PrepRedzoneIL 2027 Rankings Drop: WR Breakdown

Illinois has been producing P2 and top-tier WRs at such a high clip as of late that we wanted to give the WR position it's own singular breakdown feature. Just off the top of my head, the Land of Lincoln has produced Carnell Tate, Kaleb Brown, [player_tooltip player_id='299483' first='Donovan' last='Olugbode'], Jacob Bostick, I'marion Stewart, AJ Henning, Luther Burden, and Dominic Lovett, just in the past four cycles, and that's missing a ton of names that would take too long to research and add to this intro, which is another indictment of the amount of WR talent coming out of the state in and of itself. The 2027 class in Illinois is looking like it's in an excellent position to contribute the trend of big-time, nationally-rated pass catchers, with familiar high school programs making up the bulk of the currently-ranked WRs, some rural names added to the mix, and a ton of time for new names to arise and make waves this upcoming season. Take a look at the current cream-of-the-crop in the Illinois 2027 WR class in this PrepRedzoneIL 2027 Rankings Drop: WR Breakdown.   --   Wide Receiver    The Land of Lincoln has been manufacturing top-tier, high-quality WRs at a blistering pace as of late, so it was hard not to feel the weight of naming "WR1" when working on the recently dropped PrepRedzoneIL 2027 rankings. Although he didn't see varsity reps last fall, we feel comfortable currently naming the vaunted WR1 title to Mount Carmel's electric wideout [player_tooltip player_id='1275281' first='Duran' last='Sims']. A big part of the Caravan's stacked 2027 class of prospects, Sims was a big-time performer at this spring's PRzIL Combine Series stop, catching the eye of PrepRedzone General Manager Jake Lemming thanks to his effectiveness in space, both as a route-runner and ball-carrier, wiggle and explosiveness at the top of the route, and ability to "make defenders miss in a phone booth."   Absolutely dominant in non-varsity play, Sims is a multi-phase contributor who was explosive on special teams and took a couple kicks back to the house in seemingly easy fashion. He displays big-play speed, burst, and balance, and is a sleek route runner who is slippery and smooth at the top of the route and when battling against attempted jams at the LOS. I also like his ball skills, toughness when going over the middle, and how he does a good job of working with his QB when a play breaks down and improvision is needed. The natural athleticism and explosiveness, combined with his nifty and effective route running ability, were a devasting combination for JV opponents last fall. Can't wait to see how the offseason has treated him this fall, if the PrepRedzone Combine Series event was any indication, Sims is going to make some noise this fall.     Representing the always-talented Plainfield area of Chicagoland, WR [player_tooltip player_id='1211151' first='Jayden' last='Cawthon'] was a productive varsity contributor as a freshman in an already-talented Bengals WR room. An easy choice for WR2 in the Great State of Illinois, Cawthon's after-the-catch ability helped him turn routine WR screens and shorter three-step routes into exciting gains for his offense, as he's quick, balanced, and elusive after the catch and can break tackles with his footwork and contact balance for his size. The 5'10, 160 lber. is also shifty at the LOS in his releases and can create separation at the top of the route. He breaks his routes off cleanly and works back to the football when it's in the air and hits his marks as a route runner and has some reps of him breaking at just the right time and being in the right place and exactly where his QB needs him to be. Good repore with his quarterback. Cawthon is also willing to go over the middle and put his body on the line for his offense, and is an overall smooth and confident competitor who fit in very well at the varsity level. Going to be a big year for both the 2027 standout wideout and the Bengals as a program.     Another electric and dominant non-varsity competitor in 2023, Saint Viator's [player_tooltip player_id='1274195' first='Damacio' last='Ortegon'] was paired with monster 2027 QB [player_tooltip player_id='611846' first='Israel' last='Abrams'] - now at Montini Catholic and an Iowa State offeree - and had an eye-popping freshman year stat line of 64 catches, 2,346 all-purpose yards, and 27 touchdowns. A dynamic QB-WR duo no longer, Ortegon has more than enough juice on his own to manufacture some mind-boggling stat lines and success, as he helped the Midwest Boom's 15U 7v7 team win a 2024 national championship   The Elgin product reported 4.58 40, and it doesn't look inaccurate on tape. He's a dynamite slot receiver but can line up at multiple WR spots, and he looks like he's shot out of a cannon and cruises by defenders like he's on another plane of speed, both with the ball in-hand and as a route runner. Speaking of route running, Ortegon freezes defenders feet and can make them look silly at the top of the route and is lightning-quick in and out of breaks, and he uses that same twitch and footwork after the catch as well. The contact balance and ability to stay upright through sometimes multiple tackle attempts in a single rep is impressive, especially for his size, and the Saint Viator sophomore owns powerful and sudden cutting ability when he sticks his cleat in the ground. Ortegon can take advantage of the smallest of spaces after the catch, and if you get your body out of position, he can exploit it. I'm itching to see him against varsity competition. Shouldn't be long!     Special teams, especially kick and punt returns, are a big indicator of athleticism, future success - both at the high school varsity, collegiate, and NFL levels - and [player_tooltip player_id='1296220' first='James' last='Skokna'] initially caught my attention for that very reason. The Hinsdale Central product was a freshman playing with the sophomore team in 2023, and he also competes in track and field, which makes sense after you see him burn defenses in his freshman tape. Skokna took a punt and a kick back for six in the same game to open his highlights, uses his superior speed, quickness, vision, and utilization of space to easily cruise by the coverage teams, and the rest of his 2023 highlights are filled with big plays and electric runs after the catch. Skokna displays big play speed that can take the top off the defense and stretch and break defenses vertically, and he's nasty after the catch and put some would-be tacklers on skates in space last fall. The 160 lber. also demonstrates ball skills and contested catch ability and is an effective route runner who accelerates out of his breaks. I hope he gets the call up to varsity in 2024, Skokna is straight up filthy with ball in-hand.    *Editor's note: I had quite the predicament rankings and handling the East St. Louis Flyers freshman class, which included a plethora of wide receivers. All the major names in the the Flyers 2027 class were offered by Miami of Ohio and/or Kent State in early May, but barely any of them have any padded tape available, so I wasn't sure where they should fall in the 2027 big board. The players with no film were all ranked together around the 50 mark, as I'm confident that those MAC competitors did their due diligence in offering the players, and those names arose because of the upside and athleticism their coaches saw behind the scenes in 2023. The ESL coaches know athleticism when they see it, but I just didn't feel comfortable putting these next few East St. Louis prospects ahead of players I had more information and data on. Just wanted to show some transparency here!    A talented up-and-comer in the East St. Louis freshman class, Baker Jr. lists himself as a WR but has a rep playing DB against national powerhouse St. Frances Academy, showing off some physicality and run support ability. If there was a case to be made for one of these next ESL WRs to be ranked higher, Baker Jr. has it, as he also caught a pass for 37 yards and a TD on the Flyers varsity in 2023 and has performed well at a few Chicagoland offseason showcases throughout his budding prep career. Checking some behind-the-scenes boxes, Baker Jr. earned his first offer from FBS Kent State in their May 9th push into the East St. Louis program, and he added a Western Illinois offer on June 1st as well. Not a ton of film available right now, but Baker Jr. did upload some reps of him at the unpadded but competitive Lindenwood mega camp in early June, where he was putting on a clinic and won the vast majority of his reps with ease. Twitchy route runner who is capable of running the whole route tree with success, Baker Jr. gets in and out of his breaks smoothly and quickly. He also showed some speed when working vertically, a big catch radius and good hands, and effectiveness beating man coverage. Lots to be excited about here, folks.     5'10, 175 lb. WR [player_tooltip player_id='1335411' first='Ronnie' last='Gomiller']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/ronnie-gomiller/"></a> played in a couple of varsity games last season as a freshman, posting one tackle in two defensive game appearances and one catch for 36 yards. With the confidence of his high school coaches and the athleticism and future potential boxes firmly checked, Gomiller earned two MAC offers from Miami (OH) and Kent State to kickstart his football recruitment. No film I could scrounge, but we'll be hearing more about Gomiller this fall, and it looks like he's been working hard this summer and offseason in preparation for the potential glory of Friday Night Lights.     The final East St. Louis wideout to make the initial PrepRedzoneIL 2027 rankings drop, [player_tooltip player_id='419226' first='Royce' last='Searcy'] is the fastest of the of the ultra-athletic bunch, popping off a 40 in the 4.5s before he entered high school. Searcy put that speed to good use in 2023 with the Flyers varsity and non-varsity, as he had a kickoff return for six called back in late September and tallied one reception for 20 yards and one rush for 2 yards in 2023 on varsity. He's also an offseason, unpadded, 7v7 and 1v1 stud, bringing too much speed, burst, quickness, and route running ability to the table in a 5'8, 165 lb. frame. Not a ton of film available, but he earned Miami of Ohio and Kent State offers in early May, and Searcy, like his 2027 ESL teammates, is knocking on the door of a P4 offer. Big shot of moving up the rankings in the eventual update.     A well-known name in the Illinois youth and now-high school ranks, Providence Catholic's 2027 WR [player_tooltip player_id='616487' first='Curtis' last='Stubbs II'] brings big-time size to the table and has caught the eye of PrepRedzone General Manager Jake Lemming multiple times before his sophomore year has started. Lemming noted that Stubbs II - who balled out at our PrepRedzoneIL Combine Series this spring - excels in 50/50 ball and contested catch situations, shows some juice at the top of the route, and owns noticeable body control. He jumped 9'6 in the broad jump that day as well, and shows a lean frame with significant room to fill in and add weight. In pads, the freshman tape shows a wideout with who can win occasionally win vertically but does his best work around the first and second levels of the field. Possession receiver as of now, but his size, length, and toughness are a big-time asset in jump ball situations as well as in traffic. Stubbs II uses his frame and size to box out DBs when going up for the ball and when reeling in receptions away from his body and in traffic, displays a big catch radius, and good footwork in his releases and breaks off his routes well. He's also a physical blocker out on the perimeter and showed some toughness and physicality on kickoff coverage in 2023, and shows good awareness of where the sticks are as a route runner. I'll be interested to see how he retains and hopefully adds to his speed as he continues to add weight, but Stubbs II does and will continue to present a tough assignment and matchup for DBs out on the perimeter, at both the high school and college levels.     Another PrepRedzoneIL Combine Series top performer from this spring, Pekin's Dylan Anderson caught our General Manager Jake Lemming's eye due to his "sleek" route running ability and success during the 1v1 competition portion of the event. Lemming also liked his hands, deep ball tracking skills, and ability to decelerate and breaks off his routes. Representing North Central Illinois 7A competitor Pekin High School, Anderson was a varsity contributor as a freshman in 2023 and is poised for a huge role in 2024, and was utilized on jet sweeps, underneath routes, and redzone situations as a first year, Anderson is a tough kid who has the speed to take the edge on a defense, and he returned two kicks to his opponents 45 in 2023 for good measure. Anderson displays soft hands, good burst, sudden COD ability, and good vision. It's tough against kids 3 and 4 years older, but Anderson still flashed some impressive ability and elusiveness in the open field last fall. I think he's poised for a huge season as a sophomore.     One of the better 2027 baseball prospects in Illinois, Brother Rice's standout rising sophomore WR [player_tooltip player_id='1196115' first='Lucas' last='Strang'] is also a promising gridiron prospect and performer, coming in as WR10 in the PRzIL 2027 rankings drop. Not a ton of available film, but from what is public, you can see that Strang possesses good length and uses those long legs to sidestep and step through tackle attempts. I also like his burst, and he has the top-end speed to take the top off the defense and create explosive plays in the pass game. Strang created some massive splash plays against high-quality, non-varsity competition last fall. Excited to see how he's developed in both sports as a sophomore.     A product of Naperville representing the talented Plainfield school system, rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1120450' first='Darin' last='Ashiru'] has a decorated off-field resume, playing with the varsity basketball as a guard and helping Midwest Boom's 15U team to a 7v7 national championship this spring. He also played primarily sophomore ball in 2023 as a freshman, and was called up to varsity for the playoffs and saw some action late in the season as well.   A three-phase contributor, Ashiru does his best work as a WR, where he's effective at the top of the route, possesses big play speed and ability, and is a tough kid is willing to go over the middle to reel in receptions and maintain catches through big hits. He's quick and dangerous after the catch, and as a CB, he's quick and reactive and dangerous with the ball in-hand. Ashiru laid a heckuva hit on punt coverage and is a good tackler in the open field. Great chance of moving up the rankings when the eventual update rolls around.     A PrepRedzone veteran performer, Johnsburg High School has a heckuva freshman wideout on their hands in [player_tooltip player_id='1119247' first='Ryan' last='Franze']. The 2027 pass-catcher posted 28 catches for 500 yards and 3 TDs on varsity last fall, and at December's Stock-Up Showcase he posted a 4.8 40, 4.68 shuttle, and 8' broad. Franze is also a good basketball player, and on the gridiron he is twitchy and effective at the LOS in his releases, tracks and plays the ball well in the air, and displays soft hands. He also demonstrates good balance after the catch and when breaking tackles, is a physical blocker out on the perimeter, and breaks his routes off well. Should be a monster year production-wise for the Johnsburg native.

Illinois has been producing P2 and top-tier WRs at such a high clip as of late that we wanted to give the WR position it's own singular breakdown feature. Just off the top of my head, the Land of Lincoln has produced Carnell Tate, Kaleb Brown, Donovan Olugbode Donovan Olugbode 6'2" | 190 lbs | WR Montini to IMG Academy | 2025 IL , Jacob Bostick, I'marion Stewart, AJ Henning, Luther Burden, and Dominic Lovett, just in the past four cycles, and that's missing a ton of names that would take too long to research and add to this intro, which is another indictment of the amount of WR talent coming out of the state in and of itself. The 2027 class in Illinois is looking like it's in an excellent position to contribute the trend of big-time, nationally-rated pass catchers, with familiar high school programs making up the bulk of the currently-ranked WRs, some rural names added to the mix, and a ton of time for new names to arise and make waves this upcoming season. Take a look at the current cream-of-the-crop in the Illinois 2027 WR class in this PrepRedzoneIL 2027 Rankings Drop: WR Breakdown.