Nebraska High School Football (11-Man) Wide Receivers* to Watch in 2023.

Adams Central's Jayden Teichmeier (#9) leap high in the air to make a critical pass reception in the A/C's big win over Central City last season.

*(Includes Tight Ends)

Now we spotlight the speediest of all of our high school offensive player positions, the wide receiver. We have some true burners returning in 2023, especially in Class A.

Let’s have a look.

*Class A*

*Isaiah McMorris-Bellevue West (6-0, 170, Sr) - 1,297-90/14 TDs [:10.65 Hundred/6th State Meet]...Daniel Kaelin’s bread and butter receiver last season, McMorris has speed to burn and many of his catches were short flair passes in the flat where Isaiah had to do all the work. Crazy good footwork with sharp cuts that leave defenders grabbing nothing but the night air. McMorris can also hit zero to 60 in a heartbeat.

*Dylan Sheard-Bellevue West {transferred from Omaha South} (6-2, 217, Sr) - 1,105-50/19 TDs. The rich get richer with this Dylan Sheard transfer, especially due to the fact Sheard is a brilliant linebacker in addition to his pass catching skills.

*Dae’vonn Hall-Bellevue West (6-2, 175, Sr) - 974-62/11 TDs [:10.89 Hundred/8th State Meet]...For some reason, Hall seems faster in a football uniform than Isaiah McMorris. You are not going to cover this guy one on one on a fly pattern. Nope. Great leaper that can win the battle for a catch every time.

*Zander Reuling-Kearney (5-10, 175, Sr) - 643-37/10 TDs…[:10.89 Hundred Meters]...(1 FR TD, 1 PR TD)...Zander Reuling is the Real Deal. man. Every 4.5 catch was a touchdown reception. Great two-way player who logged 27 tackles on defense, recovered 3 fumbles, one of which was a 30 yard TD return vs. North Star. Zander also had an interception and took a punt return (64 yards) to the house against Fremont. A true star for the Bearcats.

*Jackson Williams-Millard West (6-0, 170, Sr) - 621-24/8 TDs..This lad is a very fine high school football player. Great hands. Also a dangerous return man, especially on punt returns, where he brought a pair of those babies back for TDs.

*Karter Lee-Kearney (5-11, 165, Sr) - 540-30/8 TDs..Lee came alive in Week 4 against Bellevue West, catching 3 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. The electrifying Karter Lee scored at least one TD in every game after that. Very shifty and difficult to cover.

*Amerion Jackson-Millard South (6-0, 165, Soph) - 491-31/5 TDs..Not many Freshmen are starters in Class A, but this one did and was sensational. Jackson caught 31 balls in 2022 and every 6th one went for SIX. This youngster is extraordinary when it comes to catching a pass in traffic. Young Amarion Jackson is on his way to an unforgettable career at Millard South.

*Isaac Pamaran-Papillion LaVista (5-11, 165, Jr) - 450-18/5 TDs..Pamaran was a exceptional 2-way player for Papio a year ago. Isaac recorded 82 tackles on defense, 54 of which were solos. If that wasn’t enough, Pamaran returned kickoffs and punts for the Monarchs. Multi-Talented football player. I call them Renaissance Men.

*Teddy Rezac-Omaha Westside (6-4, 200, Sr) - 414-32/4 TDs..What a solid player! Teddy is about as good as it gets playing DB as witnessed by his 54 bone crushing tackles that included 42 solo crunches. Teddy is like a heat seeking missile on defense and tackle-shedding machine on offense as a wide-receiver. BALLER!

*Keenan Flannery-Papillion LaVista South (TE) (6-4, 200, Sr) - 330-13/5 TDs..The Titans big tight end doesn’t catch many passes but when he does, it’s huge. Nearly every other catch went for SIX a year ago for Flannery and his 13 grabs averaged 25 yards a pop.

*Ben Goodwater-Bellevue West (6-3, 185, Sr) - 272-18/3 TDs…I realize that McMorris and Hall, and now transfer Dylan Sheard are about as good as it gets for a Receiving corps, but defenses certainly cannot dismiss Ben Goodwater when he is on the field. This dude is good, really good.

*Champ Davis-Omaha North (5-10, 175, Soph) - 218-12/4 TDs…NENextt has been telling us about this young man for a long time, and we all know this guy knows his stuff big time. How many kids his age already have an offer from the Huskers? The sky's the limit for Davis, who also logged a dozen tackles on defense and proved to be a dangerous kick return man for Omaha North. Count me in for watching Larry Martin’s troops when they visit GI in October.

*Caleb Benning-Omaha Westside (5-11, 185, Sr) - 160-16/1 TD….This is the ONLY time you will EVER see Caleb Benning at the bottom of any football list, but I listed these athletes by receiving yards gained in 2022 and Caleb missed most of the season. If Damon’s boy stays healthy this upcoming season, you will see astonishing things from this remarkable young man. Keep your calculator handy for his 2023 stats.

*Class B*

*Chase Loftin-Elkhorn North (6-5, 188, Jr) - 577-39/5 TDs…Fantastic Sophomore season for Loftin, who has the perfect frame for a wide receiver and uses it well. This lad knows how to get open, has exceptional hands, and knows what to do after he catches the ball, which he will do a bunch in 2023. Chase caught a pass in EVERY Elkhorn North game a year ago.

*J’Shawn Unger-Blair (6-4, 205, Sr) - 561-40/6 TDs…A tall target just like Loftin, Unger has already accumulated 903 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns in his 2 years on Blair’s varsity football team. Multi-Talented athlete who is a Nebraska baseball recruit.

*Westin Miller-Ayviv-Omaha Gross (5-8, 160, Sr) - 509-26/5 TDs...What a talent. Miller-Ayviv made some sensational catches in 2022 and is tough as nails, just like all the others at Gross Catholic. I hope this lad gets the chance to equal or surpass his 2022 receiving statline. Gross lost a ton of talent from last season.

*Brady Brown-Blair (5-11, 185, Sr) - 370-31/5 TDs…Strong young man, who is also a force on defense. Brown makes his pass catches count, with every 6th grab last season going for a score. Also fast and elusive enough to be a dangerous kick return man in 2022 (10 for 190 yards).

*Kawiyou Taffa Jr-Bennington (5-7, 155, Sr) - 242-17/2 TDs…Taffa has terrific sprint speed and can make you miss in space like Blair’s Brady Brown, every 6th reception resulted in a TD last season for KJ.

*Joseph Stein-GI Northwest (6-6, 225, Sr) - 227-21/3 TDs…Expect a big 2023 season for Coach Kevin Stein’s son, the Northern Illinois commit. Joseph is strong as an ox, is a vicious blocker, has great hands and knows what to do after he makes a catch. Pretty big target.

*Class C-1*

*Grayson Bouwman-Fort Calhoun (6-0, 175, Sr) - 801-42/10 TDs…Boumann racked up a ton of receiving yards against a brutal schedule in 2022, averaging a touchdown every 4th catch. Grayson will miss departed senior QB Austin Weichert, who threw for 1,515 yards a year ago.

*Jayden Teichmeier-Adams Central (6-0, 168, Sr) - 535-30/4 TDs…I’ve seen this man play more than once. Amazing receiver who has some of the best hands in the State. Teichmeier can get open and is a superior leaper. If I had my pick of all the receivers I saw a year ago, Jayden Teichmeier would be my first choice for a man that’s going to come down with the ball in a crowd, on offense OR defense, where Jayden had 5 INTs a year ago for the Patriots.

*Brant Benes-Boone Central (5-11, 155, Sr) - 406-21/5 TDs (846 all-purpose yards) ...Benes is as slippery as it gets when you’re talking about getting open on a pass route. Brant just slithers out off the line of scrimmage, convinces his defender he’s merely running out a fake route, then off he goes on a fly pattern. Benes is everywhere both offensively and defensively for the Cardinals and remember he only tips the scales at a buck 55. Big football heart. The dream of every high school football coach (including Coach Hud!)

*Thomas Spears-Ashland-Greenwood (5-10, 150, Jr) - 492-50/6 TDs…Spears is absolutely one of the best 2-way players in Class C-1. Thomas can cover a bunch of real estate on defense and can jet from his free safety position to an opponent’s backfield faster than a sneeze through a screen door, and that can result in a crisp open field tackle behind the line of scrimmage. And remember…. (1. Spears is only a Junior and (2. He has All-State QB candidate Dane Jacobsen (1,405 passing yards in ‘22) to toss him a scoring pass or 10 in 2023.

*Luke Orr-Omaha Roncalli (Sr.) - 373-15/4 TDs…Good bloodlines here. Luke caught only 15 passes a year ago, but he made them count with 4 touchdown catches and an average of 25 yards a reception. It also helps when you have the best QB (Brady McGill) in C1 flinging the ball your way.

*Dezmond Straatmann-Platteview (5-10, 170, Sr) - 373-34/6 TDs…Two-Way Star…This young man has a world of talent on BOTH sides of the ball AND in the return game. I saw Straatmann return a kickoff for a touchdown in the Adams Central playoff game and play some tenacious defense. On offense, Straatmann caught only 5 passes for 84 yards and a pair of TDs through Platteview’s first four contests. The next 5 games were a different story, as Super Coach Mark McLaughlin turned Desmond loose for 29 catches, 289 yards and 4 more scores. BUT, it was defense where Straatmann was a star. 68 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 2 INTs, 2 FR. Should be a no-brainer for All-State this upcoming season.

*Reid Otto-Raymond Central (6-3, 170, Jr) - 367-17/7 TDs…One of C1’s most dangerous receivers, catching 17 passes of which 7 were touchdowns. That’s not too far off from every other reception being good for a score. Otto caught a pass in every game during last year's sophomore season and caught a TD pass in 7 of Raymond’s 9 games.

*Ayden Zikmund-Central City (6-3, 175, Sr) - 341-28/3 TDs…Good bloodlines here, man. Terrific multi-sport athlete for the Bison, Zikmund is a career 1000 point scorer in basketball and those skills can be seen on the football field. Ayden should be able to up that receiving yards total along with TD catches in ‘23.

*Class C-2*

*Jenson Anderson-Hastings St. Cecilia (Sr) - 821-49/10 TDs..One my favorite Football/Track athletes. The Bluehawk speedster was a key cog in St. Cecilia’s dream season a year ago, catching 10 scoring passes, pirating 3 passes on defense, breaking up 11 more on defense and consistently putting St. Cecilia in short field situations with his 384 kick return yards. Anderson even scored a pair of rushing touchdowns.

Jenson capped off his spectacular junior athletic season by killing it at the State Track Meet back in May. All Anderson did was win the Class C High Jump with a 6-6 leap, place 2nd in the Long Jump (22’4”), run 5th in the 200 and grab a 7th place in the 100. Jenson has PR’s of :10.59 and :22.1 in those sprints, which make him very difficult to cover as a pass receiver on the gridiron.

Yes, St. Cecilia lost a bunch of talent from that great 10-1 team a year ago, but you will be hearing Jenson Anderson’s name frequently in 2023. This young man is a BALLER!

*Kaedan Detamore-Doniphan-Trumbull (5-10, 150, Sr) - 757-51/6 TDs…Right up the road 15 miles from St. Cecilia is Doniphan-Trumbull, who always fields a strong program and 2023 will be no different. One of their strong points in a rare losing season a year ago was Kaedan Detamore, a man of many gridiron talents. He, and his quarterback, Jaden Williams, will be back this season to hook up with more pass/catch magic. Detamore has great hands and an extraordinary ability to break free after catching a pass. Equally as impressive is his ability to come all the way from his deep safety position to spill a running back for a loss in the backfield. Detamore had 59 tackles in 2022, of which an unimaginable 48 were solo stops. Jaedan also is a scary kick return man, bringing 15 of them back last season for 322 yards.

*Jack Poppe-Doniphan-Trumbull (6-2, 155, Soph) - 460-43/5 TDs…Doniphan-Trumbull has another pass catching threat in “child” prodigy, Jack Poppe. The problem for Doniphan-Trumbull opponents is that Poppe is hardly a child, standing 6-4 and already earning an All-State Basketball certificate. Jack is also a nifty wide-receiver who can leap like a gazelle. Ditto on defense, where young Poppe made 26 tackles with 23 of them being solo. He was the guy on the other side on kick returns, bringing 15 back for 230 yards.

It was kind of a head scratcher how this DT team ended up 3-6 last season except for the fact the team was young. 3-6 “ain’t” gonna happen this time around at Doniphan-Trumbull.

*Logan McGreer-Malcolm (5-9, 150, Jr) - 692-29/8 TDs…Malcolm returns a pair of brilliant pass receivers from the Clippers fantastic 11-1 team from 2022, one of whom is Logan McGreer, now just a Junior. No, Logan will not have the incomparable Hayden Frank throwing him aerials, but you certainly can’t overlook nearly 700 yards and 8 TDs by a sophomore.

McGreer had enough speed to catch some long, long passes a year ago. Malcolm will need to find a new QB, but the Clippers return quite a bit of talent in 2023, one of which is McGreer.

*Dalton Amen-Malcolm (5-11, 175, Sr) - 581-23/6 TDs…Logan McGreer’s partner in crime…. I mean the Clippers receiving corps, is senior Dalton Amen, the man who makes his catches count. Amen caught 23 passes but averaged 25 yards a catch. Talk about great hands! I like the way this young man plays the game with passion. Pretty good defensive player too.

Malcolm returns 1,448 of their 1,761 receiving yards in 2023, so Amen will have a huge season if Malcolm can find that QB this season.

*Corbin Guill-Oakland-Craig (5-10, 190, Jr) {FB} - 630-35/2 TDs…Well look here. ANOTHER Class C-2 team with a pair of returning top notch receivers, and BOTH Juniors with an OUTSTANDING returning Quarterback who just happens to be a Classmate. Look out!

How many Nebraska high school football teams have a Fullback that caught 35 passes for 630 yards? Corbin Guill is one of a kind for sure! The 190-pound dynamo has great hands and knows what to do after he catches the football. Just incredible. Stay tuned for more of the same from this ripped dude in ‘23.

*Jeremiah Drukenmiller-Oakland-Craig (5-10, 160, Jr) - 445-29/3 TDs…Caught at least one pass in every Knights game, averaging 15 yards a pop. Picked off 3 passes on defense.

*Braxton Chvatal-North Bend (5-11, 155, Soph) - 464-36/0 TDs…This youngster is a very talented football player, friends. Remember, Braxton Chvatal was just a FRESHMAN last year. Braxton had three games with over a hundred receiving yards in 2022, including a stellar performance against Oakland-Craig when he caught 9 passes for 127 yards, made 4 tackles and had a pair of long kick returns. Braxton has good speed, can catch anything thrown his way, and just flat out has terrific football skills. I know about a hundred coaches around the state that would take all the freshman Braxton Chvatals you could send their way. They may not know how to pronounce his last name, but they’d certainly give a left arm to have him.

*Talan Bruha-Ord (TE/OLB/Place Kicker) (6-3,205, Sr) - 397-23/5 TDs…Big Talon Bruha will be an All-State candidate for the Ord Chants in 2023. Every 5th pass reception he hauled in went for six, one laying on his back in the end zone. On defense, Bruha made 42 stops, 28 of which were solo tackles. He had 4 interceptions, 4 tackles for losses, FIVE recovered fumbles, one 15 yard Pick 6 (Gibbon), did all the kicking off, and nailed 33 of 43 PATS and was 2 of 2 in Field Goal attempts, both coming in a huge win over Battle Creek.

This kid is pure Gold on the gridiron.