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Each week, Saturday Down South will break down the SEC’s top wide receivers, ranking the top five and shouting out the next five guys in line. These rankings are a combination of numbers and their impact on the game, taking into consideration things like first down conversions, timeliness of catches and importance to their team’s offense.
- Amari Cooper, Alabama: The Crimson Tide battled former No. 1 Mississippi State and came out on top on Saturday, and Cooper was a big part in the first half cushion Alabama built. Cooper worked himself open in the end zone to stake the Tide to a 12-0 lead, scoring a rare red zone touchdown against the Bulldogs. He then hauled in a ridiculous 50-yard leaping catch near the goal line that set up a touchdown on the next play. Cooper finished with 8 receptions for 88 yards on the day.
- Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M: In a prolific offense, Reynolds has emerged as the go-to guy over the course of the season. You might not know it, but the sophomore now leads the conference with 12 touchdown receptions. He’s clearly freshman Kyle Allen’s favorite target, with nearly a third of his catches since Allen took over as the starter, with 13 catches for 228 yards and 4 TD over the last three games.
- De’Runnya Wilson, Mississippi State: After a couple of quiet weeks, Wilson burst back onto the radar against Alabama. While Wilson was stopped at the goal line on a play that could have changed the complexion of the game, he still had one of the better games of his career. Dak Prescott looked for Wilson to move the chains instead of just on deep balls, and it resulted in a career-high 8 catches for 91 yards, which also tied a career high.
- Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina: The Gamecocks’ top offensive option inexplicably disappeared for much of South Carolina’s win against Florida on Saturday. The sophomore had just seven targets in total, including a solitary look in the second and third quarters. Cooper looked good early, turning a short throw in a 30-yard play on the first drive of the game, but simply didn’t get enough looks for an offense that struggled for the majority of the afternoon.
- Bud Sasser, Missouri: Missouri’s senior receiver continues to a be a solid, dependable option for Maty Mauk. He’s had at least 5 catches in seven of the Tigers’ 10 games this season, and hauled in another 6 catches for 83 yards against Texas A&M. The Tigers have quietly kept themselves at the forefront of the SEC East race all season, and Sasser will be crucial if they’re going to generate enough offense to win the division down the stretch.
The next five: Javess Blue, Kentucky; Von Pearson, Tennessee; Demarcus Robinson, Florida; Jameon Lewis, Mississippi State; Speedy Noil, Texas A&M
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
