Cam Coleman, Ryan Coleman-Williams and Nyck Harbor highlight SEC's elite receivers in 2026

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Some of the NFL’s top receivers came from the Southeastern Conference: A.J. Brown, Ja’Marr Chase, Mike Evans, Justin Jefferson, Jerry Jeudy, George Pickens and DeVonta Smith, to name a few.

There are more on the way, maybe even a few who could be stars at the next level. The SEC landed 14 receivers on the preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list, the most of any conference. Here are six from the league who could become household names – maybe even Heisman Trophy contenders -- by the end of the year:

The 6-foot-3, 204-pound junior spent the last two years languishing in Auburn’s lackluster offense, totaling 93 receptions for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns. He landed at Texas after the Tigers fired Hugh Freeze and should give the Longhorns one of the top receiver tandems in the country. He already went viral during camp with a one-handed catch .

“Everybody sees the highlight plays, the play-making ability, the physical ability that he has,” coach Steve Sarkisian said. “What I love is the person. This guy is a great human being. He’s a guy that is a great teammate. He’s one of our hardest workers. He’s been a great addition to that room, to that offense.”

The receiver formerly known as Ryan Williams has a new name and a new number for 2026. He added Coleman to his now-hyphenated last name to honor his mother and switched from No. 2 to No. 1, returning to the digit he wore in high school for in-state powerhouse Saraland. He hopes the changes will lead to a bounce-back season.

A preseason All-America selection last year, Coleman-Williams had only one 100-yard receiving game in 2025 and led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 13 drops. The 6-foot, 184-pound speedster finished with 49 receptions for 689 yards and four touchdowns after capturing national attention with 45 catches for 857 yards and eight scores as a freshman.

With KC Concepcion in the NFL, Craver could be targeted even more as a junior. He caught at least four passes in 11 games last season and earned third-team All-SEC honors. The 5-foot-9 Birmingham, Alabama, native finished with 59 receptions for 917 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran 11 times for 81 yards and a score. He ranked fifth nationally in yards after the catch (575) and tied for sixth in missed tackles forced (22).

“He’s one of the more explosive, dynamic slot receivers I’ve been able to be around,” coach Mike Elko said. “He plays bigger than his size. I think he’ll have a really, really big year for us if he can find a way to stay healthy and be consistent week in and week out as we go through the season.”

The former track standout believes he’s “one of the fastest players in the country.” What’s scary about that — at least for defenders — is Harbor is 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 239 pounds. In three seasons with the Gamecocks, Harbor has 68 receptions for 1,189 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He led the SEC and ranked fifth nationally at 20.6 yards a catch in 2025. He enters this season having caught a touchdown pass in five consecutive games from quarterback LaNorris Sellers and now has former TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles calling plays.

After totaling just 54 catches for 632 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas, Sategna broke out with Oklahoma last season. He finished with 67 receptions for 965 yards and eight scores. He returned for a fifth year and, along with quarterback John Mateer, gives Oklahoma’s offense a lot of carry-over.

“I felt like I had unfinished work here,” Sategna said. “I just had some left on the plate.”

Arch Manning’s go-to guy in 2025, Wingo caught 54 passes for 834 yards and seven touchdowns. Now he has Coleman on the opposite side, potentially creating a pick-your-poison scenario for opposing defenses.

The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Wingo helped recruit Coleman to Texas, believing Coleman’s big-play ability would create more opportunities for himself. He still has to work on minimizing dropped passes, which plagued him last season, but his upside is tremendous.

“Knows the system, knows the scheme,” Sarkisian said. “Really came on last year. I think people forget he was a second team All-SEC receiver a year ago. Very explosive player.”

Deuce Alexander, Ole Miss; Nic Anderson, Kentucky; Tre’ Brown III, LSU; Vernell Brown III, Florida; Isiah Canion, Georgia; Anthony Evans III, Donovan Faupel; Arkansas; Mississippi State; Jackson Harris, LSU; Trell Harris, Oklahoma; Cayden Lee, Missouri; Mike Matthews, Tennessee; Junior Sherrill, Vanderbilt; Eric Singleton Jr., Florida; Keshaun Singleton, Auburn; Braylon Staley, Tennessee; and Dallas Wilson, Florida.

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