Top 2024 Wide Receivers in Mississippi
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The crop of receivers in the Magnolia State is very deep this year in this class. Over the recruiting process a top 5 has emerged between the best and the rest of the top pass catchers. There are some receivers…
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Continue ReadingThe crop of receivers in the Magnolia State is very deep this year in this class. Over the recruiting process a top 5 has emerged between the best and the rest of the top pass catchers. There are some receivers that are right on the brink of getting into the same conversation with the best route runner in the class right outside of that list. Mississippi having 5 receivers with multiple power 5 offers is unheard of in this state with Mississippi being one of the most under recruited states in the nation. Being known for the rawness of the prospects that comes out of this state is a testament that the state is trending upward in development of our athletes. These are the top prospects at wide receiver in no particular order.
JJ Harrell JJ Harrell 6'1" | 175 lbs | WR North Panola | 2024 State MS North Panola High School 6’2 175 4 Star
I compare this kid from his body type and big play ability to Jamar Chase former LSU star and current Cincinnati Bengals pro bowl receiver. JJ blew up on the scene this fall going into spring reeling in big time offer after big time offer from the likes Georgia, Alabama, and LSU. Harrell is the type of receiver that I like to call the combo type of receiver. He is tall and big enough to be your true “X” receiver that plays normally on the single side that catches a lot of jump ball and contested catches. He is also the type receiver that has jitter bug qualities with being able to find space on short passes such as screens and taking them the distance by making defenders miss in space. He can play on the outside or inside making him the true definition of a combo receiver. He is a very fast kid on film who runs effortlessly, and always blowing defenders out the screen as he blows by them for long explosive touchdowns. The part of his game that needs to improve would be his releases in press coverage against smaller aggressive cornerbacks. I really think this kid will be a 5 star by the end of the cycle of the 2024 class; he currently sits with 27 D1 offers.
Braylon Burnside Braylon Burnside 6'1" | 180 lbs | ATH Starkville | 2024 State MS Starkville High School 6’1 185 4 Star
I compare this kid to the same exact person that came out of high school a few years ago AJ Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles. Stonka which is his nickname given by his mother Sandra Burnside is a big strong physical receiver that has a knack for making the big play. His strength stands out a lot because he straight up bully defenders from the 3 phases of a route that a receiver has to win at which are press, in transition, and at the top of the route. He is a very thickly built athlete which allows him to go dominate on the other side of the ball also. Do not be mistaken when its mentioned about his physicality; because this kid can also run too. It use to be a flaw in his game until he started running track last year. Stonka is well coached by former NFL, CFL, and AFL Wide Receiver turned head coach Chris Jones. He would be classified as a combo receiver in my analyzes too. He. can play the “X” receiver like he does at his high school or he can go inside and play the slot like he does in 7v7 for MESH Academy. He has the competitive speed to take it the distance on any play he touches the ball which was evident in the state championship game this past year. He really has a knack for getting open and when there is defenders in the way he doesn’t mind completely removing them out of his way. He is rated the #1 Athlete in Mississippi according to other media outlets; along with the #10 Athlete overall in the nation. The part of his game that needs improving would be to continue to work on his speed. He runs high 4.5 at the moment, but if he cracks the 4.4 barrier look for this kid to be rated as a 5 star prospect. He currently holds 16 D1 offers.
Noreel White Noreel White 6'1" | 180 lbs | WR St. Martin | 2024 State MS St. Martin High School 6′ 175 4 Star
I compare his game to the likes of a Davante Adams/ Keenan Allen type of receiver due to how smooth he is running his routes. His releases game is strong, route running is polished, and his double moves are all on point. He has the enact ability to set defenders up to get where he wants to get on his routes. He is such a smooth runner that it does not look like he is running until he is running pst defenders and then they cannot catch him. He is a very slippery receiver also with his run after catch ability; its like defenders can’t quite get their hands on him in traffic. He somehow slips through and off for long gains. Right now he is a combo receiver especially in high school because he can play you “X” receiver as he does at his high school, but I think he will project higher as slot guy in college until seeing a verified time on him. This is all judging off film study so he may be way faster than I am giving him credit for. He holds offer from most of the SEC if not all and according to how the summer goes could bolt up the charts as well to 5 star status. His game seems no different than Brandon Inniss who is the top ranked receiver in the class out of south Florida. The improvement to his game would probably be continuing to work on his 40 yard dash; everyone wants that raw nasty speed at the college level.
Jeremy Scott Jeremy Scott 6'4" | 175 lbs | WR Callaway | 2024 State MS Callaway High School 6’4 180 3 Star
I compare Scott’s game to NFL Star Mike Evans due to their height and speed. He also reminds me of current college superstar Marvin Harrison Jr for Ohio State; Tall, long limbs, slender build, and speed. Jeremy is a track guy who runs a legit 4.4 in the 40 yard dash that has gone unnoticed after hearing from some college coaches. A receiver being so tall it is usually hard to get them to bend well, but that’s not the case for Scott. He really has a nice skillset from all aspects of the receiver position (height, speed, skillset). He is considered a true deep threat and “X” receiver in any offense. He can line up in the slot because he runs above average routes and has such a big catch radius so he’s hard to miss by the quarterback on bad balls. Scott’s numbers won’t match up to the analysis of him due to the type of offense his high school runs depending mostly on the ground game to get it done. He only caught around 15-20 passes the past 2 years, but that goes to show you his big play ability garner around 19 D1 offers. The part of his game that needs refining would be his mindset about being dominant. Being a guy who possesses all the tools to be a NFL type wideout; his calm demeanor gets in his way at times in my opinion. He is very easy going and it carries over to his game on the field. The other thing he needs to show is being able to run under 11 sec in the 100m dash. Judging by his numbers it shows that he is very fast within the first 40 yards of a race, but it shows that he doesn’t maintain that speed all the way through 100m. He is so tall that this is unusual because most taller guys build up speed as they go rather than being explosive from the start and losing speed towards the end. Look for this kid to go up to a 4 start prospect after proving some of the question marks in his game this spring and summer. Talking to a scout that said he was right on the brink of being a 4 star prospect by Rivals.
SanFrisco Magee SanFrisco Magee 6'2" | 190 lbs | ATH McComb | 2024 State MS McComb High School 6’3 190 3 Star
I compare Frisco’s game to DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals because of the way he catches contested balls. Magee ball skills or better yet lets be more specific his judging of a jump ball is incredible. It reminds you of Lebron James going up to get a rebound over a defender making the ball look so small in his big hands and the level of strength he displays on those type of catches. When you watch Frisco you would question his speed, but he seems to run as fast as the guy that is chasing him. Other times you’ll see him turn it on as he is a 400m hurdler also for McComb High School zooming past defenders on punt returns and kick returns. His production isn’t just off the charts either as his QB spreader the ball around for the most part, and the kid is so selfless wanting all his teammates to have good game. He is one of the most dominant kids I have ever set eyes on in the 7v7 circuit catching jump balls over 2 & 3 defenders sometimes. The part of Frisco’s game that he has to work is his route running ability. He really beats most defenders running the same exact route that no one can hardly ever stop. Once he gets down the details of playing the position such as releasing too, it wouldn’t shock me if he ends up being the top guy in that class in Mississippi. He also could use the same thing as most on the list and that is working on his 40 yard dash. Currently holds 10 offers.
Kiandre Terry Kiandre Terry 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR Jackson Academy | 2024 State MS Jackson Academy 6′ 165
I compare Dre’ game to the likes of Keenan Allen because of his release ability and route running savvy. This kid is by far the best route runner in the state of Mississippi and his peers know it to as he puts on shows at 7v7 practice and events. The kid really has a lot of attention to detail in his game doing most things almost perfect which goes right along with what type of student he is in the classroom. He has some superb hands especially on contested catches and his ball tracking ability of his shoulder plus the top of his head is elite as it gets. He knows how to set defenders up with his releases getting into his routes very quickly without much wasted motion, and he is fast enough to out run you also on the deep ball. He went to Tennnessee State the other weekend for the Supermax 100 camp and made the catch of the day. The route was a seam from the slot, he got in stack position right off the line of scrimmage then looking over his right shoulder tracked the ball from the right shoulder all the way over the top of his head to the left shoulder making an NFL type grab. He burst on the scene this year after transferring from Terry High School after the 3rd game of the year; racked up 515 yards in 10 games with 775 total yards. The part of Dre’s game he has to improve is his top end speed; when he does this you will see his recruitment skyrocket. Every coach loves his game just wanna see him improve in this area before pulling the trigger. He currently holds 3 D1 offers.
Cayden Burger Cayden Burger 6'0" | 175 lbs | ATH Petal | 2024 State MS Petal High School 6′ 175
NFL comparison of his game would be the likes of a Cooper Kupp type. The kid is explosive off the line getting into his route in against off coverage, and he knows how to release very well. He has multiple releases too in his arsenal such as coming to balance, jabbing, and use of his hands against handsy corners. He has very good details to his game being that he is a former quarterback. He sets up his double moves very well also know when to do them and how far away from the defender. He shows how much he understands the offense that he is in being that he can move to multiple positions at receiver to create mismatches inside and outside. I would call him a combo receiver in high school, but think he makes his money as a slot receiver in college. He is a kid that recruitment should heat up the more he is seen on the camp scene making plays. He had a very good showing in Tennessee at the Supermax 100 camp at Tennessee State University in drills and in 1v1s against top corners from other states such a Michigan, Tennessee, and California. The thing Cayden needs to do to improve his game is the same as most on the list and that’s putting up a good 40 yard dash time and also always showing his speed on every clip that he gets a chance to run away from people. He is a very good baseball player also so that takes time away from him getting a chance to hone in on his skills more. Burger is a very solid receiver in the class of 2024, and could see his stock rise soon.
Demar Gardner Demar Gardner 5'10" | 165 lbs | WR Leake Central | 2024 State MS Leake Central 5’10 170
I compare Gardner’s game to the likes of Deebo Samuel of the 49ers due to how he is built along with how he is used in his high school offense going from receiver to running back. Gardner is tough to tackle with the ball in his hands, and the biggest attribute he has that’s not shown much on film is his jump ball ability. The kid can flat out jump and even over taller defenders about like how Steve Smith Sr of the Carolina Panthers use to do in his hay day. Gardner popped on the scene last year in 7v7 for the devoted dreamers at try outs making crazy athletic catches all over the field. He continued this all season dominating the best in the nation helping lead his team to a 3rd place finish in nations. He also can play defensive back also and it may be his college position in the end due to his height. Watching his film you can’t quite see how good he really is, but watching him in person against really good competition you can easily see he’s above average in talent. The part of his game that he has to improve is his 40 yard dash to match his height. On film you will see him pull away from defenders so you know he has extreme competitive speed, but in the 40 he was clocked around 4.6 at 5’10-5’11 wont pass the eye test for most college coaches. He has to continue to hone in on his attention to details on his route running.