Big 12 receivers are making a loud early case.
Through three weeks, the conference’s top pass catchers have put up the kind of numbers that jump off the page: Arizona State’s Reed Harris is out front with 374 receiving yards and five touchdowns, while BYU freshman Legend Glasker and Utah transfer Braden Pegan have both carved out major roles in offenses that are winning and doing it with balance.
That balance matters. BYU and Utah are both 3-0, and receiver production is only part of why.
The Cougars have leaned on LJ Martin in the run game, while Utah has gotten chunk plays from quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin. So even with Glasker sitting fifth in the Big 12 at 90.7 receiving yards per game and Pegan eighth at 78.3, neither player has needed a giant target load to matter.
Glasker, in particular, is drawing attention fast. After BYU beat Colorado State last Saturday, coach Kalani Sitake talked about how the staff saw this coming.
“I think Fesi knew right away when we were recruiting him how to use him. And we knew that he was going to be something special,” said Sitake.
“Legend’s growing up real fast. The growth that I’ve seen from him from fall camp to Game 1, then Game 1 to Game 3, is amazing.
The sky’s the limit for him, so I’m just going to tell him to stay humble like his brother next to him, LJ, is, and he’ll be fine.”
The Big 12’s leader, Harris, brings a different kind of profile. He transferred to Arizona State from Boston College, where he started all 12 games.
At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, he was named the best football player in Montana in high school and the No. 3 athlete in the country by On3 recruiting. He also played quarterback at Great Falls, throwing for 1,658 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 865 yards.
The numbers around him show how explosive the Big 12 has been at the position so far. Ed Small of TCU has 330 yards.
Gavin Freeman of Baylor has 305 on 29 catches. Justin Bowick of Oklahoma State has 281 yards and three touchdowns.
Glasker has 270 yards on just 11 receptions, and other names like West Virginia’s DJ Epps, Houston’s Amare Thomas and Utah’s Pegan are all in the mix.
The SEC has its own strong group, but its early top end hasn’t quite matched the Big 12’s peak production yet. Ole Miss’ Deuce Alexander and Mississippi State’s Anthony Evans III are both around 295 yards, Arkansas’ Chris Marshall is at 278, Vanderbilt’s Junior Sherrill at 272, and Missouri’s Donovan Olugbode is listed in the 259-268 range with four touchdowns. Cam Coleman of Texas is tied or leading the SEC in receiving touchdowns with four, though his yardage total is lower at 178 in some listings.
So what stands out early? The Big 12 has the clearer edge in pure production.
Its leaders have been more explosive, with receivers like Epps averaging 30.0 yards per catch and Glasker sitting at 24.5. The SEC has volume of its own, but the Big 12’s top names have been piling up yards faster and hitting bigger plays more often.
That doesn’t settle the argument for the long haul. Early numbers only tell part of the story, and conference play has a way of changing the picture. But right now, the Big 12’s receivers are setting the pace.
This week’s picks
Texas 27, Tennessee 24
Ohio State 34, Illinois 14
Baylor 28, Colorado 14
Maryland 21, UCLA 17
Notre Dame 42, Purdue 10
Georgia 33, Oklahoma 28
Ole Miss 37, Florida 24
Houston 31, Georgia Southern 10
UCF 27, TCU 21
Michigan 17, Iowa 14
Utah 31, Iowa State 10
Penn State 27, Wisconsin 21
Kansas State 31, Cincinnati 14
West Virginia 34, Oklahoma State 31
USC 24, Oregon 21
Arizona 35, Washington State 21
Last week 10-4; Overall 37-7 (.840)
In Other News...
Utah Defense Is Starting To Look Dangerous For One Clear Reason
Utahs defense is starting to feel much more like the group the program expected to see, and safety Nate Ritchie says the biggest difference is not some new wrinkle or sudden overhaul. It has been the basics, from cleaner tackling to the kind of steady practice habits that make a unit sharper as the season goes along. After the recent shutout, Ritchie pointed to the way the defense has worked together and leaned on its experience and chemistry to tighten things up.
Ritchie also said he appreciated coach Morgan Scalleys praise of his play, but the focus inside the room seems to be less on individual credit and more on what comes next. The Utes are already looking ahead to their next opponents and preparing for the possibility of tough weather, another test for a defense that is trying to keep building on the momentum it has already created. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs Two Quarterback Attack Is Giving Iowa State A Real Problem
Iowa States Big 12 opener comes with an early test right out of the gate, as the Cyclones get No. 15 Utah at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday. The Utes have rolled through their first three games by wide margins, and part of what makes them different is the way they split the quarterback work between Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin, giving the offense a look that is not easy to prepare for on a short week.
Iowa State coach Jimmy Rogers said Utah presents problems on both sides of the ball, and he has seen enough similar systems to understand why. For the Cyclones, the challenge is not just sorting out which quarterback is on the field, but matching an offense that can change speed and style while backed by a defense that has helped Utah build its early-season momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs Big 12 Opener Just Got Trickier Than Anyone Expected
Iowa State arrives for Utahs Big 12 opener in a state of transition, but not one that looks especially fragile on defense. After Matt Campbell left for Penn State and took a number of players with him, new coach Jimmy Rogers has leaned on the transfer portal to help rebuild the roster, and early returns have been better than expected on that side of the ball. For Utah, that makes the matchup feel less like a straightforward conference debut and more like the kind of early test that can expose whether a team is ready for the grind.
The forecast adds another layer, with rainy conditions expected in Salt Lake City, but Morgan Scalley said the weather will not change Utahs plan. That matters because the Utes are heading into a game where they may need to be patient and precise against an Iowa State defense that has already shown it can be sturdier than the rebuilding label suggests. When the conference schedule starts with bad weather and an opponent that is already ahead of schedule defensively, the opening night pressure gets real in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]