Inside The Bears

Ranking the top 10 Receivers in the Big 12

With Week 0 featuring a ranked-on-ranked Big 12 matchup, we went through the ten best pass catchers in the conference

Josh Crawford

Baylor WRs Josh Cameron (left) and Ashtyn Hawkins (right)
Baylor WRs Josh Cameron (left) and Ashtyn Hawkins (right) / Via: Twitter
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There's no lack of quarterbacks getting shine in the Big 12, but the guys on the outside make just as much noise. This league is loaded with receivers who can take over a game — proven vets who’ve already done it on Saturdays and young names ready to make that same jump. Here’s how the top 10 wideouts in the conference stack up heading into 2025.

1. Jordan Tyson, Arizona State

Tyson looks to be in pole position for being the first wide receiver to have his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft, and for my money, he’s the best receiver in college football not named Jeremiah Smith. The only conference returnee that eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving, if his quarterback doesn’t take home conference player of the year, I think Tyson will ultimately will. He’s a three-level threat that can do damage as a YAC threat after getting the ball in short and intermediate areas, and he has both the ability to separate downfield with his route-running, but also the frame and athleticism to win near the sidelines consistently and in jump ball and 50/50 situations. I expect him to be a Biltinikoff finalist, the Sun Devils’ first 1st round receiver since N’Keal Harry in 2019, and, if he can avoid injury, the first receiver in over two decades at Arizona State to put together back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. 

2. Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech

Micah Hudson dominated most of the headlines in the offseason for the Tech receiving room, but Douglas projects as the Red Raiders’ most reliable option going into 2025. He flourished in his first season in Lubbock after flashing in his two seasons at Florida, finishing with 60 catches for 877 yards and six scores. He’s an imposing figure at 6’4, 215, so he was a fixture making tough catches over the middle in Tech’s RPO-heavy offense, but he was one of the best in the country in go-ball situations last year. With all the money spent in Lubbock this offseason, I’m sure Joey McGuire made sure to give Douglas a nice pay raise, and if Hudson can live up to his 5-star billing, Tech’s pass offense could be one of the most explosive in the country (which it will need to be with the recent injury news to Quentin Joyner) and push them to into playoff contention

3. Eric McAlister, TCU

Another transfer that made a big splash in his first year in the conference, McAlister is a fascinating height-weight-speed prospect who could become a better pro than college player — despite having already built an impressive college career. The Boise State transfer totaled over 750 yards on just 39 catches, showing himself as a big-play threat waiting to happen and displaying impressive burst and shiftiness after the catch on his long and lean 6’3 frame. He’ll need to make the leap from big-play threat to a full-fledged first option in his second season in Fort Worth. His route tree isn’t as varied as the two players ahead of him, but he’s a go-ball expert who knows how to work the sideline and position himself well for chunk plays. If he can improve in route-running and separation, he’ll have a chance to find a spot on Sundays.

4. Jayce Brown, Kansas State

The first real slot receiver on the list, Brown has been consistently productive since stepping on campus in Manhattan, and he could be the main beneficiary if Avery Johnson can take a real step in his second year as a starter. Brown wins with his release and quickness of the line of scrimmage, and is one of the most fun watches in the country with his slipperiness and elusiveness once he gets the ball in his hands. He’s a threat at all three levels, providing security on shallow routes and being able to move when needed, but he almost turns into a running back once the ball gets into his hands, be it on a deep ball or anytime he gets some space in the open field. He’s a real threat to hit 1,000 yards this season with how Kansas State deploys him, and I don’t see why he shouldn’t find himself as a Day 2 draft pick after next season. 

5. Chase Roberts, BYU

Roberts is steady, reliable, and has consistently improved in his time in Provo, making an immediate impact with 22 catches and 357 yards as a freshman and closing last year with 52 catches and 857 yards. He was one half of the duo that led BYU to 8 straight wins to start the season, a top-10 ranking, and playoff contention, but it’ll be an uphill battle to try and replicate that success with a freshman quarterback. Even at 6’4, he operated as a security blanket of sorts for Retlazff last year, spending a decent amount of time in the slot and showing nuisance with finding windows in zone coverage, while offering some juice as a downfield threat.

6. Josh Cameron, Baylor

Maybe even more dangerous a returner than he is as a receiver, Cameron tied for second most touchdown catches in the conference last year with 10 scores, and he’s simply a technician in the slot and on the outside. The former walk-on led Baylor in receptions last season, and perhaps was the biggest beneficiary of Baylor’s early-season switch from Dequan Finn to Sawyer Robertson. He’s not the flashiest athlete, more quick and shifty than purely fast, but his awareness of leverage, strong hands, and route-running make him a nightmare cover on third down, and a home-run threat whenever he has the ball in his hands.

7. Coy Eaykin, Texas Tech

Eaykin entered last season as Tech’s top returning receiver, but Douglas’ emergence slid him over to the WR2, where he continued to flourish as both a chain-mover and over-the-middle threat, while still being able to make plays downfield. Eaykin has some of the best hands in the conference last year, and he’s able to consistently snag errant throws, balls away from his frame, and convert in contested catch situations. Tech could potentially have three of these spots by season’s end, but don’t be fooled, Behron Morton has two, maybe three options that could all go somewhere and be the top dog in the receiver room.

8. Ashtyn Hawkins, Baylor

There’s a reason why so much was made when the NCAA granted Hawkins his sixth year of eligibility earlier this summer -- it transformed this Baylor receiver room from a potential weakness, to at least satisfactory and potentially a strength with the emergence of Louis Brown and the Alabama transfer Kobe Prentice. Hawkins was the only consistent source of speed and field-stretching ability for Baylor’s offense in 2024, and with Sawyer Robertson getting a full offseason of QB1 reps, Hawkins’ 45 catches provide much-needed experience and proven production to the Bears. He’s a key cog in elevated expectations for Sawyer Robertson going into this season, and looks like he could be a bridge between the proven playmakers and some of the promising young prospects for Baylor.

9. Dre’lon Miller, Colorado

One of the most talented true sophomores in the league and maybe the country, Miller flashed his pedigree as a top-100 recruit with big plays in limited opportunities last fall, behind a crowded receiver room now featuring four guys currently competing in the NFL preseason. With the receiver cupboard mostly bare after all those departures, Miller and his (non) brother Omarion will be relied upon to turn last year’s flashes into consistent production for the Buffaloes in 2025. Dre’lon’s blend of size, explosiveness, and after-catch toughness should make him the go-to target for whoever ends up starting between Kaidon Salter or 5-star freshman Julian Lewis

10. Jeff Caldwell, Cincinnati

We respect FCS production around here! Caldwell is expected to step into the WR1 role at Cincinnati for Brendan Sorsby, after being arguably the top receiver in FCS last year -- 52 catches, 1,011 yards, 10 TDs, and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, FCS’s version of the Heisman. Caldwell made Bruce Feldman’s 2025 “Freak List” after broad jumping nearly 12 feet at 6’5 and 208 pounds. A long strider with impressive speed and a contested catch artist, he averaged 19.1 yards a catch in his first three seasons, and his athleticism and play style look to be a seamless fit for a jump in competition.  

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Josh Crawford
JOSH CRAWFORD

Josh began covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Before this, he previously wrote for Syracuse men's basketball and football at SI from 2022-24. As a former Division I defensive lineman at Prairie View, Josh is passionate about storytelling from a former athlete's perspective. When he's not covering Baylor, he enjoys traveling, listening to podcasts and music, and loves cooking a good meal.

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