Prep Redzone Rankings: First Look at 24′ WRs
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We’ve finished revamping the 24’ rankings totaling 74 players. These are young athletes who got their first season of high school football under their belts and will be names to keep an eye on as they continue to develop and…
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Continue ReadingWe’ve finished revamping the 24’ rankings totaling 74 players. These are young athletes who got their first season of high school football under their belts and will be names to keep an eye on as they continue to develop and hone their craft. With that being said, let’s take a first look at the 24’ WRs.
I’Marion Stewart I’Marion Stewart 6'1" | 180 lbs | WR Kenwood Academy | 2024 State IL Bolingbrook Twitter
Mr. Stewart is from Bolingbrook, he played on Varsity as a Freshman and he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is his route running, shiftiness making the first defender miss, getting hands-on to block downfield, and his ability to make tough catches. I’m not the only one that sees his talents as he has a number of D1 offers with his most recent being from The University of Kanakas. Mr. Stewart is not only a top WR in the 24’ class but a top player as well, he’s ready to shine and continue making a name for himself when the pads get put on this fall.
Noah Pfafflin Noah Pfafflin 6'2" | 185 lbs | LB Lyons Township | 2024 State IL Lyons Township Twitter
Mr. Pfafflin is from Lyons Township, he played on Varsity as a Freshman this past spring where he balled out. He stands at 6’2 175 using every inch of his frame to go up to get the ball. What I like most about this young man is how he’s able to adjust to the ball last second to secure the catch with the defender draped all over him. This young man is ready to make a name for himself and I wouldn’t be surprised if college interest picks up for him once the fall season concludes.
Luke Williams Luke Williams 6'1" | 175 lbs | WR Naperville North | 2024 State IL Naperville North Twitter
Mr. Williams is from Naperville North, he played on Varsity as a Freshman and he was a sight to see. What I like most about this young man is how explosive he is once he gets out of his break to secures the catch turning upfield. Mr. Williams stands at 6’0 170 and after getting his first season of Varsity football under his belt look for him to make a name for himself this fall as well as moving forward into the following seasons.
Aric Johnson Aric Johnson 6'0" | 190 lbs | WR Kaneland | 2024 State IL Kaneland Twitter
Mr. Johnson is from Kaneland, he played on Varsity as a Freshman where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is his ability to run the 9 route (fly route) to make the catch on the deep shot play where sometimes it’s even making a contested catch with the defender draped all over him. Mr. Johnson is ready to make a name for himself this fall and I have no doubt that he will showcase what he can do.
Cam Williams Cam Williams 6'2" | 190 lbs | WR Glenbard South | 2024 State IL Glenbard South Twitter
Mr. Williams is from Glenbard South, he played on JV as a Freshman and dominated the competition. What stands out the most about this young man is his route running ability to create separation from the defender and his ability to adjust to contested catches last second to make the play. He hasn’t played a snap on Varsity as of yet BUT with his good performances at various summer camps, he was awarded multiple D1 offers with the first coming from Northern Illinois University and the latest being from The University of Iowa. Mr. Williams is ready to shine and is one to put on your radar as he looks to showcase his 4.57 40 speed along with his 6’2 175 frame.
Kyan Berry Johnson Kyan Berry Johnson 5'11" | 170 lbs | WR Bolingbrook | 2024 State IL Bolingbrook Twitter
Mr. Berry Johnson is from Bolingbrook, he got his feet wet on Varsity as a Freshman this past spring and showcased what he can do. What caught my eye with this young man is his ability to extend a play in the QB scramble drill, it was supposed to be a screen pass but it got covered by the opposing defense so Mr. Berry Johnson turns to block downfield for a brief second as his QB is rolling out to his side. After the block, he disengages swinging himself out wide for an easy completion and getting yards after the catch. He stands at 5’10 165 and is ready to shine this fall, keep an eye on this young man as he continues to hone his craft.
Julius Ellens Julius Ellens 5'10" | 165 lbs | ATH Glenbard West | 2024 State IL Glenbard West Twitter
Mr. Ellens is from Glenbard West, he played on Varsity as a Freshman this past spring where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is his ability to make the catch in traffic and make the contested catch with the defender draped all over him. Both are great skillsets to have as a receiver and Mr. Ellens showcased both this past spring, if this is any indication of what’s to come over the next few seasons it’s going to be a sight to see. Keep an eye on how Mr. Ellens develops and hones his craft as he continues to put in the work as the fall season is creeping up on us.
KJ Parker KJ Parker 5'11" | 170 lbs | ATH IC Catholic Prep | 2024 State IL IC Catholic Prep Twitter
Mr. Parker is from IC Catholic Prep, he played on Varsity as a Freshman where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is how he shows glimpses of checking off so many boxes for the receiver position. He blocks downfield playing through the whistle, finds soft spot in the defense, makes contested catches, beats the press, and so on. Now again these are just glimpses of what this young man can do, to get a better idea of it all we have to keep an eye on how he develops, hones his craft, and his production with a full season this fall.
Chris Durr Chris Durr 5'11" | 160 lbs | WR Morgan Park | 2024 State IL Morgan Park Twitter
Mr. Durr is from Morgan Park, he played on Varsity as a Freshman this past spring where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is his ability to get in and out of his breaks quickly creating separation from the defender before turning on the jets to blow by the 2nd level of defenders after he secures the catch. He stands at 5’11 160 and runs a 4.75 40-yard dash. Keep an eye on this young man as he continues to hone his craft and develop further, could see college interest pick up for this young man after the fall season concludes.
Stephon Gist Stephon Gist 5'10" | 165 lbs | WR Lincoln Way East | 2024 IL Lincoln-Way East Twitter
Mr. Gist is from Lincoln-Way East, he played on JV as a Freshman where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is his route running and football IQ which he uses to find the soft spot in the defense as well as getting himself open during the QB scramble drill. Now again, this is on the JV level so we have yet to see how he does against Varsity competition but if this is any indicator of what’s to come it’ll be a sight to see once he gets there. Mr. Gist stands at 5’10 160 and has room to develop further as well as hone his craft. As he does so keep an eye on him as he and Ryan Usher Ryan Usher 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Lincoln-Way East | 2024 IL could potentially become a top WR Duo in the state once it’s all said and done.
Ryan Usher Ryan Usher 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Lincoln-Way East | 2024 IL Lincoln-Way East Twitter
Mr. Usher is from Lincoln-Way East, he played on JV as a Freshman this past spring and showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is his ability to hold onto the catch after taking a hit and making the catch in traffic on the JV level. Let’s also not forget that this young man runs a 4.51 40-yard dash as well which comes to light when he turns the corner. We still await Mr. Usher’s first Varsity snaps but once he has those under his belt it will be a sight to see as he’ll play alongside his WR Dup Stephon Gist Stephon Gist 5'10" | 165 lbs | WR Lincoln Way East | 2024 IL . Keep an eye on him as he continues to hone his craft and develop further.
Julian Turner Julian Turner 5'7" | 160 lbs | WR Maine South | 2024 IL Montini Catholic Twitter
Mr. Turner is from Montini Catholic, he played on JV as a Freshman where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is the shiftiness he displays making the first defender miss and his aggressiveness when it comes to run blocking at the JV level. What’s even more impressive is he’s doing so while standing at 5’5 155, keep an eye on this young man as he continues to develop further and honing his craft as he has untapped potential yet to come to light.
Tanner Benaitis Tanner Benaitis 5'11" | 155 lbs | WR Lockport | 2024 IL Lockport Twitter
Mr. Benaitis is from Lockport, he played on JV as a Freshman this past spring where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is how he goes up and gets the ball with the defender draped all over him at the JV level while only standing at 5’9 155. That being said, he still awaits his first Varsity snap to see how he does against that competition with his 4.7 40 speed. Until then, keep an eye on how he develops and hones his craft.
Matt Kuczaj Matt Kuczaj 6'0" | 180 lbs | WR Wheaton North | 2024 IL Wheaton North Twitter
Mr. Kuczaj is from Wheaton North, he played on JV as a Freshman this past spring where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is his ability to change gears quickly, this comes to light when he turns the corner blowing by the 2nd level of defenders and being quick off the line of scrimmage at the JV level. We have yet to see how he’ll compare against Varsity competition but he continues to develop and hone his craft in anticipation of the fall season.
Jack McQueeney Jack McQueeney 6'0" | 185 lbs | WR Lyons Township | 2024 IL Lyons Township Twitter
Mr. McQueeney is from Lyons Township, he played on JV as a Freshman this past spring where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is his ability to turn on the jets while he turns the corner getting that extra step on the defender at the JV level, once he does there’s no catching him. He stands at 6’0 165 and has yet to take a Varsity snap, with that being said keep an eye on how he develops and hones his craft heading into the fall season.
Joey Partridge Joey Partridge 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB Minooka | 2024 State IL Minooka Twitter
Mr. Partridge is from Minooka, he played on JV as a Freshman this past spring where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is his ability to make contested catches with the defender draped all over him and getting upfield after securing the catch at the JV level. Those are both good traits to have as a young player, keep an eye on how he develops and hones his craft as he awaits his first Varsity snap.
Carter Stare Carter Stare 5'8" | 145 lbs | WR Neuqua Valley | 2024 IL Neuqua Valley Twitter
Mr. Stare is from Neuqua Valley, he played on Varsity as a Freshman where he showcased what he can do. What I like most about this young man is his quickness off the ball and his speed to turn the corner. With that being said, he stands at 5’8 145 and continues to hone his craft by developing further as he awaits the start of the fall season. Keep an eye on this young man as he has the potential to become another talented receiver that Neuqua Valley produces.
These are the young men that are getting their first look at the rankings. They put in the hard work, developed their craft, and showcased what they can do during the spring season as well as at showcases/camps. This list is bound to expand as we journey on the 24’s high school careers and will continue to grow as we finish each season.
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