30 best college football wide receivers of the 21st century

22. Dede Westbrook – Oklahoma Sooners

The college years of Dede Westbrook was a very strange career for a very talented wide receiver. Dede Westbrook didn’t start his college career at the University of Oklahoma, but the way it ended was fantastic. He transferred from Blinn College in 2015, but before that, he was insane in junior college. He had a game where he had 370 yards in a 72-65 LOSS to Tyler Junior College. It takes a very special junior college career to catch the eye of Bob Stoops.

Westbrook made an immediate impact in the Sooners offense, catching 46 balls for 743 yards and four touchdowns. Those are decent numbers for a college wide receiver, but nothing worthy of this list. It was his senior year where he became unstoppable.

He caught 80 balls in 13 games for 1,524 yards and 17 touchdowns. After losing their final out-of-conference game to Ohio State, Westbrook exploded in Big 12 play. Against Texas in the Red River Rivalry, he broke the great Ryan Broyles record for receiving yards in a game with 232. He scored at least one touchdown in his last 10 games, including a career-high three in back-to-back weeks against Texas and Kansas State. Against No. 10 West Virginia, he only needed two catches to break 100 yards and score a touchdown.

Westbrook was the big-play maker for Baker Mayfield. They were both honored with a Heisman Trophy nomination for the 2016 season, which ended up going to Lamar Jackson. They likely took votes from each other. Still, just to get nominated for the Heisman is huge for a wide receiver. That recognition for his contributions to a team, especially when they also have a star quarterback, goes a long way to building a college legacy.