By Mike Lilly
Zay Flowers, Tyler Lockett, D.J. Moore, and Rashee Rice. What do all of these names have in common? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not the brand of toothpaste they all use. Who will be the next 3-star recruit at wide receiver to be an NFL starter? Here are some players we should all be paying attention to, and where they’re trending on the recruiting trail:
WR Shaun Terry
Ironton, OH
· The 5’10 170 lb. wide receiver currently holds 26 offers including offers from USC, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee.
· In 2023, his junior season, Terry had 525 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 27 receptions. He also had 28 rushing attempts for 391 yards and another five touchdowns. Terry currently clocks in at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, which makes the burst he shows on tape make a lot of sense.
· Terry was recently spotted at Notre Dame’s Junior Day and has been part of a group that’s getting a lot of attention with in-school visits from coaches across the country. I would expect activity in Terry’s recruitment to keep trending upward, but I would give Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame an early advantage.
Early Prediction: Notre Dame
WR Dane Jones
Missouri City, TX
#AGTG I am blessed and excited to receive an offer from the Univeristy of Nebraska. pic.twitter.com/sShmTU9yZG
— 𝙳𝚊𝚗𝚎 𝙹𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜 ® (@iamdanejones_) December 12, 2023
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· The 5’11 170 lb. wide receiver currently holds 12 offers including offers from Kansas State, Florida, and most recently Nebraska.
· In Jones’ junior season, he racked up 825 yards and thirteen touchdowns on 50 receptions. Jones is a receiver that can line up anywhere, with his film showing catches made from the slot and outside receiver.
· Jones’ older brother Seth played for Baylor, eventually transferring to USF.
· We are very early in Jones’ recruitment, but Jones is scheduled to be at Florida’s Junior Day on January 27th. I would give a slight advantage to Billy Napier and the Gators by getting him on campus early.
Early Prediction: Florida
WR DL Hardison
Melbourne, FL
· The 5’9 160 lb. wide receiver currently holds 25 offers including offers from Penn State, Tennessee, UCF and most recently Virginia.
· In Hardison’s junior season he had 469 yards and six touchdowns on 28 catches. His highlights show a willingness to run block, a trait that is overlooked but important in any quality receiver.
· Hardison was an early commitment to Florida State’s 2025 class but decommitted in October. He took a visit Gus Malzahn and UCF in the same month, making the Knights an early play.
Early prediction: UCF
WR Aveion Chenault
Lexington, KY
#AGTG Blessed to receive an offer from Miami (OH) pic.twitter.com/alxixya96k
— 2aveion (@2aveion) March 11, 2023
· The 6’2 165 lb. wide receiver holds 10 offers including offers from Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, and most recently Marshall.
· Chenault is an elite guard for the Frederick Douglass basketball team, showing off his athleticism on the hardwood as well as on the football field. Chenault has a ton of upside, it will be interesting to see what his senior season holds.
· We are still very early in Chenault’s recruitment, but in 2023 he had the chance to visit Marshall as well as go to Michigan’s “BBQ at the Big House”. This one is way too early to call, although Chenault was impressed with Michigan during his time there. I would expect Mark Stoops and Kentucky to be a major player given Chenault is in their backyard.
