We’re back with another season preview episode of the Ralphie Report podcast. We’re going through each position group for 2026, finding out who’s here, who left, coaching changes, scheme changes, what we can be excited about, what we maybe have concerns about.
Today we’re talking about maybe the most consistent position group of the Deion Sanders era: the wide receivers. A lot of changes, as usual, maybe more so than usual, actually, for this particular group. But there’s plenty to be excited about, and this should still be a fun room to watch in 2026.
One thing worth addressing up front: we’ve heard some whispers, generally from people who are going to sunshine pump a little bit, that this group top to bottom is more talented than 2024’s wide receiver group. That’s a bold statement given that Travis Hunter was on that roster, there were three drafted wide receivers on that team. We don’t agree with that, but it shouldn’t be taken to say this group isn’t incredibly talented either.
Who’s Gone
The talent lost here is significant. Omarion Miller was the guy last year when healthy, showed real flashes in 2023 and 2024, and is now at Arizona State, a conference rival. We just keep handing out first round pick caliber wide receivers to other them, urg.
Dre’lon Miller, a really important utility player the last few years, great at receiver, great at running back, is also now at a conference rival, Baylor.
Who’s Back
Joseph Williams, the 2024 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year at Tulsa, had a good season in a very dysfunctional Colorado offense last year, which should say a lot, and he’s sticking around. Hakeem Williams, the Florida State transfer from years past, is also back. Gigantic dude. Huge dude.
There are two notable freshman holdovers from last year who’ll be sophomores now: Quanell Farrakhan Jr. and Quinton Gibson. Gibson is going to be the guy on special teams, punt and kick returner, small guy, absolute speedster. We saw flashes of him last year and he’ll be utilized in this offense.
New Arrivals
In terms of talent retained and added, DeAndre Moore is a four star caliber transfer coming over from Texas after a good season there, he’s going to be one of the guys. Danny Scudero led the country in receptions last year at San Jose State and might have some of the best hands in college football. He’s one of those dudes who’s annoying because he’ll just find a soft spot 17 yards down the field on third and 15 and sit there wide open.
Kam Perry comes over from Miami of Ohio, a speedster, who absolutely killed it there and had the highest contested catch rate in the country last year. Another deep threat, explosive guy.
Coaching and Scheme
Jason Phillips, who’s coached wide receivers the last few years, retired this offseason. He’s being replaced by an internal elevation, Rashad Davis, who’s been around since the Coach Prime era began, or even before that, at Jackson State, so he definitely knows the system.
Physically, this is a shorter group across the board than it’s been in years past. DeAndre Moore is six feet on a great day, Danny Scudero is 5 foot 11 on a great day, and Quinton Gibson is even shorter than that. This is a small, physical group.
Scheme wise, Brennan Marion is our offensive coordinator running the go go offense, a gadgety, hurry up system he’s fully installing at CU this year. Marion became a coaching commodity through his work as a receivers coach. He was a wide receiver at Tulsa himself, led the country in yards per reception, had a cup of coffee in the NFL, and became a coach quickly. His first big breakthrough was at Pitt, where he coached Jordan Addison to a Biletnikoff Award. From there he went to Texas as receivers coach, he helped recruit DeAndre Moore there, though he didn’t get to coach him before moving on, and then became UNLV’s offensive coordinator under Barry Odom, where Ricky White (one of the coolest players in the country at that time, who led the nation in blocked kicks and caught around 88 balls for 1,500 yards) became the go go offense’s breakout star.
The pattern: everywhere Marion goes, at least one guy becomes an All American caliber producer. He’ll always have a personal, invested interest in the receivers room, which should put a real floor on this group’s performance. It also suggests one guy is going to separate from the pack this year, we just don’t know who yet.
One scheme wrinkle worth flagging: this won’t be a “three step drop, chuck it deep, Omarion’s down there somewhere” kind of passing attack anymore. Each receiver’s role is going to be much more defined in the go go system. We’re also likely capping out around three wide receivers on the field at a time rather than the four or five out sets CU has run the last few years, with tight end Zach Atkins also catching passes as part of that mix. More total plays run, fewer bodies out there catching them. A likely starting group: DeAndre Moore, Joseph Williams, and Danny Scudero when healthy, with Cam Perry rotating in on the outside and Quinton Gibson/Ernest Campbell used as gadget pieces in hurry up moments.
Position Group Verdict
Strength. If you had to name the strongest position group on this team, it’s probably the receivers. DeAndre Moore, Scudero, and Perry are all great gets, guys who make an immediate difference and are going to see the ball a lot. CU lost a lot of names, but also kept important ones in Joseph Williams, Quanell Farrakhan Jr., and Quinton Gibson. There’s a lot of talent on the field at wide receiver at all times, which is a great place to be.
Player to Watch
Danny Scudero is the obvious, correct answer, he’s been named by national analysts, including Bill Connelly and Bud Elliott, as the transfer they’re most excited about CU landing. High football IQ, elite at finding soft spots in coverage. The deeper cut is Ernest Campbell, who profiles almost identically to Quinton Gibson right now, both electric returners, both blazing fast, and it’s genuinely unclear how the two roles separate once the season starts. It’s fun to have guys who are faster than everyone else, and CU has about four of them.
