5 Wide Receivers From the 2021 Class Ready to Breakout This Season

Wisconsin is historically known for the hog mollies along the offensive line and punishing run games at the high school level. While that holds true today, we cannot skip over the position that has really been creating some impressive athletes over the years and the focus in today’s article. The wide receivers. This year, Wisconsin has dozens of talented pass catchers that are on the receiving end of a lot of recruiting interest. Within that group, however, are several more gifted athletes who are not receiving the recruitment attention that their film and production would imply they should receive. Ahead we will bring attention to five such receivers. Let’s dive into it! [player_tooltip player_id="30783" first="Elliott" last="Harris"]<strong>- Franklin, 6’2" 180</strong> Elliott has no business being on this list. He is one of the best receivers in the state and that should have him sitting with a handful of offers at this point. However, thanks to Covid-19 guys haven’t been able to get to camps until recently, so it has put a damper on getting in front of the bigger schools. When Elliott is able to showcase his skills teams are going to love him. The best part is that those traits carry over to the film. He isn’t just a 7-on-7 athlete. He is a football player. Currently, Harris holds an offer from Bemidji State and has interest form Mankato, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State, and Dartmouth. I predict he is going to be a hot name once he can make his visits and get to camps. When you breakdown the film, the first trait that jumps off the screen is Elliott’s speed. He is a legitimate 4.5 athlete. When he hits his top gear there isn’t a long list of players who could catch him. Elliott also demonstrates very strong hands and he uses them and his excellent hand- eye coordination to go up and attack the ball in a crowd. Lastly, Harris is sudden out of his breaks in his routes creating consistent separation for his QB. In the end, it is only a matter of time before the offers start to accumulate. Teams won’t find many better players at his position in Wisconsin. [player_tooltip player_id="30788" first="Emmitt" last="Hawkins"]<strong>- Cudahy, 6’2" 185</strong> Hawkins is another one of the best wide receiver prospects in Wisconsin. However, just like with Harris above, the recruiting offers seem to be missing. The Cudahy product currently holds an offer from Bemidji State as well as interest from Minot State according to his Twitter page. As he gets into his senior season and is able to broadcast his talents and traits again the schools will start to take notice. In my eyes, Hawkins should be a Division 2 level receiver and this season he should catch more of their eyes if he further improves from what he did in 2019. On film, Emmitt jumps off the tape. He has the size and long speed you want in your top receiver, yet he also has impressive YAC and elusive ability. That elusiveness carries over to his route running where he creates separation with his sudden cuts and also has the awareness and feel to find soft spots in coverage when plays break down and the QB has to scramble. Add in the fact that Emmitt could also play college football as a defensive back and you get an athlete that should eventually have schools lining up for his services. He is going to be one to watch this season and there should be plenty to watch because I don’t think he will leave the field much. [player_tooltip player_id="30826" first="Luke" last="Schroeder"]<strong>- Ashwaubenon, 6’3" 180</strong> Luke looks like he is the biggest hidden gem of this group. As far as interest goes, Schroeder has met with Minnesota- Duluth at his school. Besides that he has no other related posts dealing with recruiting. If that is true and he hasn’t been getting heavily pursued then Luke is setting up to be one of the biggest steals of this recruiting class for a team. He has the size you want. He is a state qualifying hurdler, so you know he has the athleticism, and his film is impressive. It is time for the recruiting to really pick up steam for him. One word comes to mind when you watch Schroeder’s game tape: Smooth. That smoothness comes from very good body control. He has no wasted motion in his route running and he is able to maintain his speed throughout his routes. Schroeder also has very reliable hands, whether he is making a catch in a crowd or adjusting to the ball in the air, if he can get his hands on it he can almost always catch it. In the end, Schroeder deserves and is due for a lot more recruiting attention. [player_tooltip player_id="31062" first="Kane" last="Harpster"]<strong>- Oconomowoc, 6’3" 180</strong> Kane is an interesting prospect. He plays in the slot the majority of the time yet he has the size of a kid who should be on the outside catching fade passes and going up for 50/50 balls. Kane is much more than that though. He is a talented receiver who can handle anything asked of him. That is why I’m surprised he doesn’t have more interest from the Division 3 level. He currently holds an offer from Culver- Stockton and that is where the list ends. I didn’t come across any other interest posts from other schools on his Twitter, so it is time for college programs to start to take notice. There is a gem hidden in the slot of the Oconomowoc offense. Kane is an impressive slot receiver. He plays like a standard slot, but he possesses the size of a wide erceiver. It is an impressive combination. Harpster pairs his 4.5 speed with eye opening quickness off the line of scrimmage for his size. Almost from the snap the defender will be in a bad position to cover him. Another trait that has led to him being a successful slot receiver is that despite his size he is surprisingly elusive after the catch. Defenders constantly slide off him or completely miss the tackle attempt. Harpster is an under the radar prospect for now, but he should be pulling in more interest this season. [player_tooltip player_id="30871" first="Dominic" last="Voiland"]<strong>- Grafton, 6’0" 170</strong> Our last spotlight shines on [player_tooltip player_id="30871" first="Dominic" last="Voiland"] from Grafton. Voiland is fun to watch. He plays both ways, but he is electric as a receiver. Despite having one of the best running backs in the state last season, Voiland was able to carve out a big role on his way to 58 receptions, 803 yards, and 8 touchdowns. The best looks like it is yet to come for Voiland. College programs have to start to recognize that. Thus far, Dominic has offers on the table from Bowdoin and Carnegie Mellon. The film review suggests that this could be just the beginning. There is a lot to work with here. Speed is the name of the game when it comes to Dominic. He is quick off the line, has a sudden burst through his breaks, and has the top end speed to pull away in the open field with the ball in his hands. Voiland is at his best when you can get the ball in his hands quickly. From there, Dominic is excellent at setting up blocks and pairs that with really good field vision for his position. Similar to what you would expect out of a running back. It is impressive. He will be one to keep an eye on this season. Make sure to tune back in for the next position group in this series! Tight ends!