USC Trojans' Ja'Kobi Lane Snubbed From Big Ten Wide Receiver Rankings

USC Trojans wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane was one of the Trojans' leading receivers in 2024 and is returning in 2025. ESPN ranked the top 10 receivers in the Big Ten conference heading into the 2025 season. Lane was not one of them. Was he snubbed?

Ja'Kobi Lane Not Listed Among the Top Ten Big Ten Receivers

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) makes a catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Christian Gray (29) in the fourth quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

USC Trojans wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane In 2024 had 525 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. Lane started to really come into his own towards the tail end of the season as USC gave the nod to quarterback Jayden Maiava. In the final three games of the season, Lane hauled in seven of his 12 touchdowns on the season. Maiava is returning to USC and the two will look to rekindle their connection.

Despite all of this, Lane was not ranked in the top ten of ESPN’s receivers in the Big Ten heading into 2025. Who was ahead of Lane?

Ranking the best receivers in Big Ten football for 2025, according to @espn pic.twitter.com/unDPgEKCTF
— The Big Ten Huddle 🎙️ (@TheBigTenHuddle) April 11, 2025

No. 1 is Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. There is no argument there as Smith lived up to the billing of being the No. 1 wide receiver in the class of 2023 in his true freshman season. He led the entire Big Ten in receiving yards with 1,315 and receiving touchdowns with 15. Without Smith, the Buckeyes might not have won the National Championship.

Rounding out the rest of the top ten are Indiana Hoosiers’ Elijah Sarratt, Oregon Ducks’ Evan Stewart, Ohio States’ Carnell Tate, USC Trojans’ Makai Lemon, Oregon Ducks’ Kenyon Sadiq, Penn States’ Devonte Ross, Oregon Ducks’ Dakorien Moore, Ohio States’ Max Kalre, and Michigan States’ Nick Marsh.

Lane had either more receiving yards or more receiving touchdowns than a majority of the players listed. While this isn’t a list based off of who had the better season a year ago, it is still questionable to leave Lane out because of how well he ended the season. For example, Oregon's Dakorien Moore was a class of 2025 five-star recruit and has yet to play a snap of college football.

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USC Trojans’ 2025 Receiving Core

Oct 19, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane (8) celebrates with Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) after scoring first half touchdown against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans had a lot of turnover in the offseason, especially within their wide receiver room. Aside from the returns of Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon, there will be many new faces catching passes from Maiava.

The Trojans lost wide receivers Zachariah Branch, Kyron Hudson, and Duce Robinson to the transfer portal, but added incoming transfer wide receiver Prince Strachan from Boise State and recruit Corey Simms.

On paper, this wide receiver room may not seem as deep as it was a season ago, but it gives a player like Lane more of a chance to breakout. In 2024, USC had an abundance of weapons that allowed them to spread the ball around, but not a single receiving had more than 764 yards (Makai Lemon). There were seven Trojans that had 300 or more receiving yards.