Wide Receiver U: Ole Miss is the only FBS team with three receivers who have over 700 yards each
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss has a strong history of producing talented wide receivers with names like Shay Hodge, Mike Espy, Donte Moncrief, Laquon Treadwell, AJ Brown, DK Metcalf, Elijah Moore, and Jonathan Mingo, to name a few, all playing for the Rebels.
In 2023, ‘Wide Receiver U’ continues in Oxford as Ole Miss is the only FBS team with three wide receivers who have notched 700 or more receiving yards this season. Tre Harris has tallied 824, while Dayton Wade has 755 and Jordan Watkins has reached 734.
The only team with 3 WRs above 700 Yards#ComeToTheSip pic.twitter.com/jswvwnKR9X
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 21, 2023
The last time three receivers for Ole Miss had a season remotely close to this was in 2017, when AJ Brown, DaMarkus Lodge, and DK Metcalf all had at least 600 receiving yards. All three of those receivers were drafted, and Brown and Metcalf have become two of the top players in the NFL today.
For the current trio to each have over 700 yards individually proves how lethal they have been in the passing game this season. Together, they have accounted for 80 percent of Jaxson Dart’s passing yards and 15 of his 19 passing touchdowns.
Despite Dart recently indicating he will wait until the end of this season to determine his status for next season, there is an above-average chance that if he returns to Oxford, the Rebs can retain two of the three talented wide receivers. All three have an additional year of eligibility, and if their draft grades are not projected to be what they want, it would be a no-brainer to come back to college for one more year.
If Ole Miss can bring back Harris, Watkins, or Wade, they will already have a jumpstart to next year’s passing attack. They have two very talented freshmen on the roster in Ayden Williams and Cayden Lee, who will be ready to play from the first day of fall camp next season.
The Rebs are also pursuing Deion Smith, the number one junior college player in the country out of Jackson, Mississippi, who also has the potential to be a first-round draft pick.
Whether it is Jaxson Dart, Walker Howard, or Austin Simmons commanding next year’s offense, there will be no shortage of wide receivers, and I would again expect three of them to have 600 receiving yards or more on next year’s team as well.
As impressive as their current 7oo-plus mark is, Watkins and Wade are each fewer than 70 yards away from also notching 800 yards on the season. Against State and in the bowl game, let’s see if they can push these numbers even higher. Hotty Toddy!
