Monday Measure: Why 2024 could be the year of the freshman wide receiver

The first two weeks of the college football season have shown just how good this crop of freshmen wideouts is. Players like Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams have been the best wideouts at their powerhouse programs, and other freshmen haven’t been slouches either.

Smith was the top player in the class of 2024 according to Rivals and has stepped into a loaded Ohio State team and become an immediate star. Granted, the Buckeyes have played Akron and Western Michigan over the past two weeks, but Smith is the only Ohio State player with double-digit catches and multiple touchdowns. After grabbing five passes for 119 yards and a score against the Broncos, the Miami native has 11 catches for 211 yards and three touchdowns through two games.

Williams, meanwhile, is just 17 years old. The Alabama native reclassified to be a part of the 2024 recruiting class and joined the Crimson Tide a year early. Despite his young age, he ranked as the No. 2 receiver in the class behind Smith and has shown gamebreaking speed through his first two college games.

Williams had two catches for 139 yards and two scores in Alabama’s Week 1 blowout against Western Kentucky. Saturday night, Williams had four grabs for 68 yards and helped break the game open in the fourth quarter with a 43-yard TD.

Williams has 207 yards through the first two weeks of the season. No other Alabama player has more than 77 receiving yards.

They aren’t the only standouts so far either. Cam Coleman, the No. 3 receiver in the class, had four catches for 115 yards and a score for Auburn, while four-star recruit Ryan Wingo was Texas’ leading receiver in Week 1 and had a 55-yard run against Michigan on Saturday. Clemson’s Bryant Wesco Jr., also a four-star recruit, had three catches for 130 yards and a TD in the Tigers’ blowout win of Appalachian State.

It used to be…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/monday-measure-why-2024-could-be-the-year-of-the-freshman-wide-receiver-124518035.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-09 12:45:18

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.