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College football history long has been a field left for the gray-hairs, people who know nothing about video game consoles or smart phones.
But when it comes to receivers, any fan older than 20 is just as likely to hold a graduate degree in SEC history. That’s because, of the Top 10 all-time leading receivers, only two finished their careers before the 2000s: Vanderbilt’s Boo Mitchell and Kentucky’s Craig Yeast.
RELATED: Ranking the SEC’s top returning WRs in 2015
Speaking of Vanderbilt, the Commodores are one of three SEC programs to place two players on this list along with Alabama and Georgia. Dan Stricker (11th) and Earl Bennett (14th), both Vandy products, just missed the list. Jordan Matthews, one of five 3,000-yard players in conference history, is No. 1 overall and the only SEC player in the Top 30 in college football history.
Based on career receiving yards, the ‘Dores have an argument as best in the conference.
Amari Cooper, a Heisman Trophy finalist and the conference’s second Biletnikoff Award winner (after Josh Reed), finished his career a clear second.
No current player has cracked the Top 50, so we’re unlikely to see any new additions to this list by the end of the 2015 season. But something tells me young players like Pharoh Cooper and Speedy Noil may have a chance before their careers are over.
Here are the Top 10 all-time SEC receivers ranked by career yards.
| Player | School | Receiving Yds. | Years | CFB All-Time Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jordan Matthews | Vanderbilt | 3,759 | 2010-13 | No. 29 |
| 2. Amari Cooper | Alabama | 3,463 | 2012-14 | No. 64 |
| 3. Terrence Edwards | Georgia | 3,093 | 1999-2002 | No. 126 |
| 4. Alshon Jeffery | South Carolina | 3,042 | 2009-11 | No. 140 |
| 5. Josh Reed | LSU | 3,001 | 1999-2001 | No. 156 |
| 6. Boo Mitchell | Vanderbilt | 2,964 | 1985-88 | No. 167 |
| 7. Jarius Wright | Arkansas | 2,934 | 2008-11 | No. 178 |
| 8. D.J. Hall | Alabama | 2,923 | 2004-07 | No. 185 |
| 9. Craig Yeast | Kentucky | 2,899 | 1995-98 | No. 193 |
| 10. Fred Gibson | Georgia | 2,884 | 2001-04 | No. 197 |
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
