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Mike Marteny takes a look at the 10 best wide receivers based on fantasy potential after the first window of the 2025 college football transfer portal closed.
Once again, wide receiver is the most populated transfer position. 340 receivers are on the move this year, up from 258 last year. Only five of them have not committed to a new home, with Nevada's Cortez Braham Jr. being the best target available at the end of the winter window.
Wide receiver impacts are a little harder to gauge than other positions. How a receiver plays with a new quarterback in practices goes a long way toward determining who will see more targets from said quarterback. We have a lot of other intriguing options in new places this fall.
This window officially closed on January 31, but it took a few days for all of the paperwork to clear, and I waited a few days for the dust to settle. Honestly, the portal is still going. Players just can't "sign" with a new team officially until the window opens again. Let's take a look at which wide receivers that have already transferred will have the biggest impact on college football in 2025.
WR Transfer Impacts Last Season
It was a rough top-10 last year for me. Deion Burks, Caullin Lacy, and Juice Wells were hurt for most, if not all, of the 2024 season. Elijah Sarratt was probably my best pick, though Josh Kelly (No. 5) and Evan Stewart (No. 1) caught fire later in the season.
We can infer from the last two seasons that about half of these picks will have a serious impact. I missed a couple of WR groups that had multiple incoming transfers. Auburn, Georgia, LSU, and Mississippi all have multiple incoming top-25 transfer receivers. Texas A&M has three! Keep that in mind when perusing these rankings.
Low-Ranked WR Transfers To Watch
With so many receivers moving around, a good number of them will have impacts, maybe at smaller schools. For those of you who play in deeper fantasy leagues, here are a few sleepers that landed off the beaten path and could have a big impact.
Easton Messer, Florida Atlantic (from Western Kentucky): 55 receptions, 793 yards, four TD in 2024
Javon Robinson, Georgia State (from Grambling): 43 receptions, 507 yards, TD in 2024.
JoJo Earle, UNLV (from TCU, Alabama): Seven receptions, 37 yards, TD in 2024.
Jaquaize Pettaway, East Carolina (from Oklahoma): Five receptions, 87 yards in 2024.
Trayvon Rudolph, Toledo (from Northern Illinois): 37 receptions, 392 yards, TD in 2024.
Chrishon McCray, Michigan State (from Kent State): 40 receptions, 705 yards, nine TD in 2024.
Xavier Townsend, Iowa State (from Central Florida): 10 receptions, 69 yards, TD in 2024.
J.J. Hester, Kentucky (from Oklahoma): 14 receptions, 315 yards, TD in 2024.
Joseph Manjack IV, TCU (from Houston): 22 receptions, 351 yards, three TD in 2024.
Kaedin Robinson, UCLA (from Appalachian State): 53 receptions, 840 yards, two TD in 2024.
10. Jalil Farooq, Maryland (from Oklahoma)
BREAKING: Oklahoma WR transfer Jalil Farooq has committed to Maryland. The former Wise 4⭐️ had 1287 Yds and 7 TDs in his four years at Oklahoma. Big pickup for the Terps. pic.twitter.com/eIaMfYgbid
— Inside Maryland Sports (@Terrapins247) December 20, 2024
I have no questions about Farooq. I know how good he is. I do have questions about Maryland's quarterback situation and feel that Farooq may be wasted yet again in a bogged-down offense. That's the only reason Farooq is this low on the list.
UCLA transfer Justyn Martin is listed atop the Maryland depth chart right now. The consensus among fans is that true freshman Malik Washington, the fifth-ranked QB in the class, will take the job, perhaps as soon as Week 1. Maryland is a young team and is going to need Farooq's leadership.
9. Malachi Fields, Notre Dame (from Virginia)
?????????: Virginia transfer WR Malachi Fields is transferring to the University of Notre Dame, he announced! #GoIrish ☘️
2021-2024 Season Stats:
- 129 receptions
- 1,849 receiving yards
- 14.3 receiving yard average
- 11 touchdownsNice pickup. ? pic.twitter.com/4zk55ToINh
— Notre Dame Fighting Irish (@Insidetheirish) December 23, 2024
The Irish didn't land an impact transfer at quarterback this year after luring Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard to South Bend. What gives? Did they run out of money (doubtful)? Word on the streets is that the Irish believe in redshirt freshman CJ Carr. He's an organic recruit, but he needs weapons. We saw what the lack of weapons did to the Irish last year at times.
Enter Malachi Fields. Fields has been a really good receiver at Virginia with questionable quarterback play for the last couple of seasons. Considering that Notre Dame heavily invested in quarterbacks the last two years and has a berth in the National Championship game to show for it, it speaks volumes that they didn't even kick the tires in the portal.
Notre Dame believes in Carr and/or Steve Angeli. Fields joins a suddenly loaded WR room with Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse left over from last year. Leonard didn't often look to receivers. Carr is the antithesis of Leonard.
8. Tru Edwards, Kentucky (from Louisiana Tech)
Insane athleticism and effort by Tru Edwards, even if this went nowhere pic.twitter.com/UHXd3ec33c
— Road to CFB (@roadtocfb) October 11, 2024
That kind of athleticism will play well for Kentucky...if they add Edwards to the roster. Edwards was one of the many benefactors of the Diego Pavia ruling about JuCo players. The general feeling is that Edwards will wind up in Lexington at some point, but further delays could affect his standing in a revamped WR room in Lexington.
Former Incarnate Word/Alabama/Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada is expected to take over for the Wildcats. Of course, a new offense should do the 'Cats wonders. I like what I see from Kentucky, even with an unproven quarterback and eight new starters on offense.
7. Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech (from Florida International)
Very good chance Eric Rivers is a top 5 WR in CFB this fall for GT.
1,172 yards, 12TDs, 18.9 YPC last season
Elite deep ball threat. Invades tacklers incredibly well. Very fast. Ability to make acrobatic catches.
statline vs NMSU
- 11 catches
- 295 receiving yards
- 2TDs pic.twitter.com/SAoq2V1xMz— Garrett Armbrust (@4thandsaturday) February 17, 2025
Rivers put up some big numbers on a bad team. He could have a huge year with Haynes King throwing to him. King has taken well to the Georgia Tech offense. This is a team that is ready to be a player in the wide-open ACC in 2025. Rivers promises to be a big part of that.
6. Dane Key, Nebraska (from Kentucky)
New Nebraska WR Dane Key in 2024:
? 92 Targets
? 2 Drops pic.twitter.com/crvUAk0t31— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 26, 2024
Dane Key has told any reporter who listens that Dylan Raiola brought him to the fields of corn. He's looking forward to playing with him, and who can blame him after what Key suffered through in Lexington? Key brings good route running, lethal speed, and great hands to a team that sorely needs it. I may have him ranked too low on this list.
5. Squirrel White, Florida State (from Tennessee)
Squirrel White. Fast. Really, really fast. pic.twitter.com/SsD9yeodLD
— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) January 6, 2025
Florida State wants out of the ACC in the worst way, but the SEC couldn't care less about a 2-10 team in a conference they owned last year. The Seminoles are trying to get back on track, not with a new coaching staff, but with a new offense. Boston College transfer Thomas Castellanos should fit in this offense.
Florida State was happy with the backs, but they revamped the receiving corps. USC's Duce Robinson is expected to be the possession guy. White is the burner. This ranking hinges on Castellanos having a better deep arm than Nico Iamaleava. White's speed was wasted in that offense last year.
4. Eric Singleton Jr., Auburn (from Georgia Tech)
Eric Singleton Jr.Highlights
The latest addition to Auburn’s roster can FLY ? pic.twitter.com/uaSwIIz2jx
— Taylor Korn (@TaylorKornTNR) December 24, 2024
Honestly, we don't know a lot about Jackson Arnold's arm. The 2023 Alamo Bowl provided more insight than the entire 2024 season. He operated with a skeleton crew of receivers even before he lost his job. Oklahoma was without at least five of the top eight receivers on the depth chart for all but one game last year. We'll give Arnold a pass.
Arnold looked good and bad in that Alamo Bowl. Auburn adds another quarterback that is a head-scratcher to some, but I like this move. Arnold has a lot of talent. He just hasn't shown it at the collegiate level yet.
He'll have plenty of chances this year. Auburn revamped their receiving corps as well. Singleton is one of the fastest players in college. If the Tigers turn this offense loose, we could see a big year from Singleton. Arnold's arm is good enough to find him on deep routes. This is the deep threat that has been missing from Auburn's offense for years.
3. Nic Anderson, LSU (from Oklahoma)
BREAKING: Ex-Oklahoma WR Nic Anderson, 6-4 215 lbs, from Katy, Texas has committed to #LSU. Anderson had 38 catches, 798 yards, & 10 TD’s for the Sooners. #AYS pic.twitter.com/AH63S8PF27
— AYS Sports (@AYSSPORTS) December 18, 2024
I often dream about what Anderson could have been at Oklahoma with a decent offensive coordinator and quarterback. He reminds me a lot of Malcolm Kelly. Kelly flamed out in the NFL, but he was very good in college.
LSU had a massive influx of talent at WR, but I'm not worried about Anderson. Garrett Nussmeier might lead the nation in passing yards this year. I don't respect Brian Kelly as a person at all, but his coaching chops are hard to deny. He has put together a mighty good offense down there on the Bayou.
2. CJ Daniels, Miami (FL) (from LSU)
Boom. The train is rolling. Miami lands one of the TOP WRs in the portal, CJ Daniels. The 6’2 205 has 148 Receptions for 2,434 Yards & 21 TDs in his career pic.twitter.com/A5k7xAVbUN
— CanesInSight (@CanesInSight) December 18, 2024
Daniels had a big season at Liberty before heading to the big time at LSU. He was solid for the Tigers, but I thought he should have been better. It's possible that LSU had too many weapons. It is also possible that Daniels never really fit on that team. Maybe he just needs to be the alpha.
Daniels will get that chance with Miami. The WR room is gutted with Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George bound for the NFL. The Hurricanes have three true freshmen competing for the other WR spots in this offense.
The other question mark here is Carson Beck, the Georgia transfer at QB. Was he a product of a run-first offense or is he just not a very good passer? I believe it's the former and I've iterated that many times in the past two years. Daniels could have a huge season if I'm right about Beck.
1. Kevin Concepcion, Texas A&M (from North Carolina State)
There are many talented playmakers at WR in college football but KC
Concepcion is something special now for A&MThe one name that immediately comes to mind if fans want to do the comparison game is Percy Harvin, just by the natural way he can turn upfield and make a play his own pic.twitter.com/Llilekhfe6
— Kannon Torres (@TorresKannon) December 29, 2024
This year's top pick was also an easy one. Concepcion had a big year on a team without a suitable quarterback for the entire season. We saw flashes of brilliance from Marcel Reed last year, and if he's not the answer, former Baylor and UAB quarterback Jacob Zeno will take over.
A&M lost almost all of their production from the receivers last year. Reed and Concepcion could have a monster year together in College Station.
Honorable Mentions: Zachariah Branch, Georgia (from USC); Horatio Fields, Auburn (from Wake Forest); Malik Benson, Oregon (from Florida State); Justin Bowick, Illinois (from Ball State); Omari Kelly, Michigan State (from Middle Tennessee State); O'Mega Blake, Arkansas (from Charlotte); Jahmal Edrine, Virginia (from Purdue); Duce Robinson, Florida State (from USC)
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