National Signing Day has come and gone. Recruiting classes are all but finished and the results are ready to be dissected. Today, Rivals position-by-position look at the 2020 cycles continues with the country’s top wide receiver classes.
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1. OHIO STATE
With three of the top 11 prospects at the position, Ohio State signs the best wide receiver group in the 2020 class. Second-year position coach Brian Hartline was responsible for reeling in this talented collection of pass catchers, and he was among the finalists for Rivals Recruiter of the Year as a result.
Ohio State was the only school to sign a pair of five-stars in this cycle. Julian Fleming finished as the overall No. 1 prospect at the position while Jaxon Smith-Njigba was not far behind at No. 4. The Buckeyes' third pick-up at the position was Gee Scott Jr., who just missed out on the top 10 and is a top 60-ranked prospect overall in the class.
It should also be noted that Ohio State signed a pair of four-star athletes in Mookie Cooper and Cameron Martinez who could end up playing slot for the Buckeyes.
2. GEORGIA
The No. 1 ranked recruiting class in 2020 also had one of the best wide receiver groups signed. In fact, Georgia was the only school that brought in four prospects rated four-stars or higher at the position. The Bulldogs also added three-star Ladd McConkey in the Late Signing Period for a total of five additions at the position.
The highest ranked of Georgia’s new wide receivers is Marcus Rosemy, who finished No. 13 in the position rankings. California native Jermaine Burton was the next highest-ranked at No. 25, while fellow four-stars Arian Smith and Justin Robinson were close behind at Nos. 28 and 36 in the position rankings, respectively. All four of Georgia’s four-star wide receivers ranked among the top 190 prospects overall in the 2020 class.
3. NEBRASKA
Scott Frost and his staff were willing to turn over every stone to improve their wide receiver room, and that approach was very successful in 2020 to deliver the country’s third best group at the position.
The headliner is local standout Zavier Betts, the No. 12 ranked wide receiver in the class. The Cornhuskers signed two more wide receivers ranked at the position group in four-star Marcus Fleming (No. 49) and three-star Will Nixon (No. 99). However, Nebraska also landed the top-ranked JUCO wide receiver in four-star Omar Manning, and also got high three-star Alante Brown out of the prep school ranks. It is an impressive five-man class headed to Lincoln.
4. AUBURN
Another four-member wide receiver class, Auburn landed three four-stars to go along with high three-star Elijah Canion, who ranks as the No. 72 prospect at the position. Of the Tigers' three four-star prospects, Georgia native Kobe Hudson ranks the highest, checking at No. 23 at the position and No. 116 overall. He is followed closely by Ze’Vian Capers at No. 31 at the position and 181 overall, and finally JJ Evans, who ranked as the 41st-best wide receiver and 224 overall in the 2020 class. This group will be a welcome addition to the Tigers' wide receiver room, led by co-offensive coordinator Kodi Burns who was involved in recruiting all four of these receivers to Auburn.
5. TENNESSEE
One of the biggest flips on Signing Day earlier this month was Tennessee taking four-star wide receiver Malachi Wideman away from Florida State, where he had been committed since before the Seminoles coaching change. As the No. 10 ranked prospect at the position, Wideman is the highest-ranked receiver in this Tennessee 2020 class, but he joined two more four-stars also ranked very high at the position. The No. 30 ranked receiver in the class, Jimmy Calloway, was one of the Volunteers' earliest commitments in the class, pledging last spring. Four-star Jalin Hyatt out of South Carolina joined the class a few months later. All of Tennessee’s wide receiver commitments rank among the top 40 prospects at the position.
