Top 5 Wide Receiver Performances of Week 1 College Football: Travis Hunter, Roman Wilson, more

Week 1 of the college football season is now mostly behind us, aside from Monday night's meeting between Clemson and Duke. There were some fun games all weekend, including North Carolina beating South Carolina 31-17 in a battle of two Carolina-based teams.

While the Gamecocks weren't able to get the upset win, South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette had the best performance of his career and one of the best of any wide receiver this week. He's among the wideouts who stood out when reflecting back on Week 1 of the season.

Below are the top five wide receiver performances from Week 1 of the college football season. These are judged through a combination of statistics, fantasy scoring, and game context, with consideration also given based on the team's offensive systems. Let's take a look at this week's top performances. (Note: this does not account for games played on Sunday and Monday.)

5. Roman Wilson - Michigan

Roman Wilson might not have hit the 100-yard mark like the rest of the players on this list did, but he was one of just four wide receivers to catch three or more touchdowns on Saturday. Wilson ended the day with six receptions for 78 yards and three touchdowns for the Wolverines.

This is where I also want to shout out the other two wide receivers with three touchdowns. San Jose State's Nick Nash caught six passes for 89 yards and three scores, while Texas A&M's Noah Thomas caught six for 74 yards and three touchdowns. Great showing from all three players. Honestly, Wilson gets the headline here because he's been a role player for the Wolverines over the last couple of seasons and it was nice to see him have this kind of game. He had eight touchdown catches across his first three seasons.

4.  Xavier Legette - South Carolina

Xavier Legette didn't find the end zone on Saturday night for the Gamecocks, but he did everything else, catching nine passes for 178 yards. He led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and yards per reception, averaging 19.8 per catch.

It was by far the best game of Legette's career. His previous high in receptions and yards came in the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame last season, when he caught seven passes for 78 yards and two scores.

Legette's stuck around Columbia since 2019 despite never recording more than 167 receiving yards in a season. Even if his reward for that only ends up being this 178-yard performance in prime time against North Carolina, that's something. To beat your previous season-high for receiving yardage in just one game is such a great way to begin your final collegiate season.

3. Travis Hunter - Colorado

Ranking Travis Hunter was probably the toughest thing to do. He didn't score a touchdown on Saturday, but he came close to it early in the game with one that was called back.

If we look exclusively at his offensive production, you can probably find five other names to go above him on this list. But his offensive production wasn't the only thing Hunter brought to the field, as he played both ways during Saturday's game. So in addition to 11 catches for 119 yards, Hunter had three tackles and an interception while playing defensive back.

Just a huge FBS debut for Hunter. I worry that playing both ways might not be sustainable in this day and age, but it's going to be exciting to watch him do it.

2. Kris Mitchell - Florida International

In Florida International's opener against Louisiana Tech, Kris Mitchell was quiet, catching just one pass for two yards. He bounced back on Saturday in a big way in a 14-12 win over Maine, catching both FIU touchdowns and catching nine passes for 201 yards and both scores.

It was a weird game from a usage perspective, as just three FIU players recorded a catch. Dean Patterson caught five for 86 and Jalen Bracey added one for five. Last week, FIU completed just five passes.

Mitchell probably won't have another moment like this in 2023 just because the FIU offense isn't really built for these explosive games. Last season, for example, he had just one game with over three receptions and he was sixth on the team in receptions.

So let's take this chance to recognize the best game of Mitchell's college career. In his 24th appearance for the Panthers, he recorded his first 100-plus yard game, more than doubling his previous best mark of 84 yards.

1. Tre Harris - Ole Miss

Ole Miss just took Mercer to the woodshed this weekend, winning 73-7. And Tre Harris, making his Ole Miss debut after playing his first three seasons at Louisiana Tech, was a huge part of that. He caught six passes for 133 yards and four touchdowns. He was one of two 100-yard receivers for the Rebels, with Jordan Watkins catching six passes for 111 yards.

The wild thing about Harris' game was that three of those touchdowns came in the first five minutes of the game. He caught a 38-yarder at the 14:05 mark, then a 28-yarder at the 12:26 mark, and finally a 20-yarder at the 11:45 mark. It was just boom, boom, boom for Harris, who also added the fourth in the third quarter.

Harris had three 100-yard games last season for Louisiana Tech, with just one game where he had more yards than he had on Saturday. He caught seven passes for 157 yards and two scores in a win over Middle Tennessee last November.

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