Ohio doesn't have to wonder what it gets from Riley Neer; that certainty is the whole point of him.
5′11″ · 190 lb · Bellefontaine, OH · Bellefontaine
The numbers
receiving yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far
Swing playSwung Ohio from 34% to 58% to win.Ohio at South Alabama · 41-36
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Sophomore wide receiver for Ohio. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
The full story, with sourcesRiley Neer
Riley Neer is a cornerstone for Ohio — measured against the line he joined.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
Career arc
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ohio | 16 | 203 | 12.7 | 4 | -- |
| Career | 16 | 203 | 12.7 | 4 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 21-49@ Nebraska | 6 | 104 | 17.3 | 1 | 68 | Season-high 104 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 29-27vs Jacksonville State | 4 | 38 | 9.5 | 1 | 15 | |
| Wk 3 | L 36-41@ South Alabama | 6 | 61 | 10.2 | 2 | 17 | 2 TD catches |
| Total | 16 | 203 | 12.3 | 4 | 68 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 29–27
4 rec · 38 yds · 1 TD
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 2 at home.
With D. James-Hamilton — 3 tackles · 1 solo tackles · 1 defensive TD · M. Vezza — 80 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 53.9 · 67 rush yds (12 car)
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +61 receiving yards, +6 catches, +2 receiving TD.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: rec tds (94th percentile). Strength: long catch (92nd percentile). Concern: explosive rate (12th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
Targets
2532% of team targetsCatch rate
64%16 of 25 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
64% catch rate on 25 targets · 32% of the team's targets.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 4.0 | 38.0 | 9.5 | 1.0 |
| Road2g | 6.0 | 82.5 | 13.8 | 1.5 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.3 | 67.7 | 12.3 | 1.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
John Hauser
Pass share
43.4%
82 pass / 107 run
Plays / game
63.0
3 games
Team sack rate
7.6%
92 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Play style
Moves the chains on third down.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Linell Bonner’s 2015 season.
Matches Linell on
Through 1 college season, his career arc tracks closest to Tre' Holloway’s path through Tennessee Tech.
Matches Tre' on
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Tamir Jones's freshman season at Georgia State (2018).
Matches Tamir on
Differs from Tamir on
2025: Appeared in seven games…Earned Academic All-MAC Honors. 2024: Did not play. Prior to Ohio: Attended Bellefontaine High School from 2021-2024… Played baseball, football, and basketball. Personal: Born on March 12, 2006… Son of Josh and Amanda Neer… Has a younger sister, Braelynn… Favorite…
17 more on the roster · Ohio team page