The 2026 college football season is right around the corner.
This story will attempt to predict the SEC’s 5 leading receivers at the end of the 2026 regular season. Last year saw the rise of stars such as Isaiah Sategna and Mario Craver. Both will be back in the SEC this fall, but they’ll face stiff competition from other wideouts across the league to be the SEC’s most productive pass catchers.
SEC football predictions: Leading wide receivers
Let’s break it down:
No. 5: Anthony Evans, Mississippi State
Anthony Evans isn’t a household name, but he has a few things working in his favor. One, he plays in Jeff Lebby’s offense, which produced the SEC’s overall leader in receiving yards last season (Brenen Thompson with 1,054). Second, Thompson is now in the NFL, so there are lots of targets available for Evans to make an impact in Mississippi State’s passing game.
Evans was very productive last year even with Thompson taking most of the downfield usage. He finished 12th in the SEC with 751 regular-season receiving yards, averaging almost 12 yards per catch. I expect he’ll be a favorite target for dual threat quarterback Kamario Taylor in 2026.
No. 4: Cam Coleman, Texas
Poor quarterback play at Auburn left Coleman with just 708 yards in 2026. Now at Texas, Coleman might have the SEC’s best quarterback in Arch Manning along with a strong offensive play-caller in Steve Sarkisian who will be motivated to get him the ball.
Coleman is probably the most talented receiver in the SEC this year. The only reason I have him at No. 4, and not higher on the list, is because he has to split targets with another top wideout in Ryan Wingo. Last year, Wingo finished tied for 7th in the SEC in receiving yards, so he’s certainly a candidate to be in the top 5 at the end of this upcoming campaign. I just think Coleman will see a few more targets than Wingo.
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No. 3: Isaiah Sategna, Oklahoma
Isaiah Sategna surprised everyone outside of Norman last season by going for 965 receiving yards in 13 games. That was good enough for No. 3 among SEC receivers. Sategna genuinely had a unique big-play connection with John Mateer — he had 18 catches of 20+ yards, which was tied for the most in the SEC in 2025.
Sategna and Mateer are both back this year for Oklahoma, as is offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. OU’s offense was quietly putrid overall last season (97th in yards per play) and Sategna still managed to be one of the best big-play threats in the conference. I’d expect OU to take a step forward offensively this fall, which could yield even better production from Sategna.
No. 2: Mario Craver, Texas A&M
Mario Craver was a revelation in 2025. He became one of the best slot receivers in football as he totaled 825 yards in 11 regular-season games. Now preparing for his junior season, Craver figures to be one of the SEC’s best pass-catchers in 2026.
Craver doesn’t have an ideal quarterback situation with Marcel Reed under center, though he is experienced. It also helps that Craver is a slot receiver and will be heavily targeted by Reed on underneath routes where he can try to create yards after the catch.
No. 1: Mike Matthews, Tennessee
This is a bet on pure talent as well as Josh Heupel’s pass-heavy offense. Matthews is a former 5-star recruit who is coming into his junior season in Knoxville. He broke out last year in a big way, going for 770 yards during the regular season (12th in the SEC). With Chris Brazzell now in the NFL, there will be plenty of extra downfield targets for Matthews to take advantage of.
I do have a couple of concerns, but nothing to knock Matthews out of the top spot in this preseason ranking. Tennessee’s quarterback situation is uncertain with George MacIntyre and freshman Faizon Brandon competing for the job. Braylon Staley had similar production to Matthews last season and will contend for targets again in 2026, but I still like Matthews to be at the top of this list at season’s end.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
