NCAA Division I FBS receiving leaders explained
The NCAA Division I FBS receiving leaders are career, single-season, and single-game leaders in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and receptions.[1] These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
- Since 1955, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
- The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
- Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[2] This affects many players from before that time period. For example, Trevor Insley had 98 receiving yards in the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl,[3] which would bring his career total to 5,103 if this game counted in his career statistics.
- In recent decades, starting with the Southeastern Conference in 1992, FBS conferences have introduced their own championship games, which have always counted fully toward single-season and career statistics.
- The NCAA ruled that the 2020 season, heavily disrupted by COVID-19, would not count against the athletic eligibility of any football player. This gave every player active in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.
- Only seasons in which a team was considered to be a part of the Football Bowl Subdivision are included in these lists. For example, only one of Randy Moss's two seasons at Marshall (1997) is found on these lists.
Statistics accurate as of December 1, 2024.
Receiving yards
Career
The career leader in receiving yards is Western Michigan's Corey Davis. Davis does not have any single seasons in the top 30, instead having a consistent run of 941, 1,408, 1,429, and 1,500 yards over his four seasons. He broke the record set by Trevor Insley at Nevada. Prior to Insley, the record was held by a pair of Wyoming receivers, Ryan Yarborough and then Marcus Harris.
| Player | Yards | Team |
|---|
| 1 | Corey Davis | 5,285 | 2013 2014 2015 2016 Western Michigan |
| 2 | Trevor Insley | 5,005 | 1996 1997 1998 1999 Nevada |
| 3 | Ryan Broyles | 4,586 | 2008 2009 2010 2011 Oklahoma |
| 4 | Justin Hardy | 4,541 | 2011 2012 2013 2014 East Carolina |
| 5 | Marcus Harris | 4,518 | 1993 1994 1995 1996 Wyoming |
| 6 | Patrick Edwards | 4,507 | 2008 2009 2010 2011 Houston |
| 7 | Jacob Cowing | 4,477 | 2019 2020 2021 UTEP | 2022 2023 Arizona |
| 8 | James Washington | 4,472 | 2014 2015 2016 2017 Oklahoma State |
| 9 | Rashaun Woods | 4,414 | 2000 2001 2002 2003 Oklahoma State |
| 10 | Ryan Yarborough | 4,357 | 1990 1991 1992 1993 Wyoming |
| 11 | Troy Edwards | 4,352 | 1996 1997 1998 Louisiana Tech |
| 12 | Aaron Turner | 4,345 | 1989 1990 1991 1992 Pacific |
| Greg Salas | 4,345 | 2007 2008 2009 2010 Hawaii |
| 14 | Zay Jones | 4,279 | 2013 2014 2015 2016 East Carolina |
| 15 | Terance Mathis | 4,254 | 1985 1986 1987 1989 New Mexico | |
| Player | Yards | Team |
|---|
| 16 | Geoff Noisy | 4,249 | 1995 1996 1997 1998 Nevada |
| 17 | Taywan Taylor | 4,234 | 2013 2014 2015 2016 Western Kentucky |
| 18 | Jordan White | 4,187 | 2007 2009 2010 2011 Western Michigan |
| 19 | Trent Taylor | 4,179 | 2013 2014 2015 2016 Louisiana Tech |
| 20 | Jarett Dillard | 4,138 | 2005 2006 2007 2008 Rice |
| 21 | Darius Watts | 4,031 | 2000 2001 2002 2003 Marshall |
| 22 | Kendall Wright | 4,004 | 2008 2009 2010 2011 Baylor |
| 23 | Zakhari Franklin | 3,999 | 2019 2020 2021 2022 UTSA ᛫ 2023 Ole Miss ᛫ 2024 Illinois |
| 24 | Troy Walters | 3,986 | 1996 1997 1998 1999 Stanford |
| 25 | DeVonta Smith | 3,965 | 2017 2018 2019 2020 Alabama |
| 26 | James Proche | 3,949 | 2016 2017 2018 2019 SMU |
| 27 | Derek Hagan | 3,939 | 2002 2003 2004 2005 Arizona State |
| 28 | Mike Hass | 3,924 | 2002 2003 2004 2005 Oregon State |
| 29 | Jason Rivers | 3,919 | 2003 2004 2006 2007 Hawaii |
| 30 | Josh Davis | 3,889 | 2001 2002 2003 2004 Marshall |
|
Single season
Insley holds the single-season record as the only player to ever catch for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He edged out the record set by Troy Edwards the previous season.
| Player | Yards | Team |
|---|
| 1 | Trevor Insley | 2,060 | 1999 Nevada |
| 2 | Troy Edwards | 1,996 | 1998 Louisiana Tech |
| 3 | Michael Crabtree | 1,962 | 2007 Texas Tech |
| 4 | Jordan White | 1,911 | 2011 Western Michigan |
| 5 | Jerreth Sterns | 1,902 | 2021 Western Kentucky |
| 6 | Greg Salas | 1,889 | 2010 Hawaii |
| 7 | DeVonta Smith | 1,856 | 2020 Alabama |
| 8 | Alex Van Dyke | 1,854 | 1995 Nevada |
| 9 | Terrance Williams | 1,832 | 2012 Baylor |
| 10 | Trent Taylor | 1,803 | 2016 Louisiana Tech | |
| Player | Yards | Team |
|---|
| 11 | J. R. Tolver | 1,785 | 2002 San Diego State |
| 12 | Justin Blackmon | 1,782 | 2010 Oklahoma State |
| 13 | Danario Alexander | 1,781 | 2009 Missouri |
| 14 | Ja'Marr Chase | 1,780 | 2019 LSU |
| 15 | Howard Twilley | 1,779 | 1965 Tulsa |
| 16 | Freddie Barnes | 1,770 | 2009 Bowling Green |
| 17 | Patrick Edwards | 1,752 | 2011 Houston |
| 18 | Rashard Higgins | 1,750 | 2014 Colorado State |
| 19 | Zay Jones | 1,746 | 2016 East Carolina |
| 20 | Josh Reed | 1,740 | 2001 LSU | |
| Player | Yards | Team |
|---|
| 21 | Brandin Cooks | 1,730 | 2013 Oregon State |
| Taywan Taylor | 1,730 | 2016 Western Kentucky |
| 23 | Amari Cooper | 1,727 | 2014 Alabama |
| 24 | Marqise Lee | 1,724 | 2012 USC |
| 25 | Davante Adams | 1,718 | 2013 Fresno State |
| 26 | Ashley Lelie | 1,713 | 2001 Hawaii |
| 27 | Troy Edwards | 1,707 | 1997 Louisiana Tech |
| 28 | Deven Thompkins | 1,704 | 2021 Utah State |
| 29 | Andy Isabella | 1,698 | 2018 UMass |
| 30 | Rashaun Woods | 1,695 | 2002 Oklahoma State | |
Single game
Edwards holds the single-game record for 405. Of particular note is a 1967 game in which two different Tulsa receivers had over 300 yards.
| Player | Yards | Date / Team |
|---|
| 1 | Troy Edwards | 405 | Aug. 29, 1998 Louisiana Tech |
| 2 | Jeremy Gallon | 369 | Oct. 19, 2013 Michigan |
| 3 | Randy Gatewood | 363 | Sep. 17, 1994 UNLV |
| 4 | Chuck Hughes | 349 | Sep. 18, 1965 Texas Western |
| 5 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 347 | Jan. 1, 2021 Ohio State |
| 6 | Donnie Avery | 346 | Oct. 13, 2007 Houston |
| 7 | Marqise Lee | 345 | Oct. 27, 2012 USC |
| 8 | Casey Fitzgerald | 327 | Sep. 8, 2007 North Texas |
| 9 | Nate Burleson | 326 | Nov. 10, 2001 Nevada |
| Carlos Henderson | 326 | Oct. 15, 2016 Louisiana Tech |
| 11 | Rick Eber | 322 | Oct. 7, 1967 Tulsa |
| 12 | Harry Wood | 318 |
| Patrick Edwards | 318 | Oct. 27, 2011 Houston |
| 14 | Jeff Evans | 316 | Sep. 30, 1978 New Mexico State |
| 15 | Alex Van Dyke | 314 | Nov. 18, 1995 Nevada |
| Terrance Williams | 314 | Nov. 18, 2012 Baylor | |
| Player | Yards | Date / Team |
|---|
| 17 | Chad Mackey | 310 | Oct. 16, 1996 Louisiana Tech |
| Corey Rucker | 310 | Dec. 5, 2020 Arkansas State |
| 19 | Jason Rivers | 308 | Dec. 24, 2006 Hawaii |
| Kayshon Boutte | 308 | Dec. 19, 2020 LSU |
| 21 | Tetairoa McMillan | 304 | Aug. 31, 2024 Arizona |
| 22 | Cobi Hamilton | 303 | Sep. 22, 2012 Arkansas |
| Stedman Bailey | 303 | Sep. 29, 2012 West Virginia |
| Andy Isabella | 303 | Nov. 3, 2018 UMass |
| 25 | Chris Daniels | 301 | Oct. 16, 1999 Purdue |
| 26 | Adarius Bowman | 300 | Oct. 14, 2006 Oklahoma State |
| 27 | Brian Oliver | 297 | Oct. 9, 1993 Ball State |
| Aaron Jones | 297 | Nov. 11, 2000 Utah State |
| 29 | Geoff Noisy | 296 | Nov. 9, 1996 Nevada |
| J. R. Tolver | 296 | Sep. 14, 2002 San Diego State |
| James Washington | 296 | Sep. 17, 2016 Oklahoma State | |
Receiving touchdowns
Career
The career leader in receiving touchdowns is Rice's Jarett Dillard, who in 2008 broke a 20-year-old record set by Louisiana Tech's Troy Edwards in 1998. Edwards remains third on the list despite only having played for 3 seasons.
Single season
Edwards tops the list of single-season touchdowns with 27.
Single game
The single-game record is held by Oklahoma State's Rashaun Woods, who caught 7 touchdown passes in a 2003 game against SMU. Many players have had 5 touchdown receptions in the same game.
Receptions
Career
The career leader in receptions is East Carolina's Zay Jones, who broke his former teammate Justin Hardy's record in 2016. The first players to catch at least 300 passes in their careers were Purdue's Taylor Stubblefield and Marshall's Josh Davis, both of whom passed 300 catches in 2004.
Single season
Jones also set the single-season record in 2016, passing Bowling Green's Freddie Barnes, who in 2009 broke a 20-year record held by Houston's Manny Hazard.
Single game
The single-game record of 23 is shared by UNLV's Randy Gatewood and Eastern Michigan's Tyler Jones. Many players have had 18 receptions in a single game.
| Player | Rec | Date / Team |
|---|
| 1 | Randy Gatewood | 23 | Sep. 17, 1994 UNLV |
| Tyler Jones | 23 | Nov. 28, 2008 Eastern Michigan |
| 3 | Jay Miller | 22 | Nov. 3, 1973 BYU |
| Freddie Barnes | 22 | Oct. 10, 2009 Bowling Green |
| Zay Jones | 22 | Sep. 17, 2016 East Carolina |
| 6 | Troy Edwards | 21 | Aug. 29, 1998 Louisiana Tech |
| Chris Daniels | 21 | Oct. 16, 1999 Purdue |
| Quinton Patton | 21 | Oct. 13, 2012 Louisiana Tech |
| 9 | Rick Eber | 20 | Oct. 7, 1967 Tulsa |
| Kenny Christian | 20 | Sep. 23, 2000 Eastern Michigan |
| Nick Moore | 20 | Oct. 11, 2008 Toledo |
| Thomas Sperbeck | 20 | Nov. 14, 2015 Boise State | |
| Player | Rec | Date / Team |
|---|
| 13 | Howard Twilley | 19 | Nov. 27, 1965 Tulsa |
| Ron Flair | 19 | Oct. 28, 1989 Arizona State |
| Manny Hazard | 19 | Nov. 4, 1989 Houston |
| Manny Hazard | 19 | Nov. 11, 1989 Houston |
| Josh Reed | 19 | Nov. 3, 2001 LSU |
| Nate Burleson | 19 | Nov. 9, 2002 Nevada |
| James Cleveland | 19 | Dec. 5, 2009 Houston |
| Tommy Shuler | 19 | Sep. 29, 2012 Marshall |
| Nelson Spruce | 19 | Sep. 27, 2014 Colorado |
| Zay Jones | 19 | Oct. 29, 2016 East Carolina |
| Tyler Snead | 19 | Nov. 9, 2019 East Carolina |
| Romeo Doubs | 19 | Oct. 23, 2021 Nevada | |
Notes and References
- Web site: Career Leaders and Records for Receiving Yards. 2022-09-04. NCAA.
- Web site: NCAA changes policy on football stats. 2002-08-28. 2014-09-11. ESPN.com. AP.
- Web site: Las Vegas Bowl. 1996-12-20. 2022-09-05. Las Vegas Sun.
