List of NCAA major college football yearly receiving leaders
The list of college football yearly receiving leaders identifies the major college receiving leaders for each season from 1937 to the present. It includes yearly leaders in three statistical categories: (1) receptions, (2) receiving yardage; (3) yards per reception; and (4) receiving touchdowns.
Eleven players have led the NCAA in one or more of these categories in multiple seasons. They are: Reid Moseley of Georgia (1944–1945); Hugh Campbell of Washington State (1960–1961); Vern Burke of Oregon State (1962–1963); Howard Twilley of Tulsa (1964–1965); Ron Sellers of Florida State (1967–1968); Jerry Hendren of Idaho (1968–1969); Mike Siani of Villanova (1970–1971); Steve Largent of Tulsa (1974–1975); Jason Phillips of Houston (1987–1988); Alex Van Dyke of Nevada (1994–1995); and Brennan Marion of Tulsa (2007–2008).
Since 1937, the NCAA record for receiving yards in a single season has been set or broken nine times as follows: Jim Benton of Arkansas in 1937 (814 yards); Hank Stanton of Arizona in 1941 (820 yards); Ed Barker of Washington State 1951 (864 yards); Hugh Campbell of Washington State in 1960 (881 yards); Vern Burke of Oregon State in 1962 (1,007 yards); Fred Biletnikoff of Florida State in 1964 (1,179 yards); Howard Twilley of Tulsa in 1965 (1,779 yards); Alex Van Dyke of Nevada in 1995 (1,854 yards); and Trevor Insley of Nevada in 1999 (2,060 yards).
During that same time, the record for receptions in a single season has been set or broken 13 times as follows: Jim Benton of Arkansas in 1937 (48); Hank Stanton of Arizona in 1941 (50); Barney Poole of Ole Miss in 1947 (52); Ed Brown of Fordham in 1952 (57); Dave Hibbert of Arizona in 1958 (61); Hugh Campbell of Washington State in 1962 (69); Larry Elkins of Baylor in 1963 (70); Howard Twilley of Tulsa in 1964 (95) and 1965 (134); Manny Hazard of Houston in 1989 (142); Freddie Barnes of Bowling Green in 2009 (155); and Zay Jones of East Carolina in 2016 (158).
Leading programs
Programs with multiple receiving leaders (at least three different individuals, in any of the four categories) include:
- Houston – 9 (Ken Hebert, Elmo Wright, Jason Phillips, Manny Hazard, Fred Gilbert, Sherman Smith, Ron Peters, Brandon Middleton, and Patrick Edwards)
- San Diego State – 7 (Tom Reynolds, Keith Denson, Dwight McDonald, Jim Sandusky, Patrick Rowe, Derrick Lewis, and J. R. Tolver)
- Louisiana Tech – 6 (Billy Ryckman, Rod Foppe, James Jordan, Troy Edwards, Trent Taylor, and Carlos Henderson)
- Tulsa – 6 (Keyarris Garrett, Brennan Marion, Chris Penn, Ronnie Kelley, Steve Largent, and Howard Twilley)
- Washington State – 5 (Ed Barker, Bill Steiger, Jack Fanning, Hugh Campbell, and Corey Alston)
- Baylor – 5 (Corey Coleman, Sam Boyd, Larry Elkins, Melvin Bonner, and Terrance Williams)
- BYU – 5 (Jay Miller, Clay Brown, Kirk Pendleton, Mark Bellini, and Austin Collie)
- Stanford – 5 (Bill McColl, Sam Morley, John Stewart, Chris Burford, and Devon Cajuste)
- Nevada – 5 (Bryan Reeves, Alex Van Dyke, Damond Wilkins, Trevor Insley, and Nate Burleson)
- Florida – 4 (Broughton Williams, Jack Jackson, Chris Doering, and Reidel Anthony)
- Florida State – 4 (Fred Biletnikoff, Ron Sellers, Barry Smith, and Snoop Minnis)
- Fresno State – 4 (Stephen Baker, Henry Ellard, Rodney Wright, and Davante Adams)
- Georgia – 4 (George Poschner, Reid Moseley, Johnny Carson, and Jimmy Orr)
- Hawaii – 4 (Ashley Lelie, Chad Owens, Davone Bess, and Greg Salas)
- Oklahoma State – 4 (Neill Armstrong, Justin Blackmon, Cecil Hankins, and James Washington)
- Oregon State – 4 (Vern Burke, Reggie Bynum, Mike Hass, and Brandin Cooks)
- Pitt – 4 (Dwight Collins, Julius Dawkins, Antonio Bryant, Larry Fitzgerald)
- Texas Tech – 4 (Elmer Tarbox, Earle Clark, Bake Turner, and Michael Crabtree)
- West Virginia – 4 (Stedman Bailey, Jay Kearney, Calvin Phillips, and David Sills V)
- Notre Dame – 3 (Bernard Kirk, Eddie Anderson, Jim Morse)
- Purdue – 3 (Dave Young, Rodney Carter, & Rondale Moore)
- Western Michigan – 3 (Greg Jennings, Corey Davis, & Jordan White)
Receiving leaders from 1937
| Year | Name | Rec | Name | Rec Yds | Name | Yds/Rec | Name | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 |
Jim Benton (Arkansas) |
48 | Jim Benton | 814 | Walter Nelson (Michigan State) |
21.6 | ||
| 1938 |
Sam Boyd (Baylor) |
32 | Sam Boyd | 537 |
Elmer Tarbox (Texas Tech) |
21.4 | ||
| 1939 |
Ken Kavanaugh (LSU) |
30 | Ken Kavanaugh | 467 | Earle Clark (Texas Tech) |
17.3 | ||
| 1940 | Eddie Bryant (Virginia) |
30 |
Don Vosberg (Marquette) |
526 | Don Vosberg | 21.9 | ||
| 1941 |
Hank Stanton (Arizona) |
50 | Hank Stanton | 820 | Lenny Krouse (Penn State) |
16.8 | ||
| 1942 | Bill Rogers (Texas A&M) |
39 | Harding Miller (SMU) |
531 |
George Poschner (Georgia) |
20.5 | ||
| 1943 |
Neill Armstrong (Oklahoma A&M) |
39 |
Marion Flanagan (Texas A&M) |
403 | Marion Flanagan Billy Collins (VMI) |
17.5 | ||
| 1944 |
Reid Moseley (Georgia) |
32 | Reid Moseley | 506 |
Cecil Hankins (Oklahoma State) |
24.9 | ||
| 1945 |
Reid Moseley (Georgia) Gene Wilson (SMU) Steve Contos (Michigan State) |
31 | Reid Moseley | 662 | Reid Moseley | 21.4 | ||
| 1946 |
Neill Armstrong (Oklahoma State) James Montgomery (Arizona State) |
32 |
Broughton Williams (Florida) |
490 | Broughton Williams | 16.9 | ||
| 1947 |
Barney Poole (Ole Miss) |
52 | John Smith (Arizona) |
568 | John Smith | 18.3 | ||
| 1948 |
Red O'Quinn (Wake Forest) |
39 | Red O'Quinn | 605 |
Dick Wilkins (Oregon) |
19.3 | ||
| 1949 |
Art Weiner (North Carolina) |
52 |
Vito Ragazzo (William & Mary) |
793 | Vito Ragazzo | 18.0 | ||
| 1950 | Gordon Cooper (Denver) |
46 |
Bucky Curtis (Vanderbilt) |
791 | Bucky Curtis | 29.3 | ||
| 1951 |
Dewey McConnell (Wyoming) |
47 |
Ed Barker (Washington State) |
864 | Ed Barker | 18.8 | ||
| 1952 |
Ed Brown (Fordham) |
57 | Ed Brown | 774 | Jimmy Byron (VMI) |
18.9 | ||
| 1953 |
Johnny Carson (Georgia) Ken Buck (Pacific) Sam Morley (Stanford) |
45 | Johnny Carson | 663 | Dave McLaughlin (Dartmouth) |
19.1 | ||
| 1954 |
Jim Hanifan (California) |
45 | John Stewart (Stanford) |
577 | Andrew Nacrelli (Fordham) |
19.7 | ||
| 1955 |
Hank Burnine (Missouri) |
44 | Hank Burnine | 594 |
Jimmy Orr (Georgia) |
18.5 | ||
| 1956 |
Art Powell (San Jose State) |
40 |
Bill Steiger (Washington State) |
607 | Jim Morse (Notre Dame) |
22.1 | 3-way tie | 6 |
| 1957 |
Stuart Vaughan (Utah) |
53 | Stuart Vaughan | 756 |
Buddy Dial (Rice) |
24.2 | Jack Fanning (Washington State) |
9 |
| 1958 |
Dave Hibbert (Arizona) |
61 |
Rich Kreitling (Illinois) |
688 | Rich Kreitling | 29.9 |
Bob Simms (Rutgers) |
9 |
| 1959 |
Chris Burford (Stanford) |
61 | Chris Burford (Pacific) |
757 |
Bake Turner (Texas Tech) |
20.2 |
Paul Maguire (The Citadel) |
10 |
| 1960 |
Hugh Campbell (Washington State) |
66 | Hugh Campbell | 881 | Chuck Bryant Ohio State |
19.8 | Hugh Campbell | 10 |
| 1961 |
Hugh Campbell (Washington State) |
53 |
Pat Richter (Wisconsin) |
817 | Jim Stewart Navy |
21.7 |
Larry Vargo (Detroit) Pat Richter |
8 |
| 1962 |
Vern Burke (Oregon State) |
69 | Vern Burke | 1007 |
Hal Bedsole (USC) |
25.1 | Hal Bedsole | 11 |
| 1963 |
Larry Elkins (Baylor) |
70 | Larry Elkins | 873 |
Paul Krause (Iowa) |
23.3 |
Vern Burke (Oregon State) Bob Long (Wichita State) |
9 |
| 1964 |
Howard Twilley (Tulsa) |
95 |
Fred Biletnikoff (Florida State) |
1179 | Joe Chapman (Idaho) |
25.4 | Fred Biletnikoff | 15 |
| 1965 |
Howard Twilley (Tulsa) |
134 | Howard Twilley | 1779 |
Larry Seiple (Kentucky) |
23.5 | Howard Twilley | 16 |
| 1966 | Glenn Meltzer (Wichita State) |
91 |
John Love (North Texas) |
1130 |
Gene Washington (Michigan State) |
25.1 |
Ken Hebert (Houston) |
11 |
| 1967 |
Bob Goodridge (Vanderbilt) |
79 |
Ron Sellers (Florida State) |
1228 | Mike Carroll (New Mexico State) |
24.1 |
Ronnie Shanklin (North Texas) |
13 |
| 1968 |
Ron Sellers (Florida State) Jerry Hendren (Idaho) |
86 |
Ron Sellers (Florida State) |
1496 |
Elmo Wright (Houston) |
27.9 | Jerry Hendren (Idaho) |
14 |
| 1969 |
Jerry Hendren (Idaho) |
95 | Jerry Hendren | 1452 |
Mel Gray (Missouri) |
27.1 | Tom Reynolds (San Diego State) |
18 |
| 1970 | Mike Mikolayunas (Davidson) |
87 |
Mike Siani (Villanova) |
1328 | Larry Hart (Louisville) |
24.1 |
Ernie Jennings (Air Force) |
17 |
| 1971 | Tom Reynolds (San Diego State) |
67 |
Brian Baima (The Citadel) |
1230 |
Tom Scott (Washington) |
23.4 | Mike Siani (Villanova) |
14 |
| 1972 |
Tom Forzani (Utah State) |
85 |
Barry Smith (Florida State) |
1243 | Richard Agle (Appalachian State) |
25.2 | Barry Smith Steve Sweeney (California) |
13 |
| 1973 |
Jay Miller (BYU) |
100 | Jay Miller | 1181 | Larry Stokes (Chattanooga) |
27.9 | Keith Denson (San Diego State) |
11 |
| 1974 |
Dwight McDonald (San Diego State) |
86 |
Willie Miller (Colorado State) |
1193 | Tracy Dickson (West Texas A&M) |
26.8 |
Steve Largent (Tulsa) |
14 |
| 1975 | Dave Quehl (Holy Cross) |
63 |
Steve Largent (Tulsa) |
1000 |
Kelvin Kirk (Dayton) |
24.5 | Steve Largent | 14 |
| 1976 |
Billy Ryckman (Louisiana Tech) |
77 | Billy Ryckman | 1382 |
Jim Smith (Michigan) |
27.5 | 4-way tie | 10 |
| 1977 |
Wayne Tolleson (Western Carolina) |
73 | Rod Foppe (Louisiana Tech) |
1274 | Ernest Gray (Memphis) |
29.5 | 3-way tie | 12 |
| 1978 | Rick Beasley (Appalachian State) |
74 | Rick Beasley | 1205 |
Mark Nichols (San Jose State) |
26.7 | 3-way tie | 11 |
| 1979 |
Dave Petzke (Northern Illinois) |
91 | Dave Petzke | 1215 | Joe Burke (Chattanooga) |
28.1 | Gerald Lucear (Temple) |
13 |
| 1980 |
Dave Young (Purdue) |
70 | Rainey Meszaros (Pacific) |
1062 |
Dwight Collins (Pittsburgh) |
27.6 |
Clay Brown (BYU) |
15 |
| 1981 |
Tim Kearse (San Jose State) |
71 |
Jim Sandusky (UNLV) |
1346 |
Mike Whitwell (Texas A&M) |
27.1 |
Julius Dawkins (Pittsburgh) |
16 |
| 1982 |
Mike Martin (Illinois) |
69 |
Henry Ellard (Fresno State) |
1510 |
Herkie Walls (Texas) |
28.1 | Henry Ellard | 15 |
| 1983 | Keith Edwards (Vanderbilt) |
97 |
Jim Sandusky (San Diego State) |
1171 |
Reggie Bynum (Oregon State) |
24.2 | Kirk Pendleton (BYU) |
11 |
| 1984 |
David Williams (Illinois) |
101 | David Williams | 1278 | Ronnie Kelley (Tulsa) |
25.0 | Doug Allen (Arizona State) |
14 |
| 1985 |
Rodney Carter (Purdue) |
98 |
Marc Zeno (Tulane) |
1137 |
Stephen Baker (Fresno State) |
29.1 | Mark Bellini (BYU) |
14 |
| 1986 | Mark Templeton (Long Beach State) |
99 |
Wendell Davis (LSU) |
1244 | Keith Gloster (Temple) |
24.7 | Andy Schillinger (Miami [OH]) |
12 |
| 1987 |
Jason Phillips (Houston) |
99 |
Ernie Jones (Indiana) |
1265 | Willie Vaughn (Kansas) |
26.9 |
Tommy Kane (Syracuse) |
14 |
| 1988 |
Jason Phillips (Houston) |
108 | Jason Phillips | 1444 | Calvin Phillips (West Virginia) |
25.5 | Jason Phillips | 15 |
| 1989 |
Manny Hazard (Houston) |
142 | Manny Hazard | 1689 | Randy Jackson (Rutgers) |
28.5 | Manny Hazard | 22 |
| 1990 | Eric Morgan (New Mexico) |
80 |
Patrick Rowe (San Diego State) |
1392 | Bryan Rowley (Utah) |
27.2 | Tracey Jenkins (Utah State) Daryl Hobbs (Pacific) |
14 |
| 1991 | Fred Gilbert (Houston) |
106 |
Aaron Turner (Pacific) |
1604 | Melvin Bonner (Baylor) |
24.6 |
Desmond Howard (Michigan) |
19 |
| 1992 | Sherman Smith (Houston) |
103 |
Ryan Yarborough (Wyoming) |
1351 | Ron Peters (Houston) |
26.2 |
Sean Dawkins (California) |
14 |
| 1993 |
Chris Penn (Tulsa) |
105 | Chris Penn | 1578 | Jay Kearney (West Virginia) |
25.9 |
Bryan Reeves (Nevada) J. J. Stokes (UCLA) |
17 |
| 1994 | Alex Van Dyke (Nevada) |
98 |
Marcus Harris (Wyoming) |
1431 | Jimmy Oliver (TCU) |
23.8 |
Jack Jackson (Florida) |
15 |
| 1995 |
Alex Van Dyke (Nevada) |
129 | Alex Van Dyke | 1854 |
Terry Glenn (Ohio State) |
22.0 | Terry Glenn Chris Doering (Florida) |
17 |
| 1996 | Damond Wilkins (Nevada) |
114 |
Marcus Harris (Wyoming) |
1650 | Marcus Robinson (South Carolina) |
24.0 |
Reidel Anthony (Florida) |
18 |
| 1997 |
Eugene Baker (Kent State) |
103 |
Randy Moss (Marshall) |
1820 | Corey Alston (Washington State) |
23.8 | Randy Moss | 26 |
| 1998 |
Troy Edwards (Louisiana Tech) |
140 | Troy Edwards | 1996 | Kevin Coffey (Virginia) |
25.3 | Troy Edwards | 27 |
| 1999 |
Trevor Insley (Nevada) |
134 | Trevor Insley | 2060 |
André Davis (Virginia Tech) |
25.5 | Trevor Insley James Williams (Marshall) |
13 |
| 2000 |
James Jordan (Louisiana Tech) |
109 |
Snoop Minnis (Florida State) |
1340 |
Derrick Lewis (San Diego State) |
25.2 |
Lee Mays (UTEP) |
15 |
| 2001 |
Rodney Wright (Fresno State) |
104 |
Josh Reed (LSU) |
1740 |
Doug Gabriel (UCF) |
28.7 |
Ashley Lelie (Hawaii) |
19 |
| 2002 |
Nate Burleson (Nevada) |
138 |
J. R. Tolver (San Diego State) |
1785 |
Brandon Middleton (Houston) |
24.1 |
Rashaun Woods (Oklahoma State) |
17 |
| 2003 |
Lance Moore (Toledo) |
103 |
Larry Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh) |
1672 | Dwight Counter (New Mexico) Lawrence Brady (Boise State) |
25.0 | Larry Fitzgerald | 22 |
| 2004 |
Dante Ridgeway (Ball State) |
105 |
Roddy White (UAB) |
1452 | Dan Sheldon (Northern Illinois) |
23.4 |
Chad Owens (Hawaii) |
17 |
| 2005 |
Greg Jennings (Western Michigan) |
98 |
Mike Hass (Oregon State) |
1532 | Matt Miller (Arizona State) |
23.5 |
Dwayne Jarrett (USC) |
16 |
| 2006 |
Davone Bess (Hawaii) |
96 |
Chris Williams (New Mexico State) |
1425 | Terry Moss (Ball State) |
25.4 |
Jarett Dillard (Rice) |
21 |
| 2007 |
Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech) |
134 |
Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech) |
1962 |
Brennan Marion (Tulsa) |
31.9 |
Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech) |
22 |
| 2008 |
Casey Fitzgerald (North Texas) |
113 |
Austin Collie (BYU) |
1538 |
Brennan Marion (Tulsa) |
25.9 |
Jarett Dillard (Rice) |
20 |
| 2009 |
Freddie Barnes (Bowling Green) |
155 |
Danario Alexander (Missouri) |
1781 | Owen Spencer (NC State) |
25.5 |
Freddie Barnes (Bowling Green) |
19 |
| 2010 |
Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma) |
131 |
Greg Salas (Hawaii) |
1889 |
Kris Adams (UTEP) |
22.8 |
Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State) |
20 |
| 2011 |
Jordan White (Western Michigan) |
140 |
Jordan White (Western Michigan) |
1911 |
Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech) |
29.3 |
Patrick Edwards (Houston) |
20 |
| 2012 |
Marqise Lee (USC) |
118 |
Terrance Williams (Baylor) |
1832 | Willis Wright (FIU) |
25.3 |
Stedman Bailey (West Virginia) |
25 |
| 2013 |
Davante Adams (Fresno State) |
131 |
Brandin Cooks (Oregon State) |
1730 | Devon Cajuste (Stanford) |
22.9 |
Davante Adams (Fresno State) |
24 |
| 2014 |
Amari Cooper (Alabama) |
124 |
Rashard Higgins (Colorado State) |
1750 |
Devin Smith (Ohio State) |
28.2 |
Rashard Higgins (Colorado State) |
18 |
| 2015 |
Tajae Sharpe (UMass) |
111 |
Keyarris Garrett (Tulsa) |
1588 |
Mack Hollins (North Carolina) |
24.8 |
Corey Coleman (Baylor) |
20 |
| 2016 |
Zay Jones (East Carolina) |
158 |
Trent Taylor (Louisiana Tech) |
1803 | Jalen Robinette (Air Force) |
27.4 |
Corey Davis (Western Michigan) & Carlos Henderson (Louisiana Tech) |
19 |
| 2017 |
Trey Quinn (SMU) |
114 |
James Washington (Oklahoma State) |
1549 | Aaron Cephus (Rice) |
24.9 |
Anthony Miller (Memphis) & David Sills V (West Virginia) |
18 |
| 2018 |
Rondale Moore (Purdue) |
114 |
Andy Isabella (UMass) |
1698 | Xavier Ubosi (UAB) |
23.9 |
John Ursua (Hawaii) |
16 |
| 2019 |
Justin Jefferson (LSU) |
111 |
Ja'Marr Chase (LSU) |
1780 | Geraud Sanders (Air Force) |
24.87 |
Ja'Marr Chase (LSU) |
20 |
| 2020 |
DeVonta Smith (Alabama) |
117 |
DeVonta Smith (Alabama) |
1,856 |
D'Wayne Eskridge (Western Michigan) |
23.1 |
DeVonta Smith (Alabama) |
23 |
Pre-1937 unofficial data
Before 1937 the NCAA did not compile official statistics. This chart reflects unofficial receiving statistics compiled by historians mostly from newspapers accounts.
| Year | Name | Rec | Name | Rec Yds | Name | Yds/Rec | Name | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 |
Bert Baston (Minnesota) |
|||||||
| 1916 |
Bert Baston (Minnesota) |
|||||||
| 1917 | ||||||||
| 1918 |
Bernard Kirk (Notre Dame) |
7 | ||||||
| 1919 |
Bernard Kirk (Notre Dame) |
21 | Bernard Kirk | 372 | ||||
| 1920 |
Eddie Anderson (Notre Dame) |
17 | Eddie Anderson | 293 | ||||
| 1921 |
Eddie Anderson (Notre Dame) |
26 | Eddie Anderson | 394 | ||||
| 1922 | ||||||||
| 1923 | ||||||||
| 1924 | ||||||||
| 1925 |
Myles Lane (Dartmouth) |
7 | ||||||
| 1926 | ||||||||
| 1927 | ||||||||
| 1928 | ||||||||
| 1929 |
Wear Schoonover (Arkansas) |
33 | ||||||
| 1930 | ||||||||
| 1931 | ||||||||
| 1932 | ||||||||
| 1933 | ||||||||
| 1934 |
Don Hutson (Alabama) |
19 | ||||||
| 1935 | ||||||||
| 1936 |
Jim Benton (Arkansas) |
35 |