Ad Disclosure
Athlon releases top 35 WR groups in CFB, 5 B1G teams on list
Published:
What wins national championships?
Is it great coaching? Great play up front, being able to control the line of scrimmage? How important is the quarterback?
In general, you need to be able to be extremely talented across the board while staying relatively healthy.
You don’t often hear great wide receiver play being named as a reason why a team wins a national championship. Regardless, pass-catchers get plenty of attention.
During the season, in the offseason — it doesn’t matter. We love our WRs.
On Thursday, Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan released an article showcasing his top 35 WR groups across college football. Among the 35 teams, five Big Ten teams made the list:
5. Ohio State
6. Michigan
13. Purdue
20. Minnesota
28. Penn State
Lassan went more in-depth on his top 10 groups, and here’s what he had to say about the Buckeyes:
“It’s a close call between Michigan and Ohio State for the No. 1 receiving corps in the Big Ten. Coach Ryan Day’s team lost three (Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon) of its top receivers from last season, but this unit won’t miss a beat in 2019. K.J. Hill (68 catches for 865 yards) is back as the No. 1 target, with Binjimen Victor (16.9 ypc), Chris Olave (16.4 ypc) and freshman Garrett Wilson back as big-play threats. Austin Mack caught 26 passes before suffering a season-ending injury last year but is expected to return to full strength this fall. Luke Farrell, Jeremy Ruckert and Rashod Berry provide a solid trio of tight ends for quarterback Justin Fields.”
Lasson on Michigan:
“Jim Harbaugh handed the offensive keys to Josh Gattis, who plans to utilize more tempo and plays to get the ball to playmakers in space. Tarik Black is back to full strength after dealing with a foot injury in 2018, joining Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins to form a big-play trio. Ronnie Bell and promising freshman Mike Sainristil provide depth. And Harbaugh won’t forget about the tight end position, which features Sean McKeon and Nick Eubanks.”
Do you agree with Lassan’s list?
Kevin covers Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.