South Carolina is closing in on preseason camp, and the 2026 schedule is already lined with receivers who can stress a defense in a hurry. From the SEC to Clemson, the Gamecocks are set to see some of the league’s most productive pass-catchers, including a few who have already made their names known in Columbia.
Here’s a look at the top five wide receivers South Carolina will face in 2026.
Isaiah Sategna III sits at No. 1 after putting together one of the SEC’s best receiving seasons a year ago. Oklahoma’s top target finished third in the conference with 965 yards on 67 catches, and he had four 100-yard games against Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU.
He also made an impact against South Carolina last season, catching seven passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Sategna, who began his career at Arkansas and spent three seasons in Fayetteville, is now entering his second year at Oklahoma after a 2024 season that produced 491 yards on 37 receptions.
He heads into 2026 as a preseason All-SEC second team pick at both wide receiver and return specialist. Oklahoma will host South Carolina in Norman on Oct.
Ryan Coleman-Williams checks in at No. 2 after two productive seasons at Alabama that have already stacked up to 1,554 yards and 12 touchdowns on 97 receptions. His freshman year in 2024 was the breakout, with 865 yards and eight touchdowns on 48 catches, and he followed that with 49 grabs for 689 yards and four scores last season.
Coleman-Williams had one 100-yard outing in 2025, a 165-yard performance against Wisconsin on five receptions, and he also posted 98 yards against Vanderbilt and 87 against Tennessee. Against South Carolina last season, he caught seven passes for 72 yards, and in 2024 he finished with four catches for 32 yards.
He was named a preseason first team All-SEC selection heading into this season. Alabama hosts South Carolina on Sept.
Texas A&M’s Mario Craver lands at No. 3 after a strong 2025 season that included 917 yards and four touchdowns on 59 catches. He delivered three 100-yard games, highlighted by a 207-yard, one-touchdown outing at Notre Dame.
He also had 122 yards against UTSA and 114 against Utah State. Craver started his college career at Mississippi State in 2024, when he caught 17 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns.
Against South Carolina last season, he was held to one catch for six yards. He enters 2026 as a preseason second team All-SEC selection, and Texas A&M will bring him to Columbia on Nov. 7 for a game at Williams-Brice Stadium.
T.J. Moore comes in at No. 4 for Clemson, where he returns for his junior season after compiling 1,488 yards and nine touchdowns on 97 receptions.
Moore followed a strong freshman year - 45 catches for 651 yards and five touchdowns - with another step forward in 2025, finishing with 52 receptions for 837 yards and four scores. His top games last season came against North Carolina, SMU and South Carolina, with 108 yards against the Tar Heels, 124 against the Mustangs and six catches for 101 yards against the Gamecocks.
Clemson is replacing Antonio Williams, but Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr. are back, and Wesco has totaled 1,245 yards over his first two seasons.
Braylon Staley rounds out the list at No. 5.
The Tennessee receiver, who is from Johnston, S.C., put together an impressive 2025 season with 68 catches for 837 yards and six touchdowns. Tennessee will need to replace Chris Brazzell in 2026, and Staley, along with Mike Matthews, appears positioned to be a major target for whoever wins the quarterback battle.
His biggest games last season came against Arkansas and Kentucky, when he posted 109 and 105 yards, respectively. He also had five receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns against Oklahoma, and nine catches for 97 yards and a touchdown against Georgia.
South Carolina will host Tennessee on Oct. 24.
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