8 Preseason Names To Watch: 23' WR

As we get closer to the start of the Fall 2021 season these young men are practicing with their respective teams getting ready for their Week 1 matchup. With that being said let’s take a look at 8 preseason names to watch as the days are getting closer and closer to gameday. <hr /> [player_tooltip player_id="137136" first="Joshua" last="Franklin"] Crete Monee <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaDivonne">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15585725/608b737e3453390f047991df">Highlights</a> Mr. Franklin is from Crete Monee, he played on Varsity this past spring season and was a sight to see. What I like most about this young man is the explosiveness that he showcased this past spring. This young man is used in multiple ways in this offense such as lining up at wideout, running jet sweeps, being the wildcat QB, and is used in the return game further demonstrating his playmaking abilities. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage where he’s able to stack the defender to break him off at the top of the route creating separation for an easy completion. This is only the beginning of what he’s able to do, upon securing screen passes he plants his foot into the ground and gets upfield quickly by changing gears in a heartbeat blowing by the 2nd level of defenders. He also made it to state in the triple jump this past spring season where he placed 8th overall further showcasing his talents. With a strong fall season, I expect his stock to skyrocket and even for an offer or two to come his way. [player_tooltip player_id="157980" first="Dash" last="Dorsey"] St Francis <a href="https://twitter.com/DashDorsey">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12151216/608744dcab9296036c0851c3">Highlights</a> Mr. Dorsey is from St Francis, he played on Varsity this past spring season where we got a glimpse of what’s to come this fall season. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage and puts the defender in a tough situation each play as this young man has the ability to beat the defender over the top as well as snapping his route off in a split second creating separation from the defender. What I like most about this young man is his ability to go up and win those 50/50 balls over defenders and how there’s no catching him once he turns the corner. His speed comes to light in that instant, there’s a play in his highlight tape where this is evident as he snaps his route off on an 8 ish yard hitch. He then secures the catch, turns to the outside to get upfield as the defender tries to arm tackle him and he breaks the arm tackle before taking off for a 45 ish yard touchdown where nobody could catch him. I expect him to have a bigger role in this offensive unit with Elijah Lee and Jackson Gerald heading off to the next level, with that his stock is going to rise as a result. Keep close eyes on this young man as he’s on a special offensive unit that St Francis has with his fellow teammates [player_tooltip player_id="65858" first="Tyler" last="Bishop"], [player_tooltip player_id="135690" first="Ryan" last="Calcagno"], [player_tooltip player_id="157739" first="Brady" last="Piper"], etc (Just to name a few). [player_tooltip player_id="157992" first="Frank" last="Covey"] Prospect <a href="https://twitter.com/FrankCovey6">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12827211/608714db42077105902f9b64">Highlights</a> Mr. Covey is from Prospect, he played on Varsity this past spring season and showed out. What I like most about this young man is his ability to secure screen passes and blow by the 2nd level of defenders by changing his gears quickly. This is seen countless times throughout the first half of his highlight tape as he's shown he can do this on a consistent basis. That’s not all this young man can do, he’s also quick off the line of scrimmage stacking defenders where he breaks the defender off at the top of the route creating separation and isn’t afraid to go up for 50/50 balls making the catch over defenders. His explosiveness and playmaking abilities are second to none as his whole spring season highlight tape is filled with eye-opening plays. This young man is going to turn heads this upcoming fall season and I expect his college interest to gain more traction as well as he’s a sure-fire D1 athlete. [player_tooltip player_id="157981" first="Ethan" last="Hinds"] Williamsville <a href="https://twitter.com/ethan_hinds1">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12901821/608716cdab9296036c082e41">Highlights</a> Mr. Hinds is from Williamsville, he played on Varsity this past spring season where he showcased what's in store for us over the next two seasons. He's able to make the catch in traffic between multiple defenders and can make contested catches over the opposing defender by high-pointing the ball. This young man is also able to get his foot down for sideline grabs while in tight coverage being a reliable outlet for his quarterback and isn't afraid to get it done run blocking as well where he'll block in open space. What I like most about this young man is his versatility, he's mainly used out of the slot but is also used as an endzone running back on a few plays resulting in short-yardage gains/touchdowns. He's a bigger slot receiver standing at 6'2 190 and runs a 4.60 40 yard dash creating mismatches for opposing defenses, keep tabs on this young man as his college interest is sure to pick up after this fall season. [player_tooltip player_id="137042" first="Charlie" last="Newton"] Walter Payton College Prep <a href="https://twitter.com/canewton40">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13169009/60897637b53467144c921ec2">Highlights</a> Mr. Newton is from Walter Payton College Prep, he played on Varsity this past spring season and showed glimpses of what's to come. He's quick off the line of scrimmage where he can stack the defender to win the fly route as well as snap it off quickly creating separation from the defender. What I like most about this young man is his ability to win vs the press, he can get the outside release stemming the route outside the numbers and can get inside release when running a 3-step slant route between two defenders. His route running ability is one of the smoothest and crispiest that I've seen out of the class of 2023 that I've seen so far. This young man also gets upfield quickly once securing the catch where he breaks arm tackles by keeping his feet driving and fighting for extra yards. He's a young name to watch heading into this fall season as he's prone for a breakout season. [player_tooltip player_id="119221" first="Luke" last="Wallace"] Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/L_Wallace16">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12976150/6089f1be5eeca409e4e5f0b0">Highlights</a> Mr. Wallace is from Lemont, he played on Varsity this past spring season where he got his feet wet against that level of competition. He showcased glimpses of what's to come and the potential that he has of becoming a deadly weapon on offense over the next two years as he continues to develop. What I like most about this young man is his ability to get upfield quickly once he secures the catch as he's off the races one he does. This is shown throughout his highlight tape as well. For instance, out of the slot, he will run a 5 yard out route (which he slow plays) then once he secures the catch he changes gears quickly blowing by the 2nd level of defenders for a huge gain on the play. This fall season is going to help gauge his potential at the next level with getting a full season under his belt on Varsity and seeing how far he's developed since the spring season. I look forward to seeing how he performs and what he has in store for us. [player_tooltip player_id="65877" first="Ryan" last="Sims"] Marist <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanSims_ows">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13232641/6084e739ab9296036c070b79">Highlights</a> Mr. Sims is from Marist, he played on JV this past spring season where he was dominant showcasing what he can do. He has a good frame standing at 6’3 200 and has a high ceiling heading into this fall season as his stock is going to be a hot ticket item. There are a lot of eyes on this young man to see how he fairs with his first season on Varsity after being such a force on JV these past two seasons. What I’m most excited to see is if he’s going to be able to win those 50/50 balls over the defender and get his feet down for sideline grabs on Varsity like he was able to do on JV. That being said, I believe his skill set is going to transition smoothly to Varsity and once he does he’s going to put everyone on notice. [player_tooltip player_id="158646" first="Owen" last="Takahashi"] Benet Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/owen_takahashi">Twitter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/owen_takahashi/status/1403430325716406272?s=20">Highlights</a> Mr. Takahashi is from Benet Academy, he played on JV this past spring season and unfortunately only played one game due to Covid/Injury. He's a speedy slot receiver that can run jet sweeps and can take the top off of the opposing defense on the JV level seen with his freshman and sophomore highlights. What's most exciting about this young man as he awaits his first Varsity snaps is how high his ceiling is and all of the untapped potential that has yet to come to light. This young man is going to turn heads this fall season showcasing his explosiveness and playmaking abilities when given the chance. I expect his stock to skyrocket after this fall season and for college interest to pick up heavily as he's one of the top speedy playmaking slot receivers that I've seen so far. Notables [player_tooltip player_id="157993" first="Ryan" last="Stearns"] Hersey <a href="https://twitter.com/rystearns6">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12913975/6088598090f9ad18e4ba80cd">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="158040" first="Sean" last="Schlanser"] Plainfield North <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanSchlanser">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/6504698/6078f8dc0c5da20c10b8f882">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="157994" first="Ethan" last="Thulin"] Downers Grove North <a href="https://twitter.com/ethan_thulin">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13245800/6089b22d2348d71058f0e75f">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="158044" first="Charlie" last="Specht"] York <a href="https://twitter.com/SpechtCharlie">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9807082/60873298ab9296036c084372">Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="158649" first="Lynel" last="Billips-Williams"] Crete Monee <a href="https://twitter.com/BillupsLynel">Twitter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/OliverJamesWes1/status/1396654685080141833?s=20">Highlights</a> <hr /> These are some of the Preseason Names to Watch at the WR position for the class of 2023. Keep an eye on these young men as they get ready to put the pads on. Be sure to follow @jamaskane regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football, @PrepRedzoneIL, and @PrepRedzone.