The 8 Best QB-WR Combos In College Football To Keep An Eye On This Season

It’s pretty hard for a college football team to experience much success without a talented quarterback, but it’s also pretty hard for guys who play that position to thrive without a wide receiving corps that allows them to showcase their skills.

In a perfect world, your team is going to have a standout quarterback as well as a trusty receiver who they can rely on to haul in their passes—and there are a number of programs that are lucky enough to check both of those boxes heading into the 2024 season.

There’s only so much you can do to predict how the college football season is going to play out, but with that said, there are a number of quarterbacks and wide receivers who’ve shown they have what it takes to shine.

The relationship between QBs and WRs is a symbiotic one that can make or break a football team, and you’re not going to get very far if they’re not on the same page.

However, you can also get a major leg up on the rest of the competition when you have a couple of guys with stellar chemistry, which includes these formidable duos who are in prime position to put up some monster stats in 2024.

Texas: Quinn Ewers and Isaiah Bond

The rest of the entries on this list aren’t ranked in any particular order, but I want to kick things off with what is poised to be the most devastating one-two punch in the country thanks to Quinn Ewers and Isaiah Bond.

Texas lost three receivers to the 2024 NFL Draft, including Xavier Worthy, who led the Longhorns in reception yardage in 2023 before being scooped up by the Chiefs in the first round.

However, they still have reason to be optimistic as Quinn Ewers prepares for this third season as the team’s starter with a new addition in the form of Isaiah Bond, who showed plenty of flashes of brilliance while recording 668 passing yards at Alabama last year before deciding to transfer to Texas after Nick Saban retired.

Missouri: Brady Cook and Luther Burden III

Missouri enters the 2024 season missing the talents of running back Cody Schrader, who was a key contributor on the offensive front last season.

However, the same can be said for Brady Cook, who threw for 3,317 yards in his second season as a starter while leading the Tigers to an 11-2 record and a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

More than 1,200 of those yards came courtesy of wide receiver Luther Burden III, and Cook will have plenty of chances to live up to his last name after reuniting with his favorite target (who also hauled in nine touchdowns).

Oregon: Dillon Gabriel and Tez Johnson

Oregon is going to miss having Bo Nix as its quarterback, but it secured a very solid replacement after Dillon Gabriel (who started his career at UCF) transferred a second time after committing to the Ducks following two seasons at Oklahoma.

Gabriel (who passed for 3,660 yards while tossing 30 touchdowns with the Sooners in 2023) isn’t the only new face in Eugene, as wide receiver Evan Stewart is hoping to improve on the 514 yards and four TDs he recorded with Texas A&M last year while nursing injuries before entering the transfer portal.

Stewart has plenty of potential upside, but I’d argue Tez Johnson is the favorite to be Gabriel’s top target when you consider he posted 1,182 yards and hauled in 10 touchdowns while Nix was at the helm in 2023.

We’ll have to wait and see who’s able to establish better chemistry with Gabriel, but the QB certainly has plenty of talent to work with.

Arizona: Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan

This is the second pair on this list that already boasts a very solid résumé together, as the two high school teammates picked up where they left off when Noah Fifita replaced Jayden de Laura as the starting QB after the latter was injured against Stanford in December.

Fifita ended up being named the starting QB at Arizona during a season where he threw for 2,869 yards in the air and recorded 25 passing touchdowns. Seven of those TD passes were caught by Tetairoa McMillan, who quickly emerged as his favorite target over the course of a campaign where he finished with 1,402 receiving yards—the fifth-best total in the country.

The duo declined to transfer after Jedd Fisch was hired to coach at Washington, so while they could face some road bumps under Brent Brennan, they’ve shown they have what it takes to produce in a big way.

Ole Miss: Jaxson Dart and Tre Harris

This is another case where we can look at what’s transpired in the past to predict the future—one that should be pretty bright for Jaxson Dart and Tre Harris.

Dart really came into his own during his second year at Ole Miss, as the QB who started his college career with USC before transferring in 2022 tossed the ball for 3,364 yards while throwing 25 touchdowns.

The Rebels benefitted from a very well-rounded wide receiving corps that was led by Tre Harris, who posted 985 yards and snagged eight TDs during an 11-2 campaign that the team capped off with a win over Penn State in the Peach Bowl.

If they can pick up where they left off, opposing defenses are going to have a pretty miserable time trying to shut them down.

Miami: Cam Ward and Xavier Restrepo

Miami is hoping 2024 will be the year Mario Cristobal comes into his own as the man who replaced Manny Diaz continues his rebuild of the program, and there are plenty of pieces in place for that to end up being the case.

Cam Ward (not to be confused with the goaltender who played for the Carolina Hurricanes) will be making his debut for Miami after transferring following two seasons at Washington State, and expectations are fairly high for the QB who passed for 3,735 yards and threw 25 touchdowns for the Cougars in 2023.

The same can be said for Xavier Restrepo, the fifth-year senior who ended 2023 with 1,092 receiving yards and six touchdowns during a season where  Tyler Van Dyke and Emory Williams split starting duties for the Hurricanes.

Ward and Restrepo have plenty of experience under their belt, and Miami could take a big leap forward if they’re able to get on the same page.

Georgia: Carson Beck and Dominic Lovett

Carson Beck had some big shoes to fill after being named Georgia’s starting QB in the wake of the departure of Stetson Bennett, and he more than held his own after passing for 3,941 yards and tossing 24 touchdowns in his first year in the primary role.

Tight end Brock Bowers was the centerpiece of Georgia’s passing game in 2023, but Dominic Lovett was Beck’s second-favorite target during a year where he put up 613 receiving yards and caught four TDs.

It seems like he’s the favorite to become the top option at wide receiver (although Dillon Bell is also worth keeping an eye on) as Beck looks to build on what he’s achieved, and the Bulldogs could benefit in a big way if they end up clicking.

Colorado: Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter

This is easily the biggest wild card on this list, but you can’t talk about dynamic QB-WR duos without mentioning Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.

While the hiring of Deion Sanders was obviously the biggest reason Colorado received a ton of attention over the course of a season that turned out to be a wild roller coaster ride, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter deserve the bulk of the credit when it comes to the guys who were actually playing for the Buffaloes.

Sanders overcame a putrid offensive line to record 3,230 passing yards and 27 TDs in the air, while Hunter (the two-way star who also plays cornerback) had 721 receiving yards and five TDs during a campaign where Colorado got off to a 3-0 start before finishing at 4-8.

It’s hard to predict what’s going to unfold this year given the uncertainty surrounding the program, but the performance of Sanders and Hunter is going to be a major factor.