Breakout Year Loading: Wide Receivers

The next wave of wide receiver talent is going to be a fun one to watch establish itself. Both 2027s and 2028s are ready to earn time on varsity, and when I look through the rankings and compare it to each player's roster there are a few players in position to win a starting job. Or at least a job that gets them a consistent amount of weekly targets. These kids also have shown a budding talent that could be developed into collegiate prospects. Our focus is those talented athletes with the path to varsity time. Let's dive in!    Arguably the widest door of opportunity is right in front of our current WR1 for the Class of 2027. Mukwonago returns a TE and an RB that have caught at least one pass in 2024. The other 75+ receptions will all be graduating this summer. So the door is wide open for Max to win a starting job. The sophomore definitely has the talent to do so. He has the frame of a go-to WR. He dominated as a vertical threat on the JV team. Max is a natural at finding and tracking the ball downfield. Plus his strong hands and timing to attack the ball at the high point were far superior to his competition. Most importantly, the sophomore looks like he has the talent to be able to win athletically as well. Get your eyes on this kid!      2024 Stats: 5 Receptions, 114 Yards, 2 TDs   Only one WR with more receptions that Christian will be back on the roster in 2025. That sets the stage for the impressive WR to win a starting job on Friday nights and start to show off the talent he is developing this offseason. The bigger bodied WR flashes the big play ability in his sophomore tape. You will see the ability to adjust last second and reel in passes at awkward body angles. Along with the strong hands through contact. The 6'3" 185 lbs WR is also well advanced in his route running, so expect to see him dominate with that ability come this fall. Big things ahead and a very high ceiling for Christian.      2024 Stats: 13 Receptions, 224 Yards, 3 TDs   A huge year is on the way for MAS '27 WR [player_tooltip player_id='1475494' first='Mekhi' last='Malcom']. He returns as the only player on the roster to have caught a varsity pass in 2024, instantly making him the most experienced playmaker on the team. Turn on the tape and you see why they had to find a role for him even with all the senior WR talent they had in 2024. Vertical speed, sudden route breaks, and the awareness to come back to the ball to secure it before a DB can close on it show up over and over throughout his highlights. Mekhi is a playmaker that is really going to start to make a name for himself this fall in his junior season. Get him on your radars today.      2024 Stats: 5 Receptions, 49 Yards   The West De Pere offense is not going to be slowing down when it comes to the passing game. So look for them to reload after the graduation of multiple extremely talented WRs. One of the kids I expect to see a big jump in impact is '27 [player_tooltip player_id='1282584' first='Landon' last='Kibbe']. Landon is back to full health and ready to show that he is ready for the Friday night role. For a bigger WR, Landon is a smooth athlete. You see the speed and subtle fakes on his deep routes to get DBs just a step out of position. You also see the hands that catch the ball away from the body and a QB can trust to bring it in through contact. I'm pumped up to see the step Landon has taken this offseason.      2024 Stats: 15 Receptions, 75 Yards   Owen has been utilized in the short passing game to this point in his career. The quick, shifty athlete has done well in the role, but the opportunity has come for him to take on a larger role within the offense. West's primary receiving threat graduates and that leaves the door open to a few athletes with roughly the same production. So it should be a fun competition for the go- to job. The elusive playmaker has the talent to put up bigger numbers this fall.      This will be an interesting situation to follow. Homestead has a solid base of talent returning in 2025, but do we see 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='1627979' first='Ty' last='Levy'] earn his way into a varsity role this fall? The talent and untapped potential is there. He has a strong frame with a large catch radius at 6'1" 190 lbs. The large frame doesn't hamper his speed either, it just seems to boost his ability to break tackles out in space. The '28 is a playmaker after the catch too, knifing through DBs for extra yards after the catch. However it works out this fall, Ty is a long term athlete to keep close eye on.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TyTy21848/status/1881035995447181676 </div></figure>     Outside of TE [player_tooltip player_id='1620345' first='Parker' last='Roh'], the leading receiver coming back in 2025 for McFarland is a collection of kids with 1 or 2 receptions. There are roughly 95 receptions that graduate this fall, so there is work to be won. One of the athletes I expect to be in the battle is '28 [player_tooltip player_id='1474683' first='Mason' last='Reddeman']. In his freshman season against kids his age Mason stood out on tape. His size was superior, as was the way he could attack the ball in the air. The '28 flashed impressive hand-eye coordination to make catches through traffic. The 2028 gets open consistently, and could be ready for that jump in competition.

The next wave of wide receiver talent is going to be a fun one to watch establish itself. Both 2027s and 2028s are ready to earn time on varsity, and when I look through the rankings and compare it to each player's roster there are a few players in position to win a starting job. Or at least a job that gets them a consistent amount of weekly targets. These kids also have shown a budding talent that could be developed into collegiate prospects. Our focus is those talented athletes with the path to varsity time. Let's dive in!