The Best College Football Wide Receivers of All Time

Updated May 22, 2020 8.4k votes 1.0k voters 14.7k views58 items

List RulesFootball players at the wide receiver position who had epic college careers

American College football, like all football originated as rugby in England and Canada, eventually rugby came stateside, then eventually became the game we know and love today. Years later the NCAA was formed to regulate college teams. The wide receivers on this list were the best of the best in NCAA football during their college careers.

The NCAA allows students from American universities, colleges, Canadian universities, or military academies to play. American college football has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, but it was actually through college football that the American football rules gained popularity in the first place.

The wide receivers are key players in almost all passing plays. Their prime directive is to catch passes from the quarterback and as such they are usually the fastest, most agile players in the game.

Below, we commemorate the greatest college wide receivers of ALL TIME! If you see a name missing feel free to add it and vote up your favorite wide receivers who had truly incredible college careers.

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Randy Moss
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Rand, West Virginia
Age: 43
Teams: Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings
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Calvin Johnson
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Newnan, Georgia
Age: 34
Teams: Detroit Lions
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#4 of 214 The Best Wide Receivers of All Time#23 of 322 People Who Should Be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
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Larry Fitzgerald
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
Age: 32
Teams: Arizona Cardinals
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#19 of 53 Who Is the Best Wide Receiver in the NFL Right Now?#1 of 53 The Most Likable Active NFL Players
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Jerry Rice
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Crawford, Mississippi, United States of America
Age: 57
Teams: Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers
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Julio Jones
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Foley, Alabama
Age: 26
Teams: Atlanta Falcons
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Tim Brown
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#2 of 82 The Best Notre Dame Football Players of All Time#6 of 38 The Best NFL Wide Receivers of the '90s
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Amari Cooper
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Miami, Florida
Age: 26
Teams: Dallas Cowboys
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Michael Crabtree
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
Age: 33
Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Texas Tech Red Raiders football
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Michael Irvin
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States of America
Age: 54
Teams: Dallas Cowboys
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Cris Carter
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Troy, Ohio, USA
Age: 54
Teams: Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Ohio State Buckeyes football
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#5 of 83 The Best Ohio State Buckeyes of All Time#66 of 67 The Best Sports Personalities on ESPN
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Desmond Howard
Return specialist, Punt returner
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Age: 50
Teams: Michigan Wolverines football, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers
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#780 of 1,323 The Best Football Players Ever#25 of 83 The Best Heisman Trophy Winners of All Time
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Peter Warrick
Return specialist, Wide receiver
Birthplace: Bradenton, Florida
Age: 43
Teams: Cincinnati Bengals
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Mike Evans
Center
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Age: 74
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles
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Steve Largent
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
Age: 66
Teams: Seattle Seahawks
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Percy Harvin
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Chesapeake, Virginia
Age: 32
Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Florida Gators football, Minnesota Vikings
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#6 of 85 The Best University of Florida Football Players of All Time#46 of 106 The Fastest NFL Players of All Time
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DeVonta Smith
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DeSean Jackson
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Age: 29
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles
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#69 of 115 The Greatest Washington Redskins of All Time#11 of 41 The 41 Hottest Men in the NFL
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AJ Green
Wide Receiver
Teams: Georgia Bulldogs, Cincinnati Bengals
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Rashaun Woods
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Age: 39
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Terrell Owens
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Alexander City, Alabama, United States of America
Age: 46
Teams: Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Texas Revolution
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Tavon Austin
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Steve Smith
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Carlsbad, California
Age: 36
Teams: Carolina Panthers
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#11 of 95 The Best Baltimore Ravens of All Time#33 of 104 The Best USC Trojans Players of All Time
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Lynn Swann
Wide receiver
Birthplace: Alcoa, Tennessee, USA
Age: 68
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, USC Trojans football
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#96 of 150 Athletes You Didn't Know Were Conservative#20 of 38 The Best NFL Wide Receivers of the '70s

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Marvin Harrison
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Dwayne Jarrett
Wide receiver
Birthplace: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Age: 34
Teams: Carolina Panthers

DeVonta Smith

AJ Green

Tavon Austin