By Mark Pszonak
This has been a busy transfer portal cycle for wide receivers, but while many found new homes, not all will make an immediate impact. Here are the ten who will make the 2024 college football season more exciting:
1. Evan Stewart – Oregon (Texas A&M)
The skinny: To go along with adding an elite transfer quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, the Ducks added the top available wide receiver. Adding Stewart to a positional group with returning receivers Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden, who combined for 123 receptions, 1,634 yards and 16 touchdowns, will make Oregon a nightmare to prepare for in their first season in the Big Ten.
2. Isaiah Bond – Texas (Alabama)
The skinny: The Longhorns needed to reload their receiving corps during this off-season and did so by adding two players on this list. The top addition was Bond, who led Alabama last season with 48 receptions. He has game-breaking abilities that will surely be utilized during the 2024 season by head coach Steve Sarkisian and his offensive staff.
3. Colbie Young – Georgia (Miami-Florida)
The skinny: Georgia has the ability to selectively enhance positions through the transfer portal and did so by adding Young to their offense. A big, strong receiver at 6-foot-3 and 215-pounds, Young, who totaled 79 receptions for 930 yards and 10 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Canes, has the potential to add a new dimension to the Bulldogs’ offense in 2024.
4. Caullin Lacy – Louisville (South Alabama)
The skinny: Before making the move to Louisville, head coach Jeff Brohm saw several of his wide receivers at Purdue turn in huge seasons (Charlies Jones, David Bell, Rondale Moore). So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that in his first season with the Cardinals, Jamari Thrash flourished after his transfer from Georgia State. The guess here is that Lacy will also thrive in Brohm’s offense, a season after grabbing 91 receptions for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns with the Jaguars.
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5. Lajohntay Wester – Colorado (Florida Atlantic)
The skinny: As is well known, Colorado was very aggressive in the transfer portal during the 2022/2023 cycle, which produced a mixed bag of results. One position that excelled though was receiver, which saw Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr. combined for 126 receptions, 1,475 and 10 touchdowns. However, with both making their way to the NFL, Colorado needed to replenish the position which resulted in Wester’s addition. Buff fans would be thrilled if Wester even came close to matching his 2023 season, when he finished with 108 receptions for 1,168 yards and eight touchdowns.
6. CJ Daniels – LSU (Liberty)
The skinny: With Malik Nabors and Brian Thomas and their 157 receptions, 2,746 yards and 31 touchdowns heading to the NFL, trying to find replacements through the portal was a priority for the Tigers. Part of this job will rest on Daniels’ shoulders, who arrives in Baton Rouge after finishing the 2023 season with 55 receptions for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns. While he won’t have Jayden Daniels as a quarterback, he will still be relied on to quickly become a major part of the offense in 2024.
7. Matthew Golden – Texas (Houston)
The skinny: While Isaiah Bond (listed above) received more attention, an argument can be made that Golden might prove to be more important for the Longhorns in 2024. Having totaled 76 receptions for 988 yards and 13 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Cougars, Golden is also an All-American caliber punt returner who will add another dangerous weapon to the Texas arsenal.
8. Kris Mitchell – Notre Dame (Florida International)
The skinny: Mitchell arrives in South Bend with transfer quarterback Riley Leonard (Duke) to find an already young and talented receiving corps. However, adding talented experience could go a long way in helping the Irish offense even further. Coming off his best collegiate season (64 receptions, 1,118 yards and six touchdowns), will he be able to duplicate this type of production in South Bend?
9. Juice Wells – Ole Miss (South Carolina)
The skinny: After transferring in from James Madison, Wells enjoyed a memorable first season at the P5 level with 68 receptions for 928 yards and six touchdowns. His second season with the Gamecocks did not go nearly as well though, as injuries derailed most of his 2023. Now healthy, he is looking to regain his 2022 form in Oxford, where the Rebels are poised for a big 2024 season.
10. Josh Kelly – Texas Tech (Washington State)
The skinny: Kelly has pieced together a very productive collegiate career at both Fresno State and Washington State while totaling 148 receptions, 2,228 yards and 12 touchdowns. Now he arrives in Lubbock, where he will add a veteran presence to a wide receiver group that lost several pieces to the portal.
