PRZIA ’26 Rankings Update: Wide Receiver Breakdown

<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/02/przia-26-rankings-update/">Athlete Breakdown</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/03/przia-26-rankings-update-d-line-edge-breakdown/">D-Line Breakdown</a>   Receiver is a position trending up with instate recruits. Valley's [player_tooltip player_id='847795' first='Xzavion' last='Robinson'] is the top senior found there. He's heading to Iowa State.   It's another strong batch of pass-catchers in the 2026 cycle, as we were reminded when the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/iowa/rankings/2026-rankings/?position=WR">updated WR rankings</a> for the class dropped on Thursday. The No. 1-rated recruit for the position, Ames' [player_tooltip player_id='1241492' first='Jeffrey' last='Roberts'], also is pledged to the Cyclones.   Valley's [player_tooltip player_id='283945' first='Jayden' last='Brown'] is the second-ranked junior. The receiver reports scholarship offers from North Dakota State and South Dakota State with a lot of other programs showing interest in him.   Let's take a closer look at other '26 receivers with fresh scouting reports:    Nyenow's junior season was limited to 7 1/2 games. As you can witness while watching his <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17827252/66f8748fd736d65014ca1748">highlight video</a>, he inflicted plenty of damage on opponents when he was on the field. He hauled in 37 balls for 724 yards (19.6 YPC) and seven touchdowns. Nyenow Jr. is an exciting mix of size, speed and athleticism on the outside. The first clip on his tape shows him high-pointing a ball to take it over two defenders. He races by his slower opponents for an 86-yard touchdown jaunt on Play 2. Lindenwood looks real smart right now as the only D-I to offer. Come on, man. Look at the film.     Prep Predzone Iowa slots Alford at receiver, a position he certainly can play at the next level. It's also a good idea to keep an open mind about where to line him up in college. He's a fluid athlete with good size. It's a frame and a skill set that works well in the secondary and on special teams. You can imagine the possibilities when viewing his <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18335791/6712d01cd23c946d84d673b9">junior highlight video</a>. Alford moves around the offensive formation, frequently lining up at RB, an easy way to get the ball in his hands. With it, he makes people miss. He's a versatile defender as well. He drops into coverage, comes off the edge and covers a lot of ground.     Storm Lake is an underrated developer of college football prospects. The growing district produces good athletes, in general. Boyd stands out among the current crop. He's got a dual-positional listing on Prep Redzone, and that's justified by his versatility and athleticism. No doubt the future could be at receiver. He caught a team-high 52 passes for 580 yards and five touchdowns. He also delivered 12 solo tackles and picked off four passes on defense, and averaged 18.2 yards on 13 kick returns. It's impressive production at the 4A level, and we see it unfold during his<a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18038617/67296e02f44e3ae67e55418d"> junior highlight video</a>. Boyd is a really good all-around football player who can help colleges in multiple areas.     It's good to see West Waterloo gain some traction on the gridiron. The Wahawks advanced to the playoffs in a full season for the first time since 2016 last fall. Doss was a big reason why. His <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17845074/672a344d866dd4a803dea9ab">junior highlight video</a> reveals a playmaker at middle linebacker. His frame would work as a hybrid or box safety in various defenses. Doss diagnoses plays quickly and flows well to the football. He wraps up consistently upon arrival. Doss is electric on offense, where West finds creative ways to get the ball in his hands. Doss creates excitement when he has it.     I caught Brandhorst in action when the Hawks played at Iowa City Liberty late in the regular season. He mixes a solid frame with quickness and clean routes. As you can see when viewing his<a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18030496/6744d1576642549b58aa18ca"> junior highlight video</a>, Brandhorst wins a lot of his matches off of the line and then by getting in and out of his breaks efficiently. He looks fast and very comfortable playing the position on film. Brandhorst caught 38 passes for 579 yards and three touchdowns as a junior on a Ankeny offense with a lot of mouths to feed.     It's only seconds into Symonds' <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18296108/6735209a6123e6ab092287a5">junior highlight video</a> that we see him collecting a contested catch. Continue watching it and you'll witness acrobatic receptions throughout. It's a skill that can't be taught and works on both sides of the ball. Keeping him at wideout makes a lot of sense, though. Symonds runs crisp routes, looks to have good speed and tracks the ball well in the air. Despite defenses knowing the ball was coming his way, he hauled in 27 balls for 590 yards and 10 touchdowns. Symonds also intercepted a pass and can help colleges on special teams.

Athlete Breakdown