2023 Ranking: Wide Receivers Breakdown

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Here in the month of June we’re updating all of our prospect rankings as the 2021 season gets closer and closer. For the 2023 class, we went from a Top 50 to a Top 100 as this class continues to get deeper and deeper. The margin between the ranked players is very close and this class has a chance to be fairly deep from top to bottom. You can check out the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/updated-2023-oklahoma-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Top 100 Right Here</a>. Throughout the week, we’ll be adding some analysis on the players that have stood out in the 2023 class with positional breakdowns, newcomers and even prospects on the border of being ranked this time around. Stay tuned for next week when we update the state’s 2022 class. For now, we take an in-depth look at five wide receivers who stood out to us during this last ranking update, which includes the top two overall prospects in the class. [player_tooltip player_id="55156" first="Luke" last="Hasz"] - Bixby (Ranked #1 Overall) He’s the new top dog in the 2023 rankings and he might not let go of the top spot from now until Signing Day. Bixby tight end [player_tooltip player_id="55156" first="Luke" last="Hasz"] soared up into the top five of our last update and then moved up to the top spot this time around. What’s scary with Hasz is how much different he’ll be in two years when he has signed on the dotted line and is headed to college. In his first real year of football, Hasz became Bixby’s jump ball target and as he got more familiar with the wide receiver position, he got more opportunities. Think about that for a moment. He’s the top prospect in the state, he’s being recruited by everyone, he’s already committed to play in an All American game and he’s raw and still getting better and better every time out. You talk to some recruiting analysts and they see Hasz on the defensive side of the ball at the next level and we’ll have an open mind to that conversation. But after seeing what he was able to do this spring, playing 7v7 with Sooner 7, it’s hard to imagine him not being a tight end at the next level with his natural ability to go up and get the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="47959" first="Micah" last="Tease"] - Booker T Washington (Ranked #2 Overall) Similar to Hasz, Booker T Washington’s [player_tooltip player_id="47959" first="Micah" last="Tease"] has jumped up the rankings in a big way and finds himself as the new proud holder of the #2 spot in the recent ranking update. Tease has had an outstanding spring and early part to the summer and it’s easy to see why he’s one of the top guys in the state right now. What’s going to be interesting is where he goes from here. What will we be ranking him as when we update the rankings again in October? Momentum is building that Tease is a better fit on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive back but we still have him listed as a wide receiver for now. And it’s hard to see him being even better on the defensive side of the ball than what we’ve seen from him at wide receiver. Tease, like we mentioned near the top, has been lights out this offseason and has just continued to build momentum after his sophomore campaign. Booker T Washington might have been the most snake bit team with injuries last year and Tease returns with a wealth of talent around him. The Hornet offense will be one of the best in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="45651" first="Cole" last="Adams"] - Owasso (Ranked #13 Overall) Owasso wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="45651" first="Cole" last="Adams"] has been a playmaker for the Rams since his freshman season. He has two years under his belt and two more to go and it feels like he’s already should be a guy that’s graduated and moved on. Unfortunately for everyone else in 6A-1, Adams has two more years to cause havoc. Owasso got creative with how they would use the 2023 playmaker in 2020 and we expect they’re going to go a bit deeper into the bag of tricks for him this fall. Adams is your prototypical slot receiver that has no fear in going over the middle and embraces the contact. Adams isn’t just a possession receiver or a guy who gets the majority of his yards after the catch. He can also burn you if you’re not ready. He’s made plenty of plays over the last two years by simply running by a defender that wasn’t ready for his game. And I just want to add this disclaimer right at the end. Power 5 schools have offered [player_tooltip player_id="45651" first="Cole" last="Adams"] and he’ll pick up more in the future. If those schools like Adams, they should also like Heritage Hall 2022 WR [player_tooltip player_id="48668" first="Gavin" last="Freeman"]. But more on him in our 2022 update. [player_tooltip player_id="38715" first="Camden" last="Crooks"] - Cushing (Ranked #33 Overall) A lot of the things that were written about Adams can be followed up right here with Cushing’s [player_tooltip player_id="38715" first="Camden" last="Crooks"]. The Cushing standout has also been a star since his freshman year and even throws in making plays on the defensive side of the ball. Crooks, like Adams, is the prototypical slot receiver that also has the ability to burn you deep if you’re not ready. He’s put up big numbers in the Cushing offense over his first two years and it’s only going to continue over the next two. For those that aren’t as familiar with Cushing football, their 2023 class is one of the best in recent memory and they’ll be one of the top dogs in 4A football this year and next. Crooks might be the most athletic player of the bunch and will be a big part of their success this fall. He might be flying under the radar because he isn’t playing 6A football but the same thing we said about Adams and [player_tooltip player_id="48668" first="Gavin" last="Freeman"] applies here. If colleges like Adams or Freeman, they should also go all in on Crooks out of Cushing because he’s the real deal. [player_tooltip player_id="57167" first="Taelen" last="Laird"] - Woodward (Ranked #54 Overall) Our final wide receiver spotlight is on a prospect that just narrowly missed out on being in the Top 50 for overall 2023 prospects. Woodward wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="57167" first="Taelen" last="Laird"] has been one of the more underrated prospects in this 2023 class but he’s one that we’ve liked for nearly a year now. Similar to other prospects out in western Oklahoma, unless you’re a superstar, it can be hard to get attention and exposure compared to some of the major metro areas in the state. Because of that, Laird has certainly flown under the radar but that shouldn’t be the case. He’s rangy, and certainly has the size that you want from a playmaker at the wide receiver position. We definitely like the size aspect and how well he runs during routes and after the catch. Another thing that might have been a negative for Laird is Woodward’s struggles on the field. However, you check out his film from last year and he was still making play after play and was their top playmaking option as just a sophomore. Other Ranked Wide Receivers [player_tooltip player_id="38782" first="Morgan" last="Pearson"] - Plainview (Ranked #12 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="98179" first="Jakeb" last="Snyder"] - Bixby (Ranked #53 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="98178" first="Ty" last="Walls"] - Jenks (Ranked #61 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="116023" first="Joshua" last="Newkirk"] - Bixby (Ranked #62 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="98177" first="Lane" last="Yaunt"] - Cushing (Ranked #77 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="133793" first="Tykie" last="Andrews"] - Enid (Ranked #88 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="132296" first="Dalton" last="Person"] - Verdigris (Ranked #90 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="157523" first="Phil" last="Jackson"] - Putnam City North (Ranked #95 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="157524" first="Orie" last="Walker"] - Heritage Hall (Ranked #96 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="57164" first="Diego" last="Ramos"] - Vian (Ranked #98 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="157526" first="James" last="Grayson"] - Edmond Memorial (Ranked #99 Overall) [player_tooltip player_id="38795" first="Keegan" last="Bass"] - Mustang (Ranked #100 Overall)