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.

  1. Amari Cooper, Alabama: Auburn didn’t do much out of their ordinary game plan to try to slow Cooper, but it probably wouldn’t have done anything with the way the junior was operating. Cooper went wild in the second half, hauling in two long touchdown passes and leaving a trail of defenders in his wake. He wound up with an Iron Bowl single-game record 224 yards to go along with 3 TD in Alabama’s thrilling win, also taking over Alabama’s career catches record. Cooper finished the regular season with 103 catches, 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns.
  2. Sammie Coates, Auburn: Coates has had an injury-plagued and inconsistent year, but he showed up on the biggest stage for Auburn. The junior threw several haymakers in the first half of the Iron Bowl, scoring both of his touchdowns in the second quarter, and finished with 206 yards on just 5 catches. Coates torched his man so badly that Eddie Jackson ended up on the bench in the second half.
  3. Bud Sasser, Missouri: Missouri’s senior receiver has been overlooked all season, but he shows up week after week. He was instrumental in the Tigers’ comeback win over Arkansas to clinch the East, bringing in 9 catches for 127 yards, with more than half of them coming in the second half. Sasser even threw a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter, tying the game for Mizzou. Going against an Alabama defense that was shredded last weekend, Sasser has a chance to earn some national recognition in the SEC Championship on Saturday.
  4. De’Runnya Wilson, Mississippi State: Wilson has been up and down all season, but he was certainly on top of his game despite the Bulldogs’ loss to Ole Miss. He tied his career high set two weeks ago against Alabama with 8 catches and went for a career-best 117 yards in the Egg Bowl, including a spectacular leaping touchdown catch in the end zone. Wilson still looks to be learning the game out there, and he should be a terrifying force next year — not that he isn’t already.
  5. D’haquille Williams, Auburn: A few weeks ago, it looked like Duke might be lost for the season. He played with a heavy brace on his knee against Alabama and was gimpy early, but he looked mighty healthy as the game wore on. Nick Marshall looked Williams’ way often, connecting with him seven times for 121 yards. Seeing both Williams and Coates operating at such a high level has to make Auburn fans wonder what the offense could have looked like had they both been healthy all year.

The next five: Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina; Quan Bray, Auburn; Malcom Mitchell, Georgia; Speedy Noil, Texas A&M; Demarcus Robinson, Florida