'25 Position Breakdown: Watchlist Wideouts

<p>With Friday night lights just around the corner, it's the perfect time to focus on the senior wide receivers who are looking to make an impact this season. We're casting a wide net to cover all the talented 2025 wideouts on the watchlist, offering you a broad view of the players who could turn some heads on the field. By diving into the film and taking a look at each prospect, we'll uncover the skills and attributes that make these receivers ones to keep an eye on in 2024. </p>    <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1334395' first='Donte' last='Barnes'] has a really nice release off the line of scrimmage on the outside for Liberty's offense. A player with strong hands, he does a nice job of securing the catch before worrying about getting up the field. Barnes has some nice speed that can catch the defense by surprise and has long arms for a 5'10" 165 lb frame. He does a good job of using that length to keep defenders away from the ball at the point of attack, effectively boxing them out. Taking on a bigger role in 2024, Barnes could garner quite a bit of interest through his final high school season. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://d2htis0rx2m2xo.cloudfront.net/highlights/656fdb25b2df076780f48ab0.mp4 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1330865' first='Giovanni' last='Criss'] has the type of speed that can really take the top off of a defense for Liberty. Showing his athleticism both on the football field and on the track, it's more than just the speed; his agility and vertical are top-tier as well. Criss moves incredibly smoothly out there and has some nicely refined footwork. Getting separation isn't going to be an issue in 2024 as he looks to increase his production. Getting plenty of work through the offseason, there's no doubt that Criss will turn some heads with his blazing speed this season. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/giovannicriss25/status/1810544168923746586 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1334744' first='Slade' last='Knoch'] is another player who seems to glide across the football field for Palo Verde. Doing a nice job of feeling out the defense as it develops around him, finding the weak spot against zone defenses. When he's lined up against man coverage, he can manipulate the open space to his advantage and can create separation with virtually no effort. As he looks to be a bigger part of Palo Verde's offense in his final high school season, Knockh is a player that coaches should have their eye on. </p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Playing at 6'3" and a solid 190 lbs, [player_tooltip player_id='1327309' first='Graham' last='Srodes'] is a big-bodied receiver who truly plays like one too. Incredibly physical both to block for his running backs and to get separation on routes (within the rules), he's an imposing receiver that many defensive backs aren't big enough or strong enough to handle for four quarters. Srodes clearly has the trust of his quarterback, who won't hesitate to give him a chance to go up and grab one when the team needs a spark. As Srodes works through his senior year, he's a player coaches should keep a close eye on. </p>      <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1112457' first='Easton' last='Welbourne'] had quite a productive junior season playing for Boulder City. Finishing the year with 1178 all-purpose yards (averaging 117.8 per game), he was doing everything for his team. Welbourne's going to have a hard time topping that in his final high school season, but the elusive wideout has all the skills to do it. He's shown a good ability to make tough catches through contact and still be able to come down with them. Where he really does his damage is after the catch. Not only does he have vision like a running back, but he's just about as hard to bring down as most of them too. I'm excited to watch and see what Welbourne can do in his senior year, and I'm sure I won't be the only one following along.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1209600' first='AJ' last='Williams'] is truly an all-around football player. Finishing last season with 599 total yards last season, he did a bit of everything for Mojave's offense. That included playing both quarterback and receiver for different stretches of the season. The first time they played against Rancho, Williams was a wideout who put up 76 yards on six catches. When Mojave faced them later in the season, he was a dynamic quarterback who put up 187 yards while completing over 73% of his passes. This type of versatility is rare to find, and no matter what Williams is asked to do in his senior season, he's likely going to excel. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://d2htis0rx2m2xo.cloudfront.net/highlights/655643f54741fb6999a1ce88.mp4 </div></figure>    <figure class="wp-block-table aligncenter is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center" colspan="9">[player_tooltip player_id='1209600' first='AJ' last='Williams'] Stats in Two Full Games at QB</th></tr><tr><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Game</th><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">C</th><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Att</th><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Yds</th><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">C%</th><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">AVG</th><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">TD</th><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Int</th><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">QBR</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">10/26 vs. Rancho</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">14</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">19</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">187</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">0.737</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">13.4</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">3</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">1</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">122.1</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">11/03 @ SAL</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">8</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">19</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">158</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">0.421</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">19.8</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">3</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">0</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">111.4</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>Total</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>23</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>41</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>354</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>0.561</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>15.4</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>6</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>1</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>114.2</strong></td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Stats provided by MaxPreps</em></figcaption></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Playing on a very talented Liberty roster, [player_tooltip player_id='1334172' first='Andri' last='Williams'] should be able to make a real impact in his senior season. As a receiver, he has the speed to take the top off of defenses and force them to spread out and open things up underneath. When a defender is able to keep pace with him, Williams does a nice job of using his body to shield him from being able to make a play on the football. With strong hands, he has the ability to finish through contact and the athleticism to go up and get the ball before his opponents have the chance. Williams is a prospect to watch closely as he works through his final season of high school football.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Andri_Will14/status/1808331932016730186 </div></figure>

With Friday night lights just around the corner, it's the perfect time to focus on the senior wide receivers who are looking to make an impact this season. We're casting a wide net to cover all the talented 2025 wideouts on the watchlist, offering you a broad view of the players who could turn some heads on the field. By diving into the film and taking a look at each prospect, we'll uncover the skills and attributes that make these receivers ones to keep an eye on in 2024.