Your weekly serving of college football roster acquisition thoughts -- recruiting, transfer portal, you name it -- from 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins.
The QB-WR combos coming soon to a city near you
July is one of the most important months on the college football recruiting calendar, as a majority of the nation's prospects make verbal commitments in advance of their senior seasons.
Sure, a select few will hold out and wait until Signing Day to decide on their futures. But with the winter transfer portal window dates circled on whiteboards inside personnel departments across the country, a majority of kids want to make sure they have a spot and the compensation is right.
One position where we have seen an uptick of commitments recently is wide receiver. Since Dakorien Moore, the Top247's No. 1-ranked wide receiver, announced his July 4 commitment to Oregon, a dozen more high-profile wide receivers have come off the board. That includes five-star Caleb Cunningham, who picked Alabama this past weekend.
Cunningham's decision to play in a Kalen Deboer-led offense isn't all that surprising -- not after Washington had three pass catchers selected in this year's NFL Draft -- but it did spark an interesting debate behind the scenes in the 247Sports War Room when a simple question was asked: Which school currently has the best quarterback-wide receiver trio committed?
Opinions varied, and that's why we thought it would be the perfect time to highlight some of our favorite potential frequent-flier combinations. After all, we're in a passing era and this time next year you might be looking for an offense with budding playmakers to energize your next EA Sports College Football 25 dynasty.
One other thing to note: Not every high-profile wide receiver has made a commitment, which means this list is just a snapshot with the ink nowhere near close to being dry. These are just some of the trios that get someone who spends way too much time watching tape excited.
Oregon
QB: Akili Smith Jr. (No. 17 QB)
WRs: Dakorien Moore (No. 1 WR), Dallas Wilson (No. 8 WR)
Moore is a thrilling, game-breaking talent with exceptional start-stop capabilities and top-flight track speed. He's one of the most spirited competitors in the class and someone who should push for playing time right away.
Wilson is an intimidating perimeter target who can chew up cushion and box-out opponents. Smith has projectable tools, but is likely going to be a longer burn at quarterback, which is OK for the Ducks, who have shown they can attract veteran transfer quarterbacks and already have Dante Moore in the pipelien.
Cooper Perry and Isaiah Mozee are two more decorated receivers committed to Oregon.
Alabama
QB: Keelon Russell (No. 3 QB)
WRs: Caleb Cunningham (No. 3 WR), Lotzeir Brooks (No. 77 WR)
Russell earned the 2024 Elite 11 Finals MVP while competing at the June camp in Los Angeles. The former SMU commit is an electric playmaker who moves like Lamar Jackson.
Russell also happens to be an extremely efficient passer. That should bode well for Cunningham and former five-star Ryan Williams, who skipped his senior year of high school and started college early.
Cunningham is a run-after-catch menace who can play above the opponent's shoulder pads with his bound body control. Brooks, who projects as an inside option, has set records in New Jersey and scored 22 touchdowns as a junior.
Georgia
QB: Ryan Montgomery (No. 9 QB)
WRs: Talyn Taylor (No. 13 WR), Tyler Williams (No. 42 WR)
UGA is known for its ground-and-pound approach on offense, but Taylor and Williams are the types of wide receivers who can unlock some things in the passing attack. They have both proven to be explosive route runners.
Taylor's hand-eye-coordination is some of the best in the class, while Williams excels at charging into the defense's second and third levels. Montgomery has started the third-most games out of any signal-caller in the Top247 and is a full-field reader who's surgical working off play-action designs. He can get the ball to Taylor and Williams on time.
Missouri
QB: Matt Zollers (No. 6 QB)
WRs: Donovan Olugbode (No. 11 WR), Jayvan Boggs (No. 45 WR)
Zollers should edge Blaine Gabbert for Missouri's highest-ranked quarterback signee ever. He's an athletic passer who's comfortable operating on the move and can zip a two-ball like few others.
Olugbode and Boggs are near carbon copies of each other. Both hover right around 6-foot-1, 200 pounds and are tacticians with their feet.
The Tigers have superstar Luther Burden for one more season. After that, it might be Olugbode and Boggs giving defensive coordinator's fits with their polished games. They just find ways to constantly get open.
Florida State
QB: Tramel Jones Jr. (No. 21 QB)
WRs: CJ Wiley (No. 22 WR), Daylan McCutcheon (No. 26 WR)
Jones impressed time and time again this offseason. He will enter FSU as a four-year high school starter with one of the higher floors when it comes to the 2025 quarterbacks.
Wiley is in the mold of the jumbo wide receivers whom the Seminoles tormented opponents with last season. His linear burst allows him to get vertical in a hurry while his ready-to-play size gives him a major advantage in 50-50 situations.
McCutcheon is a smooth moving, well-rounded wideout who has shown that he can handle a high volume of targets. These three can keep the passing game humming.
Washington
QB: Treston Kini McMillan (No. 38 QB)
WRs: Chris Lawson (No. 25 WR), Raiden Vines-Bright (No. 44 WR)
Washington is one of just a handful of Power Four programs with multiple quarterbacks currently committed. Dash Beierly is the higher-ranked recruit, but McMillan owns one of the livest arms in the class and is in the mold of Noah Fifita, whom Jedd Fisch had at Arizona.
Lawson is a limber athlete who's hard to corral after the catch. He uses cutbacks to weave his way through traffic.
Vines-Bright wins at the line of scrimmage with his well-planned releases and can run underneath the deep ball. Toss in tight end Vander Ploog and the arrow is pointing up.
Arizona
QB: Robert McDaniel (No. 32 QB)
WRs: Terry Shelton (No. 61 WR), Isaiah Mizell (No. 132 WR)
On paper, this trio doesn't look like much. However, Shelton and Mizell have already been circled as potential rankings risers entering their all-important senior seasons.
Shelton is a large, outside receiver with a favorable multi-sport background who can make acrobatic grabs look routine with his superb body control. Mizell is one of the fastest recruits in Florida and scored 22 touchdowns during a breakout junior campaign.
McDaniel, a last-minute addition to the Elite 11 Finals, ended up outperforming some of the more heralded quarterbacks. He was crisp and accurate.
Sneaky-good commit of the week
Safety Jhase Thomas to LSU
LSU needs all the help that it can get on defense after last season. Thomas, who picked the Tigers over Texas Tech and Houston last week, shouldn't be viewed as an immediate-impact type of addition. However, the No. 38-ranked safety is a perfect fit for new defensive coordinator Blake Baker's aggressive system.
After playing primarily offense his first few years of high school, Thomas flashed plenty of potential this spring as a second-level defender with his strike-first mentality and downhill burst. Baker ran a modified 4-2-5 defense at his previous two stops, and Thomas looks to be tailor made for the "Star" hybrid linebacker/safety role with his sprouting frame and pursuit range.
'Freak' of the week
RB Connor Mathews (UMass commit)
That's right. UMass. Our annual "Freak's List" has always featured some Group of Five flavor, and we're not changing that anytime soon.
A few years ago, UMass coach Don Brown had to try and stop Blake Corum in practice while calling the defense at Michigan. Brown has found his own mighty might of a running back in Mathews.
After rushing for 1,500 yards this past fall, the rocked-up Mathews won a pair of Florida 3A weightlifting titles this spring. He set a state record with a 375-pound clean and jerk in the 199-pound weight class, pairing it with a 380-pound bench press and a 260-pound snatch. Get this man to the Crossfit Games.
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