Ranking the top five wide receivers in UNC football history

Whenever a program produces great quarterbacks, big-time wide receivers usually follow.

That has proved true in Chapel Hill. North Carolina is often linked with star running backs and, more recently, high-powered passing games, but the Tar Heels have also turned out some of the most dynamic wide receivers in college football. Their top pass catchers have reshaped the school record book and made their presence felt across the ACC and on the national stage.

Sorting through decades of production and highlight-reel moments is difficult, but when you factor in statistics, longevity and big-game performances, five players rise above the rest as the greatest wide receivers in UNC history.

5. Quinshad Davis (2012-15)

Quinshad Davis was a steady, trusted option for Bryn Renner and Marquise Williams, finishing his career as UNC’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions (25), second in career catches and third in receiving yards (2,614).

His best year came as a freshman in Larry Fedora’s uptempo offense. Davis played in all 12 games, started the final 10 and set UNC freshman records with 61 receptions for 776 yards and five touchdowns. Those numbers ranked second in receptions and fourth in yards among ACC freshmen.

As a sophomore, he earned All-ACC honorable mention with 48 catches for 730 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns. Through just two seasons, his 109 receptions trailed only Hakeem Nicks’ 113 in school history.

Davis followed with 41 receptions for 470 yards and six scores as a junior before a broken tibia in the bowl game cut his season short. As a senior, he started all 14 games and added 55 receptions for 638 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning grab at Virginia Tech in Frank Beamer’s final home game.

4. Dyami Brown (2018-20)

After a quiet debut in Fedora’s final season, Dyami Brown flourished once Mack Brown and offensive coordinator Phil Longo arrived in Chapel Hill. In 2019, he broke out with 51 receptions for 1,034 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 20.3 yards per catch to lead the ACC and tying the school record for single-season touchdown catches.

Brown backed that up in 2020 with 55 receptions for 1,099 yards and eight touchdowns, earning first-team All-ACC honors as UNC reached the Orange Bowl, its first major bowl appearance since 1949. He averaged 20.0 yards per catch, becoming the first player since 2000 to post at least 20 yards per reception in back-to-back seasons.

3. Josh Downs (2020-22)

Josh Downs ranks among the most accomplished receivers the program has produced. As a freshman, he totaled seven catches for 119 yards, but three went for touchdowns, offering an early glimpse of his big-play potential.

His breakout came in 2021, when he piled up 101 receptions for 1,335 yards and eight touchdowns, earning first-team All-ACC recognition. In a 59–39 win over Virginia, Downs delivered a signature performance with eight receptions for a career-high 203 yards and two scores. His 2021 totals for catches and receiving yards remain single-season school records.

Downs finished his Carolina career with 202 receptions (third in school history), 2,483 receiving yards (fourth) and several program marks at the position.

2. Hakeem Nicks (2006-08)

Hakeem Nicks became UNC’s first 1,000-yard receiver in 2008 and is widely viewed as the program’s first true big-play wideout. He caught a pass in 35 of his 36 career games, including a streak of 26 straight, and finished with 181 receptions, 2,580 yards and 21 touchdowns while holding 14 school records.

After an impressive freshman season with 39 catches for 660 yards and four touchdowns, Nicks elevated his game in 2007, posting 74 receptions for 958 yards and five scores and ranking second in the ACC in receiving yards per game.

In 2008, he earned first-team All-ACC honors with 68 receptions for a school-record 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns, leading the league with 94.0 receiving yards per game. He closed his career in memorable fashion at the Meineke Car Care Bowl, recording eight catches for a bowl-record 217 yards and three touchdowns on plays of 73, 66 and 25 yards.

1. Ryan Switzer (2013-16)

Ryan Switzer is one of the most electrifying athletes in UNC history. As a return specialist, he tied the NCAA single-season record with five punt return touchdowns in 2013, added two more in 2015 and finished just one shy of the NCAA career mark. He also owns the ACC record with seven punt return touchdowns.

Switzer’s production on offense was just as impressive. He left Chapel Hill as the program’s all-time leader in receptions (244) and receiving yards (2,907) while also setting school marks for punt return yards (1,082), punt return touchdowns (7) and single-season receptions (96 in 2016). One of only nine players in ACC history with more than 1,000 punt return yards, he led the nation with 20.9 yards per return and scored five times as a freshman.

As a senior in 2016, Switzer posted 96 receptions for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns, cementing his status as UNC’s career leader in both catches and receiving yards.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Ranking the top five wide receivers in UNC football history