The race for college football’s top wide receiver feels crowded this season, but the conversation keeps circling back to three names: Miami’s Malachi Toney, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Oregon State’s Jesse Legree.
Toney’s performance against Pittsburgh only sharpened the debate. After putting up 16 catches for 194 yards and three touchdowns against the Panthers, he forced his way even deeper into the national spotlight. That kind of night can change how people talk about a player, and in Toney’s case it added another loud chapter to an already electric season.
Through seven games, Toney has 66 receptions for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns, with an average of 14.4 yards per catch. He arrived in 2025 with a freshman season that already put him near the top of the sport, finishing with the most catches in the country while ranking fifth in receiving yards with 1,211 and 12th in touchdowns with 10.
This year, he has made a number change too, moving from No. 10 to No. 1 because he wanted to be seen as "the one." So far, that choice has matched the production.
Smith remains right there in the mix. Ohio State’s standout has 52 receptions for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns through seven games, along with a gaudy 18.9 yards per catch.
He has already posted two games of 200-plus receiving yards and delivered key plays in wins over No. 14 Iowa and No.
5 Indiana. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, he has the size, and the résumé, of a classic No. 1 receiver.
The 2027 draft projection only adds to the buzz around him, and his route-running, speed, hands and physicality have made him one of the most coveted wideouts in the country.
Then there’s Legree, the surprise force in the sport. The Oregon State receiver has been the most explosive of the bunch in some ways, leading the nation with 1,040 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 22.6 yards per catch on 46 receptions.
The Baltimore-born playmaker doesn’t look like a conventional deep threat, but that’s exactly what he has become. He’s got the elusiveness to turn open field into a highlight reel, and even in losses to No.
23 Houston and No. 13 Texas Tech, he piled up nearly 400 yards combined.
Not everyone in the country belongs in this discussion. Syracuse’s Umari Hatcher, Indiana’s Charlie Becker and Missouri State’s Isaiah Meyers are all having strong seasons, but the real argument for best receiver in college football runs through Toney, Smith and Legree. Right now, all three have a legitimate case.
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The night also carried a healthy dose of program history. Jon Diebler was back around the team, and former head coach Thad Matta was honored at halftime, adding some extra weight to an exhibition that already felt like more than just a warmup. For Ohio State, the performance offered reasons to feel encouraged, even if the bigger questions about how this group will mesh are still waiting to be answered when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]