Top Ten Receivers in Modern AU History
by Van Plexico

With all due regard to Terry Beasley, I was three years old his senior season, and have never seen his highlights on television. So-- assuming he was a once-a-century kind of receiver (as, by all accounts, he was), here are the greatest I've seen on the Plains:

1. Lawyer Tillman
The king of specacular catches and circus moves. We will always remember the '86 Georgia performance, the "reverse to victory" over Bama that year, and the great air attack he led in '87-'88.

2. Frank Sanders
Probably the greatest "possession" receiver in AU history. He caught it when it counted, as against bama in '93 and at the end of the victory over #1 Florida in Gainesville in 1994.

3. Ronney Daniels
A huge year in 1999, connecting with Ben Leard as the greater part of the offense that year, followed by a less-stellar 2000 campaign. His '99 performance at Georgia is already legendary.

4. Tyrone Goodson
One of the steadiest, most reliable receivers ever to play at Auburn, and resides in the top five in almost every receiving category. A bigtime player who put up big numbers.

5. Freddy Weygand
For a couple of years, he *was* Auburn's receiving corps. In years when the Tigers had virtually no passing game at all (1984-'85), he converted big play after big play with moves and speed.

6. Thomas Bailey
Teamed with Sanders, he was deadly along the sidelines. Also had a record-setting kick return year as a freshman in 1991.

7. Willie Gosha
Set several records in his senior year. Never the most spectacular or the most heralded, he was steady and reliable his entire career, in a time when AU was spreading the ball around through the air.

8. Trey Gainous
He broke onto the scene in Knoxville in '83, returning a punt for a TD. Four years later, he converted a key fourth down pass to keep the Tigers moving toward the win over Alabama. In between, he was solid and dependable.

9. Karsten Bailey
His numerous memorable drops, including several that probably cost Auburn the 1997 SEC Championship, drop him this low. But he was always a dangerous weapon, and in 1998 he was virtually the entire offense.

10. Shane Wasden
A Gainous clone in some ways, but possibly even tougher. Always reliable, and he caught the last second TD to beat Florida in '89.

11. Alexander Wright
Not a great receiver in the technical sense at Auburn, he brought blazing speed to the position. His senior year, in '89, he lit up the endzone regularly, especially against slower teams.

As of this writing, Auburn has a number of potentially great WRs who are still in school and won't be evaluated for this list until they've finished their careers, including Ben Obomanu, Devin Aromashodu, Anthony Mix, Silas Daniels, Courtney Taylor, and a couple of others.