ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy recently went through and ranked the top 10 wide receivers entering the 2026 season.
Before he listed the top 10, McElroy ran through some other receivers that belong in the conversation — honorable mentions that just missed McElroy’s top 10, but could play their way into the top group by season’s end.
“Some of these players just barely missed out on the top 10, and some are players whose situations have changed a bit, but based on last year’s performance, it’d be very easy for us to forecast them in the top 10,” McElroy said of the honorable mentions.
“All this is gonna matter. Every one of these guys will have something to say about this list by season’s end.”
McElroy named Clemson junior wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. as one of those honorable mentions who just missed the top 10, but could obviously be big for the Tigers this season.
“He’s a name that probably should be in the national conversation, and isn’t right now because he’s had a few ups and downs in his career,” McElroy said. “As a true freshman, he was terrific. Went for over 700 yards. He became the fourth player in Clemson history to post 1,000 receiving yards in just the first 15 games of his career, and he joined a pretty accomplished list including Sammy Watkins, Artavis Scott, Justyn Ross. Those are not names you just kind of stumble into. That’s real accomplishment.”
As you know, Wesco is coming off a scary injury that he suffered last season when he came down on his head in an October game against SMU. He was injured during a third-quarter punt return, in which he was flipped up in the air by an SMU defender and landed on his head. Though he got up and walked off the field, Wesco eventually left the game and was transported to a nearby hospital.
It was very serious. Wesco suffered a back injury, and though he was allowed to go home the next day, his season was over. Luckily for Wesco, there were no fractures.
Before 2026 spring ball began for Clemson, head coach Dabo Swinney said that Wesco looked “amazing” and would do everything but live scrimmage work in spring practice.
Wesco was on track for an all-conference-caliber season through six games in 2025 before suffering the season-ending injury in the seventh game of the year. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder caught 31 passes for 537 yards with a team-high six receiving touchdowns.
“If you look at last year, he was on pace for an All-ACC season through the first half of the year,” McElroy said. “It was looking really good, and then had a back injury and never really got going again. Very scary injury. Landed on his head returning a punt. So, it was a very, very scary situation. Now, he was cleared to go home, but it sounds like, according to coaches, according to those who have seen him work, he looks amazing this spring. He’s doing everything except for the live scrimmage work.”
Last season, Wesco became the fourth Clemson player in Swinney’s head coaching tenure to record at least six receiving touchdowns over the first six games of a season, joining DeAndre Hopkins, Deon Cain and Sammy Watkins.
Additionally, despite his season-ending injury last year, Wesco became the first Clemson player to record at least 500 receiving yards and at least five touchdown catches in each of his freshman and sophomore seasons since Justyn Ross from 2018-19.
Wesco enters the 2026 season having recorded 72 receptions for 1,245 yards and 11 touchdowns over 19 career games (18 starts). He was a freshman All-American in 2024.
“If he’s healthy, by all means, this guy has top-10 potential,” McElroy added of Wesco. “No doubt about it. But the health question is legitimate, and that’s the reason why, right now, he is on the honorable mention list and not in the top 10.”
Greg McElroy’s Top 10 Wide Receivers Entering 2026
No. 1 — Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
No. 2 — Malachi Toney, Miami
No. 3 — Duce Robinson, Florida State
No. 4 — Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma
No. 5 — Andrew Marsh, Michigan
No. 6 — KJ Duff, Rutgers
No. 7 — Ryan Wingo, Texas
No. 8 — Cam Coleman, Texas
No. 9 — Charlie Becker, Indiana
No. 10 — Jordan Faison, Notre Dame