The best wide receiver in college football today is not a particularly well-kept secret. Ohio State pass catcher Jeremiah Smith not only has re-written the Buckeye record book, but he's been an elite talent since the first day he stepped onto a college football field. But the best today doesn't equate with the best of the last 50 years-- at least not in ESPN's recently-unveiled list of the best 60 pass catchers from that era is the authority.
Smith's spot on ESPN's list
Smith came in No. 2 on ESPN's list. In his career to date, the junior star has amassed 211 receptions, 3,474 yards, and 38 receiving touchdowns. He's a heavy favorite for the Heisman Trophy and ESPN gives him a reasonable shot at setting a new FBS single-season receiving yardage mark. If Smith played four seasons at Ohio State, there might not be many college records he wouldn't own.
ESPN's top receiver
But the top receiver on ESPN's list didn't make his plays at a power conference school. Before he became an NFL star, most notably with the Minnesota Vikings, Randy Moss tore up opposing defenses at Marshall. Playing in FCS in 1996 and then in the MAC after Marshall's move up in 1997, Moss snagged 174 passes for 3,529 yards and 54 touchdowns over just two seasons before he entered the NFL.
Moss's size, speed, and big-play ability were unique. In his 1997 season, he caught 90 passes for 1,647 yards and 25 touchdowns. Despite being outside of the college football forefront at Marshall, Moss finished 4th for the Heisman Trophy in his final season, behind Charles Woodson, Peyton Manning, and Ryan Leaf.
Other Standouts on ESPN's list
Interestingly, while Smith was the top active college receiver on ESPN's top 60 list, he also was the only active college receiver on the list. Behind Smith and rounding out the list's top five were Pittsburgh star Larry Fitzgerald, recent Alabama standout DeVonta Smith, and Oklahoma State legend Justin Blackmon.
The rest of the top ten were Michigan star turned ESPN broadcaster Desmond Howard, Texas Tech standout Michael Crabtree, Notre Dame's Tim Brown, Georgia Tech star Calvin Johnson, and recent Ohio State pass catcher Marvin Harrison Jr.
The list includes several names which might surprise, including Wyoming's Ryan Yarbrough and future MLB Most Valable Player Kirk Gibson, who was an elite receiver at Michigan State. Author Bill Connelly noted that he based the list on talent and production, which caused him to leave out stars like Julio Jones, who Connelly said "wasn't asked to do enough in Tuscaloosa."
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