Houston
The
Cougars became just the fourth team in NCAA
to have three 1,000-yard receivers last
season. All three are back for another year.
That is unheard of at any level. So the
Houston offense racks up high numbers for
their quarterback and receivers. Someone
has to actually get open and catch these
passes. Senior James Cleveland
is the prime target after finishing with
104 catches in his first year as a JUCO
transfer last fall. He is a physical receiver
with huge hands. Patrick Edwards
is the smallish 5'9, 175-pound pass catcher
carrying a track pedigree. He has emerged
as an explosive all-around playmaker. Tyron
Carrier is the true speed burner
with moves so quick that defenders have
a difficult time keeping track of where
he is on the field. He also doubles as an
All-American return man on special teams.
Several other candidates are more than capable
of putting up 1,000-yard receiving production
in this offense including Colorado transfer
Chance Blackmon.
Arkansas
Arkansas
fans can thank head coach Bobby Petrino
for bringing some spark into an offense
that has been left for dead the past decade
or more. The quarterback and receivers can
be more thankful. The Razorbacks welcome
back all four returning starters with this
unit. Greg Childs stood
out last fall as the team-leading receiver
catching 48 passes and averaging 18.6 yards
per catch. He has excellent speed and plays
at his best in the big games. Before the
upcoming campaign is through, Childs has
the chance to be the top receiver in the
SEC at the least statistically. Jarius
Wright has shown some real flashes
of brilliance and is the team’s second
leading returning receiver. He is dangerously
quick and tough to cover man-to-man. Joe
Adams is the rock of this bunch.
He has become a steady target and managed
to earn All-Conference honors last fall.
Senior D.J. Williams is
a preseason All-American by most accounts
and is one of the nation's top receiving
tight ends possessing NFL skills now. Built
more like a fullback (6'2, 251 pounds) he
has extremely gifted hands. He could easily
push for 50-plus catches in 2010.
Boise
State
The
Broncos seem to get overlooked in so many
departments and the receivers are no exception.
All-WAC seniors Austin Pettis
and Titus Young form one
of the top receiving tandems in the nation
after recording 29 touchdowns last season.
Pettis already has a single season school-record
14 touchdown grabs from a year ago and should
also break the school career record for
receptions, yards and touchdowns. He makes
big plays in clutch situations. Young is
the deep threat and pulled in a team high
1,041 receiving yards last fall. He also
averaged 9.2 yards per carry and is an All-American
kick returner at NationalChamps.net. There
is plenty of talent at tight end too. Senior
returning starter Tommy Gallarda
is primarily a blocker but caught four touchdowns
last year. Kyle Efaw is
a rare downfield threat (14.3 yards per
catch) from this position and was the Fiesta
Bowl MVP last January. There are several
others who have seen their share of starts.
With Kellen Moore behind center, this group
is capable of getting passes thrown their
way anywhere on the field.
Oklahoma
The
most exciting player on the Sooner roster
is receiver Ryan Broyles.
He tied the school's single-season touchdown
receptions record with 15 in 2009 and set
new records for catches in a game (13 in
OU's bowl win over Stanford) and for a season
(86). He is a leading candidate for the
Biletnikoff Award and has become one of
the team's top leaders. Dejuan Miller
came on strong at the end of last season,
making 23 of his 26 receptions in the final
six games. The same can be said for Jaz
Reynolds, who displayed his best
performances in the final four games. The
star of the spring was incoming freshman
Kenny Stills and he should
find his way into this starting lineup much
"sooner" than later. Former running
back Mossis Madu will now
line up behind Broyles. Brandon
Caleb had 139 receiving yards last
year in a win over Baylor and has earned
his share of starts through out 2009.
Washington
Maybe
the reason quarterback Jake Locker decided
to return for his senior season is that
he saw seven players who caught at least
ten passes here last season coming back.
Jermaine Kearse has become
one of the Pac Ten's elite receivers and
is a consistent deep threat that truly can
stretch a field. Kearse scored in each of
the Huskies' final four games and has developed
great timing with Locker. Devin
Aguilar is more of a possession
receiver and he has solid numbers to support
this role (42 receptions). James
Johnson is the other starter in
this three-receiver base set after catching
39 passes as a true frosh last fall. His
expectations have continued to grow through
the spring. Tight end Kavario Middleton
was fourth on the team in receptions. He
is a big athletic type at 6'5 but is being
pushed by fellow junior Chris Izbicki.
Just
Missed:
Alabama, Auburn, Georgia,
Hawai'i, Miami FL
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