New to the 2025 Rankings: Offense (100-125)
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The WV 2025 Rankings have been updated and there are now 125 players in the class ranked! There were many new additions to the Top 125 so let’s break down which players were added in this update. Here are the…
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Continue ReadingThe WV 2025 Rankings have been updated and there are now 125 players in the class ranked! There were many new additions to the Top 125 so let’s break down which players were added in this update. Here are the offensive players that were added in the 2025 Rankings update.
The new Class A gets some love in our first two newly ranked players in the 100-125 range. Tucker County wide receiver Garrett Wilfong Garrett Wilfong 6’4″ | 170 lbs | WR Tucker County | 2025 State WV had a very good season for the Mountain Lions in 2023 and is now considered a Top 100 player. There wasn’t a season highlight film available and highlights were limited but the 6’4 170 athlete showed enough to be ranked highly by us. Wilfong is a great athlete who doubles as a quality basketball athlete and that showed up on the file this season for the Class A semifinalists. Wilfong was the leading receiver for Tucker County with 820 yards and 11 touchdowns as well as the second-leading tackler with 78 total. He has very good leaping ability which speaks to his basketball background and showed reliable hands. With more available highlights his stock could increase even more during his senior season.
Tolsia receiver Parker Watts Parker Watts 6’3″ | 170 lbs | WR Tolsia | 2025 State WV has a very similar story to Wilfong and is another long athlete with a basketball background who showed out in Class A this season. The Rebels got him the ball in a variety of ways and Watts finished his junior season with 598 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns along with 316 rushing yards and 6 more scores. He was the second-leading tackler on the team as well with 38 total and Watts had the most interceptions with 3. Watts is another big-time jumper who could improve his top-end speed but he has all the other traits to warrant a Top 125 ranking in the 2025 class to this point.
Bridgeport’s Donovan Williams Donovan Williams 6’3″ | 210 lbs | TE Bridgeport | 2025 State WV could’ve been ranked as a tight end or linebacker but was ultimately put in the tight end category after having a nice year receiving for the heavy-run Indians. He was by far the leading receiver for Bridgeport with 452 yards and 5 touchdowns which are incredible numbers for a WR/TE in the single-wing scheme. I just got to see him workout at linebacker at the Winter Exposure Showcase where he earned an LB Camp MVP award so he may eventually be switched to LB in our rankings. Williams is listed at 6’3 210 and is starting to grow into his body more which will greatly benefit his game even further.
Tajai Davis Tajai Davis 5’10” | 280 lbs | OL George Washington | 2025 State WV out of George Washington enters the Top 125 as the 104th overall player in the 2025 class and 18th ranked offensive lineman. Davis has quality film on both sides of the trenches and may be moved to the defensive line in the future. His size hurts his ranking for offensive line at 5’10 280 but Davis is a strong athlete who makes up for it with his leverage. Davis has shown he can be a mauler in the run game and had plenty of pass-blocking reps in George Washington’s offense. His ranking could make a nice jump if he posts more defensive line film where he translates better due to his stature.
Musselman receiver Isaah Beard Isaah Beard 5’9″ | 145 lbs | WR Musselman | 2025 State WV missed some time this season due to an injury and the Appleman offense had a down year in 2023 so Beard’s ranking has the potential to make a big jump after the 2024 season. He’s undersized right now at 5’9 140 but Beard can be a dynamic slot receiver at the next level. He already has pretty good speed but I think increased muscle mass and weight could give him another gear. Beard has shown the versatility to play slot and wideout and has the ability to take handoffs on sweeps and motions into the backfield. He’s primed to potentially have a breakout season and could form a fun duo with quarterback Michael Thompson Michael Thompson 6’6″ | 175 lbs | QB Musselman | 2025 State WV in 2024.
Another Class A athlete getting love in our Top 125 is Wahama running back Connor Lambert Connor Lambert 5’9″ | 165 lbs | RB Wahama | 2025 State WV . He’s another undersized athlete at 5’9 165 but is as fast as lightning. Lambert had a monster season for the White Falcons in his junior year rushing for 1,300 yards and 22 touchdowns while totaling 357 receiving yards and 7 more scores. He added 73 tackles and 4 interceptions on defense as one of the more dynamic players in Class A. It’s always tough to evaluate players at that level of competition but speed translates to any level of football and Lambert has plenty of it.
I saw tremendous improvement from Clay County quarterback Noah Collins Noah Collins 6’1″ | 175 lbs | QB Clay County | 2025 State WV ‘ sophomore film to his junior film and that translated to big-time production. Collins led the Panthers to an 8-2 record and threw for 3,100 yards and 43 touchdowns in his junior season. He was also the leading rusher for Clay County with 500 yards and 4 more touchdowns. Collins has better throwing mechanics than he did as a sophomore but that’s still an area that he can improve on further. More added weight would also benefit his game but Collins is making steady progress and could jump higher in our 2025 rankings with another big season and further development in 2024.
Highlights
Bluefield running back Kisean Smith Kisean Smith 5’8″ | 165 lbs | RB Bluefield | 2025 State WV missed some time due to injury in 2023 and could be another prospect in this range who could make a big jump in the rankings with a healthy senior season next year. Limited junior highlight tape that also hurt his ranking but Smith has next-level speed that he can better display next season. He’s really good when he gets out in the open field and can use that speed to be a home run hitter. Bluefield dealt with a lot of injuries this season and never fully got going but after staying put in Class AA I expect Smith and the Beavers to make a huge jump in 2024.
Rounding out our Top 5 kicker rankings is Preston’s Cole Turner Cole Turner 5’9″ | 175 lbs | K Preston | 2025 State WV who enters the 2025 rankings as the #114 ranked player. Turner is a quality athlete who can play other positions and has been a solid wrestler during his career. He gets good height on his PATs and punts and has the power to net 40+ yards on punts and could hit from 40+ on-field goals if given the opportunity. I’d like to see more kickoff film from Turner to judge his leg strength even more but he’s shown enough from his junior season to be considered a Top 5 specialist in the 2025 class.
Oak Hill athlete JD Mauritz JD Mauritz 6’0″ | 205 lbs | RB Oak Hill | 2025 State WV is an intriguing athlete who had mostly running back highlights but likely translates best to the next level as a linebacker. He’s a nice sized athlete at 6’0 and a solid 205 pounds who is your classic physical and power running back. Mauritz is tough to bring down on first contact and often falls forward and drags defenders for an extra 3-5 yards. He also showed good balance though contact and does a nice job staying on his feet. Mauritz is the type of running back that defenders aren’t going to want to tackle in the 4th quarter and can ice the game for you with a heavy dose of handoffs late in the game. If he gets some linebacker highlights posted his ranking could increase even more in the future.
Kadien Vance Kadien Vance 6’3″ | 190 lbs | QB Westside | 2025 State WV out of Westside could’ve ranked as an ATH or QB but since most of his junior film was playing quarterback we ranked him as such. Vance was a record-setting quarterback this season for the Renegades and broke his head coach’s record for passing yards in a season with 1,703 yards. Vance also tied his record for most touchdown passes in a season with 23. Vance is considerably bigger than the previous measurements we had for him and is now listed at 6’3 190. He’s still a raw quarterback prospect who could potentially play a different position in college but Vance is steadily improving and should have a huge senior season with Westside moving to the new Class AA.
I think one of the more under-the-radar players in the 2025 class is Riverside’s Caden Ray Caden Ray 6’0″ | 165 lbs | ATH Riverside | 2025 State WV . Ray is an option quarterback on a down Riverside squad this season who will likely play a different position in college which is why we ranked him as an ATH. Ray’s quickness and twitch really jumped off his junior highlight tape and you can see the potential he has at a position like receiver. He has good speed and has some really quick feet that can make you miss in space and on a dime. Ray’s a really raw prospect but with the athletic traits he showed this season, I think he has the potential to warrant a Top 125 ranking in the 2025 class.
One more Class A athlete debuting in our 2025 Rankings is Montcalm’s Dylan Simpson Dylan Simpson 6’3″ | 305 lbs | OL Montcalm | 2025 State WV who is a nice-sized offensive lineman at the small school level. The 6’3 305 junior was named to our Class A All-State team as a second-teamer and was the 2023 Preseason Fan Vote Player of the Year winner. Simpson is a very raw offensive line prospect but with his size, you can develop him quite a bit more and turn him into a very good guard at the next level. Athletes with his kind of size are very rare at the small school level and will be even rarer in the new Class A. Simpson should be one of the top big men in said new classification in 2024 for his senior year.