SEC has become a receiver-driven league
John AdamsWelcome to SEC Unfiltered, the USA TODAY NETWORK’S newsletter on SEC sports. Today, Knoxville News Sentinel columnist John Adams takes over.
The SEC has long been regarded as college football’s premier conference. Its success is a testament to adapting and adjusting.
Defense and running games once provided the impetus for the SEC’s success. Last week’s NFL draft reminded us how the conference has achieved prosperity via different path.
Five SEC receivers – and no conference running backs – were taken in the first round. Those picks included LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, picked sixth overall and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, who was the 13th player selected. Anyone who watched Georgia the past few seasons realizes Bowers isn’t your typical tight end. He ran like a wide receiver and blocked like an offensive tackle.
The SEC’s point of offensive emphasis is in keeping with the times. The value of running backs has diminished in college football and the NFL as well.
You didn’t have to follow the draft to appreciate the change. The SEC now serves as a great example of the widescale offensive transition.
In 2020, Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith caught 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns. He became the first receiver in 29 years to win the Heisman Trophy and is now one of many former SEC pass-catchers distinguishing themselves in the NFL.
Two of the best are former LSU Tigers. Ja’Marr Chase has caught 268 passes in three NFL seasons. Justin Jefferson has 392 pass receptions in four seasons.
Don’t expect the pass-happy trend to slow down in the SEC. As the conference loses talented receivers to the NFL, it keeps adding more future stars.
Georgia attracted plenty of attention by adding Florida transfer running back Trevor Etienne in the off-season. But the Bulldogs also revamped their receiving corps with the addition of four transfer receivers, including Stanford tight end Benjamin Yurosek.
Texas also succeeded in bolstering its passing game. The Longhorns added transfer wide receivers Matthew Golden from Houston and Isaiah Bond from Alabama. And their 2024 recruiting class includes four wide receivers.
Both SEC rookies – Texas and Oklahoma – are known for prolific passing games. So is new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, whose Washington team played for the national championship last season – thanks, in part, to one of the nation’s top receiving groups.
New coaches, teams and players will boost the SEC's receiving stats in 2024. Moreover, five of the conference’s top ten receivers in catches per game last season will return. That group includes Missouri’s Luther Burden, Florida’s Eugene Wilson, Ole Miss’ Tre Harris, Tennessee’s Squirrel White and Arkansas’ Andrew Armstrong.
So, don’t be surprised if SEC receivers make another big splash in the next draft.