The NCAA Division I FBS receiving leaders are career, single-season, and single-game leaders in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and receptions.[1] These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since 1955, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[2] This affects many players from before that time period. For example, Trevor Insley had 98 receiving yards in the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl,[3] which would bring his career total to 5,103 if this game counted in his career statistics.
In recent decades, starting with the Southeastern Conference in 1992, FBS conferences have introduced their own championship games, which have always counted fully toward single-season and career statistics.
The NCAA ruled that the 2020 season, heavily disrupted by COVID-19, would not count against the athletic eligibility of any football player. This gave every player active in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.
Only seasons in which a team was considered to be a part of the Football Bowl Subdivision are included in these lists. For example, only one of Randy Moss's two seasons at Marshall (1997) is found on these lists.
The career leader in receiving yards is Western Michigan's Corey Davis. Davis does not have any single seasons in the top 30, instead having a consistent run of 941, 1,408, 1,429, and 1,500 yards over his four seasons. He broke the record set by Trevor Insley at Nevada. Prior to Insley, the record was held by a pair of Wyoming receivers, Ryan Yarborough and then Marcus Harris.
Insley holds the single-season record as the only player to ever catch for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He edged out the record set by Troy Edwards the previous season.
The career leader in receiving touchdowns is Rice's Jarett Dillard, who in 2008 broke a 20-year-old record set by Louisiana Tech's Troy Edwards in 1998. Edwards remains third on the list despite only having played for 3 seasons.
The single-game record is held by Oklahoma State's Rashaun Woods, who caught 7 touchdown passes in a 2003 game against SMU. Many players have had 5 touchdown receptions in the same game.
The single-game record of 23 is shared by UNLV's Randy Gatewood and Eastern Michigan's Tyler Jones. Many players have had 18 receptions in a single game.
