football for the University of Nevada, Reno and was drafted into the National Footb ...

) *

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

– 4 ( Broughton Williams, Jack Jackson,

Chris Doering Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...

, and

Reidel Anthony Reidel Clarence Anthony (born October 20, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1997 to 2001. Anthony played college football for the University of Florida, and received consensu ...

) *

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

– 4 (

, Barry Smith, and Snoop Minnis) *

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

– 4 ( Stephen Baker,

Henry Ellard Henry Austin Ellard (born July 21, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams (1983–1993), Washington Redskins (1994–1998), and the New England Patriots (1998) of the Nation ...

, Rodney Wright, and

Davante Adams Davante Lavell Adams (born December 24, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fresno State, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the s ...

) *

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

– 4 (

George Poschner George Poschner (January 15, 1919 – May 2, 2004) was an American football end who played for the University of Georgia from 1939 to 1942. During his tenure with the Bulldogs, he participated in the 1942 Orange Bowl and the 1943 Rose Bowl. Coll ...

, Reid Moseley,

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

, and

Jimmy Orr Jimmy Orr (October 4, 1935 – October 27, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Colts for 13 seasons from 1958 to 1970 in the National Football League (NFL). Orr ...

) *

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

– 4 ( Ashley Lelie,

Chad Owens Chad Owens Sr. (born April 3, 1982) is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver and kick returner. He was most recently a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Jacksonville J ...

Davone Bess Davone Atrayo Bess (born September 13, 1985) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Hawaii. Early years Bess attended Skyline High Scho ...

, and

Greg Salas Greg Salas (born August 25, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football for University of Hawaii. College career While at Hawaii, S ...

) *

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

– 4 (

Neill Armstrong Neill Ford Armstrong (March 9, 1926 – August 10, 2016) was an American football player and coach whose career spanned more than four decades at both the college and professional levels. Notably, Armstrong served as the head coach of the ...

Justin Blackmon Justin Carl Blackmon (born January 9, 1990) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Oklahoma State, where he was twice recognized as a consensus All-American, before being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguar ...

, Cecil Hankins, and James Washington) *

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

– 4 (

Reggie Bynum Reginald Deshain Bynum (born February 10, 1964) is a former professional American football wide Receiver in the National Football League. He was the 9th-round draft pick (#222 overall) of the Buffalo Bills in the 1986 NFL Draft The 1986 NFL d ...

, Mike Hass, and

Brandin Cooks Brandin Tawan Cooks (born September 25, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon State, where he received consensus All-American honors, a ...

) * Pitt – 4 (

Dwight Collins Dwight Dean Collins (born August 23, 1961) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 1984 NFL Draft, and played one season for them in 1984. Co ...

Julius Dawkins Julius Dawkins is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 12th round of the 1983 NFL Draft. As a college football player with the Univ ...

Antonio Bryant Antonio Bryant (born March 9, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for University of Pittsburgh, and was recognized as an All-American and Fred Biletnikoff Award ...

Larry Fitzgerald Larry Darnell Fitzgerald Jr. (born August 31, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver. Fitzgerald played in the National Football League for 17 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at University of Pittsburg ...

) *

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

– 4 (

Elmer Tarbox Elmer Lois Tarbox (March 7, 1916 – November 2, 1987) was an American military aviator, businessman, and politician. Tarbox served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1967–1977. Early years Elmer Tarbox was born in Bisho ...

, Earle Clark,

Bake Turner Robert Hardy "Bake" Turner (born July 22, 1940) is a former American football player who played at the wide receiver position. He played collegiately at Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University), then professionally for nine seaso ...

, and

Michael Crabtree Michael Alex Crabtree Jr. (born September 14, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Texas Tech, where he was a two-time unanimous All-Am ...

) *

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

– 4 ( Stedman Bailey, Jay Kearney, Calvin Phillips, and David Sills V) * Notre Dame – 3 ( Bernard Kirk, Eddie Anderson, Jim Morse) *

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

– 3 ( Dave Young, Rodney Carter, &

Rondale Moore Rondale DaSean Moore (born June 9, 2000) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue, and was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round of the ...

) *

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Pen ...

– 3 (

Greg Jennings Gregory Jennings Jr. (born September 21, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Western Michigan an ...

, Corey Davis, & Jordan White)

Receiving leaders from 1937

Pre-1937 unofficial data

Before 1937 the NCAA did not compile official statistics. This chart reflects unofficial receiving statistics compiled by historians mostly from newspapers accounts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List of college football receiving leaders Receiving