Under The Radar: Wide Receivers – 2024

As we continue with the <em>Under The Radar</em> series for the class of 2024, we now dive into a fairly deep position group for this recruiting class - the wide receivers. There were several players that jumped out and will no doubt be excellent players these next two years, but these were the three receivers who I felt were underrated in regards to their current recruiting buzz. <strong>Under the Radar Wide Receivers</strong> <div class="article-content"> [player_tooltip player_id="251277" first="Jose" last="Gonzalez"], Estes Park Bobcats (WR/DB)(So.)(2) – Gonzalez leapt onto the scene his sophomore season, as he was the Bobcats leading receiver in 2021 and their biggest threat offensively. When you look at the numbers from Gonzalez’s 2021, his production is obvious, as he paced all sophomore receivers in 2021 with 737 yards receiving and 8 receiving touchdowns on 48 catches (15.4 YPR) while also adding 49 tackles, 3 interceptions, and a forced fumble on defense; plus he also accounted for 2 kickoff returns and a punt return that resulted in touchdowns. When you turn on the tape, you can see that Gonzalez displays a fearless nature when catching short and intermediate passes over the middle or through traffic despite his smaller size, often taking a significant shot but still maintaing his concentration on the ball. Elusive runner after the catch that displays a good ability to find daylight in the open field. Great athleticism and foot speed to routinely separate against less athletic defenders. Strong, consistent hands that are reliable when the offense needs a tough catch, often in the red zone and short yardage situations. Requisite route running ability that paired with his reliable hands and ability after the catch, make him a lethal matchup out of the slot. The sophomore receiver has made statements in all three phases of the game as to why he should not only be the top rated receiver in this class, but one of the top players overall. As strong as those statements were on the field, Gonzalez’s current frame (5’9, 155 lbs) and the Bobcats’ lack of overall success last season could explain his lower profile. With that being said, Gonzalez is easily the most electrifying receiver in this class and he’ll certainly be a name to watch for the class of 2024. [player_tooltip player_id="146053" first="Ben" last="Holly"], Fairview Knights (WR)(So.)(5) - Much like Gonzalez, Holly was a versatile chess piece and was also a lethal weapon on the boundary for the Knights in 2021; however, his versatility was on display more for the offense than on the defensive side of the ball. When reviewing the stats from Holly’s season, the sophomore receiver accounted for 577 yards receiving and 5 receiving touchdowns on 42 catches (13.7 YPR) while also adding 2 rushing touchdowns on the ground. When you put on the film of Holly’s season last year, you can see he displays excellent acceleration/explosiveness in and out of his breaks. Explosive first step allows him to release quickly off the line and get on top of the DB fairly consistently. Strong lower body and low center of gravity allow him to change direction quickly whether that’s in the open field after a reception or when working for separation against a DB. Shows good hand strength when catching the ball in traffic, routinely securing the ball through contact with the defender. Tough, gritty receiver that doesn’t shy away from physical defenders or working through traffic over the middle. Good route runner that understands where to shake the DB based off the inside or outside shade of the DB. Shows good awareness of where he is on the field combined with good body control allow him to precisely tight rope the sideline for tough receptions on the outside. Adequate blocker that can consistently lock up smaller DBs on the edge. The reason Holly might be so overlooked, is because he’s one of several high-level playmakers on the Knights offense and some might consider him smaller for a boundary receiver at the collegiate level (5’10, 160 lbs) but make no mistake, Holly is more than talented enough to play collegiately. </div> Micah Lumpkin, Sierra Stallions (WR)(So.)(15) - Lumpkin might be the most underrated of all the receivers on this list, as he came onto the scene late, only playing in the last 5 games of the season for the Stallions but still being one of the leading receivers from the class of 2024 after the season was wrapped up. For that 5 game stretch, Lumpkin accounted for an outstanding 438 yards receiving and 4 receiving touchdowns on 28 receptions (15.6 YPR). When you watch the film of Lumpkin from that 5 game stretch to close out the season, you can see that he fits the mold of a typical X receiver (6’0, 170 lbs). Tall, lanky receiver with outstanding explosiveness in his release off the line and excellent top end foot speed allows him to quickly get on top of the opposing DB very quickly. Strong lower body allows him to create power vertically, allowing him to consistently win on fades or other routes that require him to high point the ball over the defender. Long arms and large hands allow him to maintain an extremely large catch radius. Savvy receiver that always know where he is on the field in relation to the sideline and the opposing DB. Displays good ability after the catch creating chunk plays out of short receptions if given enough space to pull away from the 2nd and 3rd levels of the defense. Because of his bigger frame, he’s able to make tough catches in traffic over the middle, consistently showing strong hands even while being contacted by the defender. Shows good ability as a blocker, routinely being able to overpower smaller 2nd and 3rd level defenders. The reason Lumpkin isn’t getting more recruiting buzz is probably because he came onto the scene in the last month of the season. However, he’s plenty talented and if he continues with this level of play into next season and beyond, it’ll be hard to ignore him.