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A list of dynamic wide receivers in the SEC doesn’t begin and end with Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk.
Yes, Alabama’s Ridley and Texas A&M’s Kirk would and should top any ranking of the conference’s elite. But life in the SEC is brutal because there are numerous other hard-to-contain receivers besides the two preseason first-team all-conference picks.
So, excluding Ridley and Kirk from the conversation and trying to avoid repeating several other star wideouts, here are the top three receivers (or three of the many) that each SEC team will face this fall:
ALABAMA
1. Drew Morgan, Arkansas (63 catches, 843 yards, 10 touchdowns): The brash Morgan almost fell through Arkansas’ hands and played at Arkansas State, but he became a Razorback and the 6-1, 193-pounder will be just the confident target that first-year starter Austin Allen needs to survive against the Tide secondary. He caught a TD pass against Alabama last season.
2. Damore’ea Stringfellow, Ole Miss (36 catches, 503 yards, 5 touchdowns): Stringfellow won’t challenge the Crimson Tide with his speed (he runs in the high 4.5s in the 40), but he has that all-important quick first step, can use his big 6-2, 211-pound frame to create space and has the motivation of being Chad Kelly’s new No. 1 target.
3. Fred Ross, Mississippi State (88 catches, 1,007 yards, 5 touchdowns): The Bulldogs shouldn’t be much of a problem for the Tide in Tuscaloosa in November, but Ross himself will be a handful, with his versatility (he can line up in the slot or outside), he has senior savvy and a 6-2, 207-pound frame that makes him tough to push around.
ARKANSAS
1. Antonio Callaway, Florida (35 catches, 678 yards, 4 touchdowns): Callaway, assuming he gets back on the field after being suspended during the offseason, is poised for a full breakout season as a sophomore with his ability to line up in the slot or wide, his good hands and his ability to stretch the field (19.4 yards per catch as a freshman).
2. Malachi Dupre, LSU (43 catches, 698 yards, 6 touchdowns): The week after Callaway visits Fayetteville in November, Dupre (and Travin Dural) will come calling. Dupre has incredible ability to find the end zone on deeper throws, as well as speed and freakish athleticism — he was a Louisiana state high school champion in the triple jump, high jump and long jump.
3. Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M (51 catches, 907 yards, 5 touchdowns): Beware of “the complement receiver,” as Reynolds will be a handful opposite Kirk with his long 6-4, 190-pound frame, giant strides and his ability to get deep (16.9 yards per catch last season).
AUBURN
1. Terry Godwin, Georgia (35 catches, 379 yards, 2 touchdowns): The speedy 5-11, 174-pound Godwin will be scary for the Tigers in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry with his elusiveness — whether the quarterback is Jacob Eason or someone else — and should be able to build on a strong finish to his freshman season.
2. Mike Williams, Clemson (Redshirted last year after fracturing neck on first drive of season): Williams should be a challenge for the Auburn defense in the season opener after being forced to watch Clemson’s march to the national title game last year, having caught 57 passes for 1,030 yards and six touchdowns in 2014 with his 6-4, 220-pound frame giving him an ability to separate from defenders.
3. Trent Sherfield, Vanderbilt (51 catches, 659 yards, 3 touchdowns): Sherfield showed he could step in at a moment’s notice last year, filling in admirably when C.J. Duncan went down with a torn ACL, and now that Duncan is back the 6-1, 200-pound Sherfield should be that much more dangerous in 2016.
FLORIDA
1. Deebo Samuel, South Carolina (12 catches, 161 yards, 1 touchdown): Samuel’s rise was halted last year because of a hamstring injury that limited him to five games, but the 6-0, 205-pound sophomore showed glimpses of what could be this fall — not to mention his ability to overcome obstacles — with a 104-yard performance against rival and powerhouse Clemson to end the season.
2. Travis Rudolph, Florida State (59 catches, 916 yards, 7 touchdowns): Containing the 6-1, 192-pound junior will be a huge challenge for an equally talented Gators secondary in the rivalry game finale in Tallahassee, as Rudolph has tremendous explosiveness.
3. Josh Malone, Tennessee (31 catches, 405 yards, 2 touchdowns): Another rivalry game, another challenge for the Gators, as the 6-3, 200-pound junior has the deadly combo of size and speed to be trouble in the late September showdown in Knoxville.
GEORGIA
1. Ryan Switzer, North Carolina (55 catches, 697 yards, 6 touchdowns): The diminutive 5-10, 175-pound Switzer will be a handful for the Bulldogs with his senior savvy and ability to make explosive, game-changing plays, particularly on the fast carpet of the Georgia Dome in the season opener.
2. Dorian Baker, Kentucky (55 catches, 608 yards, 3 touchdowns): Baker is a load at 6-3, 208, and his fall, stocky build combined with great playmaking ability could loom large in Lexington in early November. Eddie Gran’s new offense should help Drew Barker and the passing game.
3. J’Mon Moore, Missouri (29 catches, 350 yards, 3 touchdowns): The 6-3, 190-pound Moore became a big-play guy in his first year as a starter with an experienced quarterback behind center, so the redshirt junior who led the team in catches and yards is due for a breakout fall with his combination of athleticism and hands.
KENTUCKY
1. Jamari Staples, Louisville (37 catches, 638 yards, 3 touchdowns): Staples will challenge the Wildcats’ secondary with his size (6-4) in the season-ending rivalry game and carries plenty of moxie from last year after averaging more than 17 yards per catch to develop into the Cardinals’ top target.
2. ArDarius Stewart, Alabama (63 catches, 700 yards, 4 touchdowns): The blazing-fast junior would be the No. 1 receiver at almost every other program in the country, but Stewart showed last fall he has no problem co-existing with Ridley and thriving in the biggest of games.
3. Donald Gray, Mississippi State (21 catches, 386 yards, 2 touchdowns): Gray is only 5-10 but he plays big, having a knack for the big play along using those great hands of his. He averaged 18.4 yards per catch, which would have been fourth in the SEC had he had enough catches to qualify.
LSU
1. Jazz Peavy, Wisconsin (20 catches, 268 yards, 0 touchdowns): Peavy will have big-play potential in the season opener against the Tigers and also enters this season with the motivation that he can be the replacement for departed top target Alex Erickson if he can master Paul Chryst’s offense.
2. Markell Pack, Ole Miss (31 catches, 380 yards, 3 touchdowns): Pack is athletic, he’s big (6-2, 184), he’s versatile (able to play the slot as well as return punts) and he’ll be a handful for the Tigers opposite Stringfellow.
3. Dominique Reed, Arkansas (28 catches, 535 yards, 6 touchdowns): Reed is a big target at 6-3, has all the gifts (speed, soft hands, great vertical route runner), and he’ll be looking to build on an impressive end to last season that made him a preseason Phil Steele second-team All-SEC selection this year.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Nick Kurtz, BYU (39 catches, 578 yards, 3 touchdowns): The senior is a huge target at 6-6, 210, can stretch the field, having averaged 15 yards per catch last season, and should shine in new offensive coordinator Ty Detmer’s system.
2. Karel Hamilton, Samford (75 catches, 880 yards, 4 touchdowns): OK, this one is a curveball, but Hamilton did catch those staggering 75 passes last year and he has sure hands, never losing a fumble despite a combined 130 catches over the past two years.
3. Terry Googer, South Carolina (5 catches, 74 yards, 0 touchdowns): This one is solely on potential, as Googer should be able to use his immense 6-4, 220-pound frame in a breakout season and will have the advantage of playing opposite Samuel.
MISSOURI
1. Daikiel Shorts, West Virginia (45 catches, 528 yards, 5 touchdowns): Not only will the Tigers have to face Shorts in the season opener, in Morgantown, but the 6-1, 204-pound senior is merely one of three supremely talented wideouts along with Shelton Gibson and Ka’Raun White.
2. Terry Pettis, Middle Tennessee (29 catches, 612 yards, 4 touchdowns): Right in the middle of their SEC gauntlet in mid-October comes Pettis, who will challenge Missouri with a 6-5, 248-pound frame that is more like a tight end trapped in a wide receiver’s body.
3. Preston Williams, Tennessee (7 catches, 158 yards, 2 touchdowns): This is another one based on potential, as the sophomore is poised for a breakout season because there will be so much attention on the Vols’ other array of weapons, because he’s a whopping 6-4, 209, and because he showed flashes of being a prime deep threat in limited action last fall.
OLE MISS
1. B.J. Johnson, Georgia Southern (15 catches, 249 yards, 0 touchdowns): When the gritty Eagles come calling to Oxford in early November, the Rebels will have to deal with the 6-1, 210-pound senior, who led the team in receiving yards despite being limited to nine games because of a broken clavicle. He can stretch the field (16.6 yards per catch last year).
2. Anthony Miller, Memphis (47 catches, 694 yards, 5 touchdowns): Miller is on the small side at 5-11, 190, but the Rebels know all too well that he’s a big-play threat, as Miller piled up a season-high 10 catches for 132 yards in the Tigers’ stunning upset of Ole Miss in Memphis.
3. Speedy Noil, Texas A&M (21 catches, 226 yards, 2 touchdowns): His real name is Devante, and while Noil is blazing fast as his nickname suggests, the 5-11, 192-pound junior is also known for his vertical leap, as he recorded a stunning 45.3-inch jump at The Opening showcase event in 2013.
SOUTH CAROLINA
1. Isaiah Jones, East Carolina (98 catches, 1,099 yards, 5 touchdowns): The 6-1, 197-pound senior, the son of former NFL linebacker and Pirates alum Robert Jones, piled up those 98 catches last year out of the slot using his great hands.
2. Artavis Scott, Clemson (93 catches, 901 yards, 6 touchdowns): The junior has run a 40 as low as 4.38 seconds, was an All-ACC selection in 2015 and is sure to give the Gamecocks fits in the rivalry game after showing his ability last year to play big in the biggest games. Scott caught touchdown passes in the ACC title game and national championship game against Alabama.
3. C.J. Duncan, Vanderbilt (Missed 2015 season with lower leg injury): Duncan will be back to complement Sherfield after leading the Commodores in receiving yards and touchdowns two years ago as a redshirt freshman, and the former quarterback could hurt the Gamecocks deep.
TENNESSEE
1. Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech (75 catches, 1,164 yards, 11 touchdowns): The Vols will have to deal with Ford in primetime at venerable Bristol Motor Speedway, which is appropriate since the preseason All-ACC pick can be an explosive threat downfield or in the short passing game by using his lightning-quick feet to make tacklers miss.
2. Sebastian Smith, Ohio (64 catches, 775 yards, 7 touchdowns): The week after the showdown with Ford, Smith will arrive at Neyland Stadium with his hard-to-check 6-3 frame and his ability to keep drives alive with touch catches as a security blanket.
3. Garrett Johnson, Kentucky (46 catches, 694 yards, 2 touchdowns): The Wildcats’ array of receiving weapons includes the 5-11 Johnson, who has shown an uncanny ability to make big catches, with 30 of his grabs last season being for first downs or touchdowns.
TEXAS A&M
1. Keon Hatcher, Arkansas (13 catches, 198 yards, 2 touchdowns): Pay no attention to Hatcher’s numbers, as the 6-2, 207-pound senior was on his way to the same big-time season he had in 2014 before sustaining a season-ending foot injury in the second game.
2. Travin Dural, LSU (28 catches, 533 yards, 3 touchdowns): The senior will challenge the Aggies with the full complement: He’s big (6-2, 203), fast (sub-4.4 40-yard dash), has great hands and is a deep threat.
3. Kerry Thomas, Texas-San Antonio (52 catches, 541 yards, 4 touchdowns): Thomas arrives in College Station with the non-conference Roadrunners the week before Dural, and the Aggies would be advised not to sleep on the junior All-Conference USA selection.
VANDERBILT
1. Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky (86 catches, 1,467 yards, 17 touchdowns): The 6-1, 195-pound senior with the 4.33 40 time is a major deal at a mid-major program, setting the school’s single-season records in catches, yards and TDs last year, and being named to the watch lists for the Maxwell and Biletnikoff awards.
2. Jauan Jennings, Tennessee (14 catches, 149 yards, 0 touchdowns): This one is based on big-time potential after the giant 6-3, 205-pound target was the surprise of camp last year after his move from quarterback and became the first true freshman at Tennessee to start an opener at receiver since 2013.
3. Brandon Powell, Florida (29 catches, 390 yards, 3 touchdowns): Powell is small at 5-9, 184, but he showed his resilience by managing to put up decent numbers last year despite uneven quarterback play, and he’ll be dangerous this fall as long as he can be resilient again after offseason foot surgery.
Cory Nightingale, a sports copy editor at the Miami Herald, lives for Saturdays. He especially enjoys the pageantry, tradition and history of SEC football.
