With senior high school football seasons past the halfway point for the majority of the country, the team at 247Sports has updated the Top247 for the class of 2024. One of the initial takeaways from the revamped rankings was the embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position, headlined by the new No. 1 overall player Jeremiah Smith.
Winter all-star game season will also be heavily taken into account before rankings are finalized in February, but as of now, there are eight five-star wideouts, 19 in the top 100, and 34 in the Top247.
The 34 wide receivers in the Top247 cover a wide range of likely schematic roles at the next level and range from the diminutive Zion Ragins at 5-foot-7, 150 pounds to fellow Oklahoma commit Ivan Carreon who at 6-foot-6 plus could play either X receiver or tight end in Norman.
The aforementioned Smith has continued his dominance at the prep level for Florida powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna and we believe will continue the trend of Ohio State wide receivers becoming first-round NFL draft picks. All in all, it is just a terrific year for wide receivers, one that looks like the next wave of college football superstars. These are a few that have caught our eye, for one reason or another.
Jeremiah Smith, Chaminade-Madonna (FL), Ohio State commit
Top247 Rank: No. 1
Position Rank: No. 1
At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Jeremiah Smith has the frame of a typical X receiver along with the body control and catch radius to consistently bully defensive backs at the catch point. However, what separates the new No. 1 player in the nation is his uncommon change of direction which shows up before the catch as he separates from high-level defensive backs and after the catch as Smith can erase angles with his long-striding gait or stack cuts in the open field and finish off receptions with superb physicality.
RYAN WINGO, St. Louis University High School, Uncommitted
Top247 Rank: No. 5
Position Rank: No. 2
St. Louis University’s Ryan Wingo is the top-ranked uncommitted prospect in the nation and holds one of the best track and field resumes in the 2024 cycle with a 10.55 100-meter time to go along with nearly a half-dozen sub 21 second marks in the 200m dash at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. Wingo has the build of a bruising running back but can win vertically in addition to his prowess with the ball in his hands at the first level.
RELATED: Mizzou taking huge swing at in-state star Ryan Wingo
Cameron Coleman, Phenix City (AL) Central, Texas A&M commit
Top247 Rank: No. 8
Position Rank: No. 3
Fellow top-10 prospect Cameron Coleman is more of a prototypical X receiver who has impressed with his frequent soul-snatching highlights as a 50/50 jump ball winner along with his run-after-catch ability on shorter throws which he can quickly turn into chunk plays.
Coleman is the jewel of the Texas A&M wide receiver group in 2024 that also features Top247 playmakers and TXHSFB superstars Terry Bussey, who is set to play both ways in Aggieland, and Drelon Miller, who could be featured as a playmaker in the mold of Deebo Samuel.
Micah Hudson, Lake Belton (TX), Texas Tech commit
Top247 Rank: No. 15
Position Rank: No. 4
Joey McGuire and Texas Tech pulled off one of the biggest recruiting wins in the nation by earning the commitment of five-star wideout Micah Hudson from Lake Belton High School in Central Texas who is set to become the Red Raiders’ highest ranked signee in program history once he signs his letter of intent in December. Hudson slots in as the top ranked wide receiver from the Lone Star State and has continued his jaw-dropping production as a senior putting out a SportsCenter Top 10-quality highlight seemingly every week.
Hudson reminds the 247Sports scouting team of former TXHSFB standouts Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba with his acrobatic gravity-defying ability to contort his body and pluck the football out of the air. Similar to both former first rounders, the Texas Tech commit is also a scheme-versatile playmaker who can line up in the slot or out wide to exploit matchups — which we expect him to do in Lubbock early on in his collegiate career under offensive coordinator Zach Kittley.
Gatlin Bair, Burley (ID), Boise State commit
Top247 Rank: No. 35
Position Rank: No. 9
Burley (ID) wide receiver Gatlin Bair slots in as the No. 35 prospect in the nation and holds one of the best athletic profiles of any player in the nation holding the Idaho state record in both the 100m at 10.14 and 200m at 20.47 as a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder. The Boise State commit was No. 4 on Andrew Ivins’ annual “Freaks List” article and has followed that designation up with a promising start to his senior season showcasing his elite tools on both sides of the ball along with snaps as a wildcat QB when needed.
Simply put, Bair is matchup nightmare with the ball in his hands due to his Olympic level play speed but college football fans will have to remain patient as the Burley Blur won’t enroll at Boise State until after the completion of his LDS mission.
Courtney Crutchfield, Pine Bluff (AR), Arkansas commit
Top247 Rank: No. 55
Position Rank: No. 11
Moving up to No. 55 in the country is Pine Bluff (AR) standout Courtney Crutchfield, who will stay in the Natural State and call the hogs for Sam Pittman. Crutchfield reminds us a bit of former Oklahoma Sooner CeeDee Lamb with his ability to levitate in contested catch opportunities and win with creativity and physicality after the catch paired with a smooth-moving gait.
Crutchfield also holds an encouraging multi-sport resume with a 6-foot-3 personal best in the high jump to go along with his elite basketball ability leading the Pine Bluff Zebras to an Arkansas 5A state championship in 2022.
Ny Carr, Colquitt County (GA), Miami commit
Top247 Rank: No. 62
Position Rank: No. 12
Recent Miami commit Ny Carr reminds 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins a bit of 2023 NFL first-rounder Jordan Addison and it’s easy to see why after his blistering start to the season for Georgia powerhouse Colquitt County. Carr has a slender high-hipped build and is one of the more dynamic playmakers after the catch in the 2024 cycle, liable to break the ankles of any tackler he faces in the open field. Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson led an offense that supplied future Houston Texan Tank Dell with 152 targets in his last stop and it wouldn’t surprise us if Carr filled a similar role in the slot for the Hurricanes in 2024 and beyond.
Jelani Watkins, Humble (TX) Atascocita, LSU commit
Top247 Rank: No. 95
Position Rank: No. 17
After a move to Houston-area power program Atascocita, LSU commit Jelani Watkins has put together his most productive season to date as a do-it-all offensive weapon and special teams ace as a returner. Watkins has always checked the verified speed markers as one of the best track and field athletes in the ultra-competitive Texas track scene with wind-legal 10.33 100m and 20.39 200m bests but now Watkins is producing at an elite level in the Texas 6A classification on a week by week basis.
The Tigers consistently have one of the best wide receiver rooms in the nation and will reload with Watkins and fellow Top247 prospects Kylan Billiot and new entrant Michael Turner. Turner is another verified burner with more of a chance to stick on the outside than the likely slot role that Watkins will hold, while Billiot fits the mold of a bouncy big-framed X receiver with division one Hoops pedigree that LSU has routinely turned into NFL difference makers.
Zion Kearney, Fort Bend (TX) Hightower, Oklahoma commit
Top247 Rank: No. 102
Position Rank: No. 20
Fort Bend (TX) Hightower’s Zion Kearney is one of the more intriguing evaluations in the 2024 cycle as the Oklahoma commit checks every box we look for as an athlete at nearly 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. However, Kearney doesn’t put up the same jaw-dropping production as some of his counterparts in the Top247. For example, Kearney’s 64 career receptions for Hightower in two and a half seasons total one less than fellow Texan Micah Hudson racked up in his junior season alone.
We still remain bullish on Kearney’s long-term projection as a physical freak that will feast at the next level in Jeff Lebby’s offense that should provide plenty of one-on-one matchups for him to exploit.
Terrell Anderson, Greensboro (NC) Grimsley, NC State commit
Top247 Rank: No. 137
Position Rank: No. 25
Two Top247 newcomers at the wide receiver position come from the state of North Carolina and are committed to in-state ACC programs. North Carolina State commit Terrell Anderson is a twitchy jump ball nightmare who has been extremely productive for Grimsley, which is a North Carolina high school powerhouse. Anderson is another example of a wide receiver in the Top247 who impacts the game in all three phases at the prep level, playing defense and special teams at a high level with nearly half a dozen return touchdowns in his career.
Jeremiah Melvin, Fayetteville (NC) Cape Fear, Wake Forest commit
Top247 Rank: No. 205
Position Rank: No. 30
Wake Forest commit Jeremiah Melvin enters the Top247 at No. 205 and has the 247Sports staff intrigued due to his 6-foot-5 frame and basketball background. Melvin is off to one of the hottest starts of any receiver in the country with 10 touchdowns in six games averaging nearly 20 yards per catch. Although Melvin doesn’t offer as much juice after the catch compared to some of the names higher up the board, his elite catch radius and high-pointing ability more than compensate.
Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson has been upfront about his preference to utilize redshirting players as a competitive advantage, Melvin offers an unique skillset that could get him on the field earlier than expected for the Demon Deacons.
