30 best college football wide receivers of the 21st century

11. Amari Cooper – Alabama Crimson Tide

Amari Cooper is an Alabama player that took literally no time to make an impact on the field. In the last four games that mattered (there was a random Western Carolina game in the middle of the schedule for some reason), Cooper had over 100 yards and at least one touchdown in each game. In the BCS National Championship against Notre Dame, he had six catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He broke a lot of Alabama freshman records and got exactly 1,000 yards on the season.

His sophomore season was mostly forgettable thanks to injuries. He did turn it on in the end, with his only 100-yard performances coming in the Iron Bowl against Auburn and the Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma.

It was his junior year that made him a must-watch receiver for teams in the NFL Draft. It started the first week of the season, where he put on a show against West Virginia and the other top receiver in the class Kevin White. He caught 12 balls for 130 yards (White went for 9 and 143 in the epic battle.). It was one of many insane performances by Cooper that season.

Twice he went for 224 receiving yards in one game. That includes a 13-catch performance in the Iron Bowl where he tied his career-high with three touchdowns. That is the single-game receiving record for the Crimson Tide. He finished the season with an SEC record of 124 receptions, 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Cooper ended up winning the Biletnikoff Award, was a unanimous All-American and he became one of the best weapons of the Nick Saban era.