New Northwestern Wide Receiver Stacks Up Well Against Big Ten Competition

His PFF ranking from last year is more than comparable.

South Dakota State wide receiver Griffin Wilde (18) catches the ball for the touchdown on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings. | Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Northwestern Football has an unclear situation brewing at the wide receiver position in 2025. On one hand, David Braun and co. don't seem particularly concerned about the room. On the other hand, the depth chart seems like it's lacking in depth.

Calvin Johnson II transferred out of the program this offseason, a decision nobody saw coming as he was due for more playing time next year. Bryce Kirtz and A.J. Henning are also both graduated, marking the end of an era of NU receivers.

One thing is clear, though. Transfer Griffin Wilde, who previously played at South Dakota State, is this team's wide receiver one. And given the questions about depth, his target share could be massive.

The good news is, Wilde projects to be a receiver up to that task. He posted the second highest PFF grade of any current Big Ten wide receiver last year behind Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith. Northwestern Football shared that fact on X this morning.

Our guy Griff. Ready to make a splash. pic.twitter.com/NuiueHbyRP

— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) June 18, 2025

It's important to understand that Wilde was not going up against Big Ten level secondaries which certainly inflates his ranking in this comparison. But Wilde's stats against FCS competition were impressive in their own right.

He finished with a whopping 1,154 yards receiving on 71 receptions, scoring 12 touchdowns. He also averaged 16.3 yards per catch. Those are incredibly impressive numbers, and Northwestern fans should expect them to translate to an extent.

Don't expect Wilde to put up another 1,000-yard season in Evanston. That's a pretty rare feat in college football, but Wilde should be a highly productive member of this offense, even moreso if quarterback Preston Stone performs well.

PFF likes Wilde a lot, but the true test will come out on the field this fall. If Wilde is anything close to what he was with South Dakota State, it will be a major boon for Northwestern's offense.