'25 Position Breakdown: Wide Receivers

<p>As teams gear up to start playing games on Friday nights, it's time to shine a spotlight on some of the standout senior receivers who will be torturing defenses in those games. We're looking at all the ranked wide receivers, not just the top names, to give you an overarching view of the talent you might see across the state. We're diving deep into the film of these prospects to see what sets them apart and makes them the ones to watch in 2024. </p>    <p class="text-gray-700">The top-ranked player in the entire state, regardless of position, [player_tooltip player_id='820599' first='Derek' last='Meadows'] is a monster on the outside for Bishop Gorman. At 6'6" 200 lbs, the LSU commit has shown he has no trouble making tough catches through contact. With Meadows' size, there aren't many defenders in the country that can cover him without help. Not only hard to bring down, he's got some incredible top-end speed – the type of speed that had him running a 21.71 200m on the track. The schedule has him lining up against some of the top defenses, and Meadows is going to have the opportunity to show everyone that he's one of the top recruits in the nation.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8NnIaWTwoE </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Bishop Gorman is gaining yet another dangerous receiver with [player_tooltip player_id='704776' first='Greg' last='Toler'] Jr. transferring in from Arizona. The speedster put on a show in front of a national audience at the OT7 Championships this summer. Here's a write-up from his performance: "[player_tooltip player_id='704776' first='Greg' last='Toler'] was one of the most physically imposing and well-built players in attendance at the OT7 Championships this weekend. You can tell his off-season conditioning isn't slowing down at all just by looking at him, and it becomes even more glaringly obvious watching him play. With speed that not many players in the entire country can keep up with, Toler also happens to be built like a linebacker. I thought he did a great job with his route running throughout the entire weekend, even when he didn't get the ball. Toler could often be found with a good step or three of separation while someone else was making a play."</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/C7-G6J9yeT0/ </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='820683' first='Dominic' last='Oliver'] has some long strides and does a really nice job adjusting to the ball while keeping defenders where they can't get to it. His ball tracking is really impressive which allows him to know where to be and be able to adjust his route. A versatile player, Oliver doubles as a defensive back where he finished with an interception and four passes defended. He's got a really quick first step which helps him on both sides of the ball, but offensively they have his releases off the line of scrimmage looking very crisp. Finishing his junior year with nearly 800 yards on 17.5 yards a reception, Oliver is an explosive player coaches should have their eye on through 2024. </p>      <p class="text-gray-700">The third receiver from Bishop Groman ranked in the top four, [player_tooltip player_id='820606' first='Brandon' last='Gaea'] is a very physical and tough receiver. Committed to the University of Hawaii, his footwork is incredibly refined which makes him an elite weapon in the short passing game. He often gets his number called when the offense needs a screen because he's so hard to bring down after getting the ball in his hands. Finishing his senior year with 48.1 yards a game, Gaea is going to make a real impact for a talented Bishop Gorman offense.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">At 6'0" 180 lbs with some blazing speed, [player_tooltip player_id='1112456' first='Scott' last='Holper'] is the definition of a deep threat. Playing on a Coranado offense that likes to push the ball down the field, he finished his junior season averaging 23.8 yards per reception. Once Holper gets the ball in his hands, he's a handful to get to the ground with his quick cuts and slippery running. He does a great job of using leverage and positioning to get separation in open space, manipulating the field to get an advantage over the defensive back. With his ability to consistently get behind the defense, Holper is a player coaches should have on their big board in 2024. </p>      <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1112434' first='Bowe' last='Farmer'] is truly an all-around athlete for Lake Mead Christian Academy. A star on the football field, where he averaged 70 yards a game in back-to-back years, Farmer also had a .453 average on the diamond along with averaging three points and four rebounds on the hardwood. The first-team all-state wideout doesn't lose many (if any) footraces on the football field; once he gets a sliver of space, good luck catching up. He's got vision like a running back from the receiver position and is most effective once he has the ball in his hands. Farmer is sure to turn plenty of heads as he works through his final high school season, and could potentially do so in multiple sports.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Fresh off a trip to the state championship game, [player_tooltip player_id='1334396' first='Gravis' last='Lopez'] is a physical receiver for Liberty's offense. A major piece of the run game, he's often asked to block for his running backs and does a nice job doing so. At only 5'9" 160 lbs, Lopez plays much bigger than that and can be really effective against linebackers who clearly have the size advantage over him. After receiving an offer from the University of Minnesota Duluth in the offseason, Lopez should see his production take a big jump from the 293 yards he finished with as a junior.</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/alohabubz7/status/1797424152237965377/ </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1112459' first='Theodore' last='Edquilang'] has some lightning-quick feet as a receiver for Green Valley. His really precise footwork is hard for defenders to stick with off the line of scrimmage. He has a great feel for what the defense is trying to do and does a nice job of finding the soft spot in the zone and sitting in it until his quarterback is able to find him. Once he has the ball in his hands, he has the top-end speed to take it to the house if he's given the lane. Coming off a junior year with 861 yards – which led the class of 2025 – all eyes are on Edquilang to see what he can do in his final high school season.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Chrey Traylor provides the threat to score every time he touches the football and Basic's offense seems to understand that. Schemed to get the ball multiple different ways, he's shown an incredible amount of versatility already in his high school career and still has one more year to go. Whether it's returning kicks, taking a handoff, catching a screen, or taking the top off of a defense, Traylor can do it all. His speed is hard for defenders to match and he does a great job of making himself slippery and hard for his opponents to get a good grasp on. Traylor is a player coaches should be watching closely as he finishes his final year of high school football.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">It's rare to find a receiver that takes pride in their ability to block for their running backs, but that seems to be exactly what [player_tooltip player_id='1132063' first='Peyton' last='Parnell'] is. Many times through his film you can see him taking a defensive back and taking him completely out of the play to clear the lane for his teammates. When he does go out for a pass, Parnell runs some really nice routes and often gets the separation that he needs off of his breaks. Changing direction at the drop of a dime, he's consistently making himself an option for his quarterback. Parnell is coming off a junior season where he found his way into the endzone seven times and could easily surpass that number in his senior year.</p>

As teams gear up to start playing games on Friday nights, it's time to shine a spotlight on some of the standout senior receivers who will be torturing defenses in those games. We're looking at all the ranked wide receivers, not just the top names, to give you an overarching view of the talent you might see across the state. We're diving deep into the film of these prospects to see what sets them apart and makes them the ones to watch in 2024.