Some of the wide receivers to watch ahead of the 2024 season

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Fall high school football practice in Texas is still a few months away, but excitement is building as fans, players and coaches with high aspirations anticipate the return of Friday night lights to West Texas.

Despite the change of departing senior classes, many of the nearly 40 teams in the Standard times The coverage area managed to retain a lot of young talent and also brought in a number of new faces who wanted to make their mark on the 2024 season.

Before the season starts, Standard times will spotlight the best local players in seven position groups: quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, defensive backs and linebackers.

Today we highlight the top returning wide receivers to watch in West Texas.

Wide receivers

Honorable Mention: Jarrett Brown, Sr., Reagan County; Braylon White, Jr., Lake View.

Kam Aguero, Sr., Sonora

Aguero was the best option for Jaime Buitron in the Broncos’ passing game last season. He finished his junior season with 621 yards and nine touchdowns en route to a regional final with Sonora. He was named All-West Texas second team and made the state track meet in the 400 meters.

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Hayden Bowlin, Jr., Forsan

Bowlin was a breakout star in the Buffaloes’ passing game, which exploded in 2023. He had 631 yards and nine touchdowns his sophomore year and was named to the All-West Texas second team. He also made the state track and field meet in the 100 — the only Class 2A athlete from West Texas to do so.

Michael Daniels, Sr., Ozona

In his first season on the college team, Daniels played an instrumental role in Ozona’s third-place finish in District 3-2A Division I. He finished the season with 37 catches for 506 yards and five receiving touchdowns and was named an honorable mention to the All-West Texas team .

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Nick Franklin, Jr., Reagan County

Franklin exploded in the second half of the season for the Owls. As a designated big play waiting to happen, he finished with 399 yards and five touchdowns in Reagan County’s pass-heavy offense.

Manny Gonzales, Jr., Ballinger

As a sophomore, Gonzalez led the Bearcats in receiving with 381 yards and three touchdowns. As Ballinger moves down to Class 2A, Gonzales will be an emerging player they can lean on during the transition.

Colton Hill, Jr., Central

Hill was a reliable target for English in Central’s explosive offense. He finished last season as the Bobcats’ leading receiver with 854 yards and four touchdowns in his first season on varsity and earned a spot on the All-West Texas first team.

Kellan Oliver, Jr., Wall

Despite not getting many targets in former Wall coach Houston Guy’s flex-bone system, Oliver was the Hawks’ go-to option when they needed a big pass completed. He finished with 273 yards and four touchdowns in his second season, and will likely catch more passes as the Hawks transition to a different offense.

Omrie Johnson, Jr., Reagan County

In a crowded receiving room, Johnson played a key role as a sophomore for the Owls, having 26 catches for 455 yards and four touchdowns receiving.

Dillon Medina, Sr., Miles

In an offense that is primarily pass-oriented and features plenty of receiving options, Medina had his best season in 2023, finishing with 437 yards and four touchdowns and earning honorable mention honors on the All-West Texas team.

Hutton Rogers, Sr., Richland Springs

Rogers was named first-team All-District 16-A Division II wide receiver, Class A Division II All-Region wide receiver and first-team All-State wide receiver after helping the Coyotes reach the state semifinals in 2023.

Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @Paul_Witwer

This article originally appeared in the San Angelo Standard-Times: High School football: The top wide receivers to watch in 2024