Juice Wells named top 10 WR in college football

On3 imageby:Griffin Goodwyn02/27/23

One of college football’s top wide receivers is a South Carolina Gamecock.

Antwane Wells Jr. was listed among the top 10 wideouts in the nation, according to On3. He was ranked No. 9 at the position overall and third in the SEC.

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Wells played a pivotal role in South Carolina’s passing game in his first year in Columbia, finishing as the team’s receiving leader. He totaled 928 yards on 68 receptions (averaging 13.6 yards per catch) and scored six touchdowns in the 2022 campaign.

The senior wide receiver had four 100-yard games last season, including a season-high 189 in a Week 2 matchup against Arkansas. Two of these performances came in South Carolina’s biggest games of the season – its wins over then-top 10 Tennessee and Clemson.

Wells caught a season-high 11 passes for 177 yards along with a 3-yard rushing touchdown against the Vols. One week later, he found the paydirt twice in a nine-catch, 131-yard performance as the Gamecocks defeated the Tigers 31-30.

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Wells was rewarded for his efforts by being named first-team All-SEC after the regular season. He became the first South Carolina wide receiver to earn the distinction since Deebo Samuel did so in 2018.

Before transferring to South Carolina, Wells spent his first two college seasons as a standout at James Madison. He totaled 116 receptions, 1,853 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in that timeframe. His 2021 campaign – during which he caught 83 passes for 1,250 yards and 15 scores – set schools records in all three categories and led to him being named a second-team FCS All-American by HERO Sports and Stats Perform.

After speculation that he might enter the NFL Draft, Wells announced his return to the Gamecocks via Twitter in January. In 2023, he is expected to feature prominently at a positional unit that features the likes of Dakereon Joyner, Ahmarean Brown and Xavier Legette.

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, in an interview with On3 earlier this week, talked about his reaction to Wells and quarterback Spencer Rattler returning.

“Excitement, without a doubt,” Beamer said. “One because they’re great young men, like I love being around them. Spencer’s awesome, he and I were obviously together at Oklahoma and got a great relationship. And Juice is just an awesome person, awesome personality, does so many things for our program.”

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