Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III will have the opportunity in 2024 to become the 14th SEC player with two 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Burden returns to the Tigers after having 86 receptions for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023.
Burden is the only one of the four SEC receivers who had at least 1,000 yards in 2023 returning for 2024. South Carolina’s Xavier Legette and LSU’s Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas have moved on to the NFL. Nabers did so as the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after becoming the 13th player in SEC history with two 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Incoming SEC member Texas had a 1,000-yard receiver in 2023 in Xavier Worthy, but he also left for the NFL as a first-round draft choice.
But Burden won’t be the only SEC player who had 1,000 receiving yards in 2023. Two transfers are entering the league after 1,000-yard showings. Now with LSU, CJ Daniels had 55 receptions for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns for Liberty in 2023. Now with Kentucky, Ja’Mori Maclin had 57 receptions for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns for North Texas in 2023.
In the SEC’s 91 previous football seasons, there have been 87 1,000-yard receiving seasons accomplished by 74 players. All but eight of the 87 1,000-yard performances occurred in the past 29 seasons. Since 1995, only in 2004 and 2008 did the SEC fail to produce at least one 1,000-yard receiver.
Despite the concentration of 1,000-yard receivers in the most recent third of conference history and the record number of seven in 2021, three SEC programs are at least 21 seasons removed from their most recent such performance. Auburn hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since 1999, and Florida and Georgia haven’t had one since 2002.
More recent pass-catchers have benefited from a scoring change by the NCAA. Before 2002, statistics from bowls were not included in a player’s official totals.
Does that make a difference?
Here’s an example: In 1987, Wendell Davis caught 72 passes for 993 yards as LSU compiled a 9-1-1 regular-season record and earned an invitation to the Gator Bowl. In the Tigers’ 30-13 victory over South Carolina in Jacksonville, Davis caught nine passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns.
But Davis’ 1987 season isn’t included among the SEC’s 1,000-yard receiving campaigns. His official total for the season is 993 receiving yards, not 1,125, which would be the case today. Instead of Davis owning the honor as the first SEC player with two 1,000-yard receiving seasons, Tennessee’s Joey Kent holds that distinction for his 1995 and 1996 seasons.
LSU’s Tony Moss in 1988 and Tennessee’s Tim McGee in 1985, Carl Pickens in 1990 and Peerless Price in 1998 would have been 1,000-yard receivers, too, if their bowl stats were part of their official records.
RELATED: THE CONFERENCE’S 1,000-YARD RUSHERS
Here are the SEC players who have had 1,000 receiving yards in a season (using the official totals):
Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III runs after a reception during an SEC game on Sept. 18, 2021, in Gainesville, Fla.(AP Photo/John Raoux)
Alabama: 13 1,000-yard seasons by nine players
1993: David Palmer 1,000 yards on 61 receptions
2006: DJ Hall 1,056 yards on 62 receptions
2007: DJ Hall 1,005 yards on 67 receptions
2010: Julio Jones 1,133 yards on 78 receptions
2012: Amari Cooper 1,000 yards on 59 receptions
2014: Amari Cooper 1,727 yards on 124 receptions
2015: Calvin Ridley 1,045 yards on 89 receptions
2018: Jerry Jeudy 1,315 yards on 68 receptions
2019: DeVonta Smith 1,256 yards on 68 receptions
2019: Jerry Jeudy 1,163 yards on 77 receptions
2020: DeVonta Smith 1,856 yards on 117 receptions
2021: Jameson Williams 1,572 yards on 79 receptions
2021: John Metchie 1,142 yards on 96 receptions
Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks runs for a touchdown after catching a pass during an SEC game against Alabama on Nov. 20, 2021, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.AP Photo/Vasha Hunt
Arkansas: Four 1,000-yard seasons by four players
1998: Anthony Lucas 1,004 yards on 43 receptions
2011: Jarius Wright 1,117 yards on 66 receptions
2012: Cobi Hamilton 1,335 yards on 90 receptions
2021: Treylon Burks 1,104 yards on 66 receptions
Auburn wide receiver Ronney Daniels catches a touchdown pass during an SEC game against Georgia on Nov. 13, 1999, in Athens, Ga.
Auburn: Two 1,000-yard seasons by two players
1970: Terry Beasley 1,051 yards on 52 receptions
1999: Ronney Daniels 1,068 yards on 56 receptions
Florida wide receiver Taylor Jacobs catches a touchdown pass during an SEC game against LSU on Oct. 12, 2002, in Gainesville, Fla.(AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)
Florida: 11 1,000-yard seasons by 10 players
1969: Carlos Alvarez 1,329 yards on 88 receptions
1995: Chris Doering 1,045 yards on 70 receptions
1995: Ike Hilliard 1,008 yards on 57 receptions
1996: Reidel Anthony 1,293 yards on 72 receptions
1997: Jacquez Green 1,024 yards on 61 receptions
1998: Travis McGriff 1,357 yards on 70 receptions
1999: Darrell Jackson 1,156 yards on 67 receptions
2000: Jabar Gaffney 1,184 yards on 71 receptions
2001: Jabar Gaffney 1,191 yards on 67 receptions
2001: Reche Caldwell 1,059 yards on 65 receptions
2002: Taylor Jacobs 1,088 yards on 71 receptions
Georgia wide receiver Terrence Edwards catches a pass during an SEC game against Ole Miss on Nov. 9, 2002, in Athens, Ga.Getty Images
Georgia: One 1,000-yard season
2002: Terrence Edwards 1,004 yards on 59 receptions
Kentucky wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson runs after making a reception during an SEC game against Georgia on Oct. 16, 2021, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.AP Photo/Butch Dill
Kentucky: Six 1,000-yard seasons by six players
1998: Craig Yeast 1,311 yards on 85 receptions
1999: James Whalen 1,019 yards on 90 receptions
2006: Keenan Burton 1,036 yards on 77 receptions
2007: Steve Johnson 1,041 yards on 60 receptions
2010: Randall Cobb 1,017 yards on 84 receptions
2021: Wan’dale Robinson 1,334 yards on 104 receptions
LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers catches a touchdown pass during an SEC game against Mississippi State on Sept. 16, 2023, at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss.(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
LSU: 12 1,000-yard seasons by 10 players
1983: Eric Martin 1,064 yards on 52 receptions
1986: Wendell Davis 1,244 yards on 80 receptions
2000: Josh Reed 1,127 yards on 65 receptions
2001: Josh Reed 1,740 yards on 94 receptions
2003: Michael Clayton 1,079 yards on 78 receptions
2013: Jarvis Landry 1,193 yards on 77 receptions
2013: Odell Beckham Jr. 1,152 yards on 49 receptions
2019: Ja’Marr Chase 1,780 yards on 84 receptions
2019: Justin Jefferson 1,540 yards on 111 receptions
2022: Malik Nabers 1,017 yards on 72 receptions
2023: Malik Nabors 1,569 yards on 89 receptions
2023: Brian Thomas 1,177 yards on 68 receptions
Mississippi State wide receiver Makai Polk catches a touchdown pass during an SEC game against Vanderbilt on Oct. 23, 2021, at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Mississippi State: Three 1,000-yard seasons by three players
1978: Mardye McDole 1,035 yards on 48 receptions
2015: Fred Ross 1,007 yards on 88 receptions
2021: Makai Polk 1,046 yards on 105 receptions
Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III catches a touchdown pass during an SEC game against Vanderbilt on Sept. 30, 2023, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.(AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Missouri: Four 1,000-yard seasons by three players
2014: Bud Sasser 1,003 yards on 77 receptions
2016: J’Mon Moore 1,012 yards on 62 receptions
2017: J’Mon Moore 1,082 yards on 65 receptions
2023: Luther Burden 1,212 yards on 86 receptions
Missouri’s list includes only those players who have had 1,000-yard receiving seasons since 2012, when the Tigers joined the SEC. Overall, Missouri has had 10 1,000-yard receiving seasons by eight players. The Tigers’ other 1,000-yard receivers have been Victor Bailey with 1,210 yards on 75 receptions in 1992, Justin Gage with 1,075 yards on 82 receptions in 2002, Jeremy Maclin with 1,055 yards on 80 receptions in 2007 and 1,260 yards on 102 receptions in 2008, Danario Alexander with 1,781 yards on 113 receptions in 2009 and T.J. Moe with 1,045 yards on 92 receptions in 2010.
Ole Miss wide receiver Dontario Drummond leaps ahead during an SEC game against Mississippi State on Nov. 25, 2021, at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss.(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Ole Miss: Six 1,000-yard seasons by five players
2009: Shay Hodge 1,135 yards on 70 receptions
2015: Laquon Treadwell 1,153 yards on 82 receptions
2017: A.J. Brown with 1,252 yards on 75 receptions
2018: A.J. Brown with 1,310 yards on 85 receptions
2020: Elijah Moore with 1,193 yards on 86 receptions
2021: Dontario Drummond with 1,028 yards on 76 receptions
South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette catches the football against Jacksonville State on Nov. 4, 2023, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.(AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.)
South Carolina: Five 1,000-yard seasons by four players
2005: Sidney Rice 1,143 yards on 70 receptions
2006: Sidney Rice 1,090 yards on 72 receptions
2010: Alshon Jeffery 1,517 yards on 88 receptions
2014: Pharoh Cooper 1,136 yards on 69 receptions
2023: Xavier Legette 1,255 yards on 71 receptions
South Carolina’s list includes only those players who have had 1,000-yard receiving seasons since 1992, when the Gamecocks joined the SEC. Before its SEC era, South Carolina had one player reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season — Sterling Sharpe with 1,106 yards on 74 receptions in 1986.
Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt catches a pass during an SEC game against Missouri on Nov. 12, 2022, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.(Scott Keller/The Daily Times via AP)
Tennessee: 10 1,000-yard seasons by nine players
1995: Joey Kent 1,055 yards on 69 receptions
1996: Joey Kent 1,080 yards on 68 receptions
1997: Marcus Nash 1,170 yards on 76 receptions
2001: Kelley Washington 1,010 yards on 64 receptions
2006: Robert Meachem 1,298 yards on 71 receptions
2007: Lucas Taylor 1,000 yards on 73 receptions
2011: Da’Rick Rogers 1,040 yards on 67 receptions
2012: Justin Hunter 1,083 yards on 73 receptions
2021: Cedric Tillman 1,081 yards on 64 receptions
2022: Jalin Hyatt 1,267 yards on 67 receptions
Texas A&M wide receiver Josh Reynolds catches a pass during an SEC game against Auburn on Sept. 17, 2016, in Auburn.AP
Texas A&M: Four 1,000-yard seasons by three players
2012: Mike Evans 1,105 yards on 82 receptions
2013: Mike Evans 1,394 yards on 69 receptions
2015: Christian Kirk 1,009 yards on 80 receptions
2016: Josh Reynolds 1,039 yards on 61 receptions
Texas A&M’s list includes only those players who have had 1,000-yard receiving seasons since 2012, when the Aggies joined the SEC. Before its SEC era, Texas A&M had two players reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season — Jeff Fuller with 1,066 yards on 72 receptions in 2010 and Ryan Swope with 1,207 yards on 89 receptions in 2011.
Vanderbilt wide receiver Jordan Matthews catches a touchdown pass against Houston in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 4, 2014, at Legion Field in Birmingham.(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Vanderbilt: Six 1,000-yard seasons by five players
1967: Bob Goodridge 1,114 yards on 79 receptions
1988: Boo Mitchell 1,213 yards on 78 receptions
2001: Dan Stricker 1,079 yards on 65 receptions
2006: Earl Bennett 1,146 yards on 82 receptions
2012: Jordan Matthews 1,323 yards on 94 receptions
2013: Jordan Matthews 1,477 yards on 112 receptions
Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy turns upfield during a Big 12 game against Texas Tech on Sept. 24, 2022, in Lubbock, Texas. AP
Oklahoma and Texas
Oklahoma and Texas will play their first seasons of SEC football in 2024, so they’ve never had a 1,000-yard receiver under the conference’s banner. The Longhorns’ Xavier Worthy had 1,014 receiving yards last season, but he’s in the NFL now, so neither team has a 1,000-yard receiver returning.
Oklahoma has had 12 1,000-yard receiving seasons by eight players, most recently in 2022. Ryan Broyles had three 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Sooners from 2009 through 2011.
Texas has had 11 1,000-yard receiving seasons by nine players.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
