This week's picks

Deep threats: explosive catches: 2026 Leaders

College Football Charts
Data updatedOct 31, 2026

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Deep threats: explosive catches

Top 25 of 686 receivers and tight ends. 2026 season, games through Oct 24, 2026.

Players with 30+ pass attempts, 15+ carries, 8+ catches, a sack, an interception or a fumble recovery this season. From the play-by-play. Hover or tap a bar for the details.

What this shows

Every player in the group, ranked by explosive catches for the season. Explosive catches: receptions that gain 16 yards or more.

No. 1: Jesse Legree, Oregon State at 23, 1 ahead of No. 2, Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (22).

The top 25 average 17.3; the middle of all 686 in the group is 4.

By conference: Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC 5 each, SEC and Conference USA 3 each, out of the top 25.

Where the data comes from. Play-by-play from CollegeFootballData.com (the public cfbfastR files), games through Oct 24, 2026. Every stat here is computed from those plays.

Next up

  1. Josiah Freeman, Fresno State 14
  2. Cataurus Hicks, Pittsburgh 14
  3. Asaad Waseem, Purdue 14
  4. Junior Sherrill, Vanderbilt 14
  5. DJ Epps, West Virginia 14
  6. Jaylen Bonelli, Arkansas State 13

Most in the top 25

  1. Big Ten 5 of 25
  2. Big 12 5 of 25
  3. ACC 5 of 25
  4. SEC 3 of 25
  5. Conference USA 3 of 25
  6. Pac-12 1 of 25

About the stats on this chart

What is explosive catches?

Explosive catches: receptions that gain 16 yards or more.

Why do explosive catches matter?

Catches of 16+ yards are the deep threats. Defenses build game plans around these guys.

Where does the explosive catches data come from?

From play-by-play from CollegeFootballData.com (the public cfbfastR files), games through Oct 24, 2026.