We are now shifting our focus to the best returning ACC receivers. The Atlantic Coast Conference has some of the best pass catchers in the country. Many of the programs in the conference pride themselves on being explosive through the air on offense. The individual passing and receiving stats within the conference show it.
Three of the players on our top four list finished the 2025 season with over 1,000 receiving yards. The bar is set high to be considered one of the best receivers in the ACC. These players are meeting the standard of high-level playmaking as pass catchers in the conference.
Best Returning ACC Receivers
Honorable Mentions
Although there weren’t any tight ends that made our top four list, there are a couple that deserve an honorable mention.
Duke’s Jeremiah Hasley was an important piece of the best passing offense in the ACC last season. The 2025 All-ACC Honorable Mention had 40 receptions for 454 yards and six touchdowns. He was the fourth leading receiver for the Blue Devils as they finished with the top scoring offense in the conference. Hasley is expected to have an even bigger role in the Duke offense this season after it lost many of its other top players from last year’s ACC Championship-winning team.
Another All-ACC Honorable Mention at tight end last year was Randy Pittman Jr. He spent last season at Florida State, where he caught 23 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Pittman was the fourth leading receiver in a good but inconsistent Seminoles offense. Now, Pittman has taken his talents to Dallas, Texas, to catch passes from Kevin Jennings at SMU.
One more player we want to mention has the talent to be on this list, but his 2025 season was cut short. Clemson wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr had very high expectations for 2025 after being named a Freshman All-American in 2024. He was having an impressive second year until he suffered a nearly career-ending injury midway through the season.
Still, Wesco was named an All-ACC Honorable Mention for his impressive performance through seven games. He had 31 receptions for 537 yards and six touchdowns before the injury. Wesco posted three games with over 100 receiving yards as well. He is expected to be back on the field this fall. But the uncertainty of his availability for the first couple of weeks is why he just missed the final four.
4. WR TJ Moore – Clemson
Although Wesco did not make the official list, his partner in crime is on it. Both Wesco and TJ Moore entered Clemson as five-star recruits in 2023. They were brought in to be the playmakers in the passing game that the Tigers needed at the time. Going into their third year, they look primed to be the game changers they must be for Clemson to raise its stock.
Moore especially came into his own last season. The injury to Wesco forced Moore to step into a larger role. He proved that he was prepared for the moment with a strong finish to his second year. Moore was Clemson’s leading receiver with 52 receptions for 837 yards and four touchdowns. He was a top-ten receiver in the ACC as well and was named an All-ACC Honorable Mention.
Moore will start this season as the number one guy in the passing game for the Tigers. So, he’ll get the chance to show he’s a top playmaker not just in the conference but in all of FBS.
3. WR Cooper Barkate – Miami (Duke)
If the Darian Mensah transfer from Duke to Miami was the biggest personnel news in the ACC this offseason, the second biggest should’ve been that his top target last season is joining him. Cooper Barkate made his move to the FBS from Harvard after being named First-Team All-Ivy and an FCS First-Team All-American in 2024. In 2025, Barkate not only proved he can hang in a power four conference but also that he is a legit weapon at this level.
Barkate was named to the 2025 Second-Team All-ACC in his first year in the conference. He was the Blue Devils’ leading receiver with 72 receptions for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns. Barkate also had the second most receiving yards in the conference, fourth most receptions, and tied for the second most receiving touchdowns.
As mentioned, he’ll be joining his quarterback in moving from Durham to Miami. They will attempt to bring the Hurricanes back to the national championship for the second consecutive year. The duo of Barkate and Mensah will put them in a great position to do so. They’ve already won one championship together.
2. WR Duce Robinson – Florida State
Florida State was a bit of a disappointment in 2025, but wide receiver Duce Robinson was not. The First-Team All-ACC selection finished his 2025 season with 56 receptions for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns. He also had five games with over 100 receiving yards, four of which were against conference opponents.
Robinson had the most receiving yards per game in the ACC last season, as well as the third-most total receiving yards. Even with the struggles Mike Norvell’s team has had recently, Robinson decided to stay loyal for another season. If the Seminoles want to get things back on track, it’ll start with continuing to find ways to get Robinson the ball and allowing him to make plays.
1. WR Malachi Toney – Miami
After the first year, it was going to be hard to beat Miami’s Malachi Toney for the top spot. Toney received every honor possible for a first-year player after helping lead the Hurricanes to the National Championship game.
In 2025, Toney was named ACC Rookie of the Year, ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, both First- and Second- Team All-ACC (wide receiver and all-purpose), Second-Team All-American, and Freshman All-American. He earned these honors by leading the conference in every statistical category for receivers. Toney had 109 receptions for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025. This led to Toney leading the ACC with the most receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
He was the most explosive player in the conference last season and looks to continue that this year. Toney will have help from Barkate to take some attention away from him, and the top passer in the conference last season, Mensah, to get him the ball.
That new big three in South Florida will make the Hurricanes’ offense extremely difficult to stop.
