Sophomore Standouts: Receiving Leaders

Nationwide, another one of the top statistical categories to follow is that of receiving yards. Not only is this an exciting category to track, but it is also crucial to remember that often times, the success of a receiver can also be predicated on the QB who deals him the football. Last season, as Sophomores, there were plenty of WR’s, who, despite how good or bad their QB may have played, managed to put up incredible numbers, and even lift their team to new heights due to their consistency, and big time performances. Below, take some time to look at some of the top standout receiving leaders in the 2024 class, and their performances last year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137439" first="Zion" last="Ragins"]-</strong> Jones County Ragins has easily become one of the most talked about WR’s in his class, and it is rightfully so. Last year, Ragins burst on the scene as the receiving yards leader for his class, as well as the 17th overall leader in total receiving yards in the state of Georgia. Along the way, Ragins managed to rack up Power 5 offers, and gained the attention of some of the top SEC teams in the country. By the end of the year, Ragins had accumulated a total of 1,062 receiving yards in 13 games. He also averaged 81.7 yards a game, with an average of 16.9 yards a catch. In addition to this, Ragins also saw a total of 9 TD’s in 2021, along with various big plays for his team. Going into next year, we are expecting plenty of the same thing, as the sky is the limit for this prospect. <strong>Jalewis Solomon-</strong> Schley County Solomon saw himself achieve a total of 989 yards last year, making him the 2nd leader in total receiving yards in his class. This total came over the span of only 11 games, meaning that Solomon achieved such a feat with an average of 89.9 yards a game. In addition to this, Solomon also totaled about 16.2 yards a catch, making him one of the most dynamic players on the field each time he and his team competed. By the end of the year, Solomon had also cemented himself as an instrumental part of his team’s offense, as he also had a total of 13 TD’s all season. <strong>TJ Thomas-</strong> Brookwood For Thomasville’s Brookwood High, TJ Thomas managed to emerge as one of the bigger successes of the program’s season. He largely contributed to his offense’s success as he totaled 981 yards of receiving by the end of the season. Thomas did so in an 11 game span, and witnessed himself achieve a high level of production, averaging 89.2 yards a game. This, along with his season average of 14 yards a catch, made him a very hard player to slow down. By the end of the season, Thomas had accumulated a total of 68 catches, and 6 TD’s. By the time the 2022 season comes to a close, we would have expected him to improve in this category, as well as the way he runs routes, and separates from defenders. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="219304" first="Jonathan" last="Gallinaro"]-</strong> Mount Vernon Slightly ahead of the state’s 5th leader in receiving out of the sophomore class is that of [player_tooltip player_id="219304" first="Jonathan" last="Gallinaro"], who finished the 2021 season with 943 yards receiving, and 10 TD’s within a 10 game span. With this, Gallinaro also averaged around 94 yards a game, with a total of 20.5 yards a reception. Even more impressive, Gallinaro did all of this on only 46 catches. Going into the 2022 season, we would like to see some of this same success replicated, with the potential to even excel even more as a Junior. If so, Gallinaro may be able to help his team make a push for the playoffs. <strong>Josh Milhollin-</strong> Fellowship Christian With a total of 934 yards, Josh Milhollin managed to see himself as the 5th ranked receiving yards leader in the state by the end of the 2021 season. Perhaps the reason he did not receive as much attention as others is due to the fact that he achieved this while playing for a smaller program, Fellowship Christian. Regardless, we believe that he could become a break out player for his team next year, as he already achieved great statistics last season, with an average of 71.8 yards a game, and 17 yards a catch. In addition to this, Milhollin also had a season total of 55 catches, and 6 TD’s. If Milhollin continues on his current trajectory, it is only up from here.