Published Mar 9, 2022
Rivals Rankings Week: Breaking down the 2024 WRs, TEs
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Clint Cosgrove  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Analyst
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The initial Rivals250 for the 2024 class is out this week and today we take a look across the offensive positions. In focus here are the wide receivers and tight ends as we break down the top-rated player at the position, two teams to watch and three other names to watch as the offseason continues.

CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Tight end | Wide receiver | All-Purpose RB | Running Back | Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Weekend: Who should be the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 class? | Top QB?

Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars

Tuesday: New Rivals250 released | Gorney goes position-by-position

Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released | QB rankings spotlight | Who is the next five-star QB? | RB rankings spotlight | Who is the biggest threat to take over top position at RB?

Thursday: Defensive position rankings released

Friday: State rankings released

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1. The top player at WR/TE: Ryan Wingo  

For the second year in a row our top wide receiver prospect comes from the St Louis area, which has been producing an incredible amount of talented receivers lately. Wingo is our No. 3 player overall and the only receiver prospect awarded five stars in the initial 2024 Rivals250.

He checks every box when it comes to a big-time receiver recruit: great size, legit speed, big catch radius and the ability to score every time that he touches the ball. Wingo comes from a family of great players and there is little question that he will continue that trend at the next level. On top of his fantastic physical skill set, Wingo has all of the intangibles and is a natural leader on and off the field.

Early favorites in Wingo's recruitment include Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Michigan State, Arkansas and Oregon. Wingo had one brother that played at Arkansas and in the NFL, and another brother who played at Missouri.

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2. Two teams to watch: Miami (WR) and Michigan (TE)

With only two receivers in the Rivals250 committed at this point, my Miami pick is mostly speculation based on a number of factors that play into the Hurricanes' favor. Seven of the top 12 receivers reside in Florida, and a number of them are located right in Miami's backyard. Throw in a new head coach who is a proven recruiter (Mario Cristobal) and a Broyles Award winning offensive coordinator in Josh Gattis and you can see why Miami would be an attractive spot for any wide receiver in the nation.

The Hurricanes have already offered eight four-star receivers, with four of them coming from the Miami area: James Madison, Chance Robinson, Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader, all of whom they should have a good chance at landing. While this is a projection, I do like Miami's chances of landing a top-flight receiving class at this early stage.

My choice for a team to watch at tight end could have easily been Iowa or Georgia. I chose Michigan in the end because the Wolverines are a strong contender for two of the seven tight ends in the Rivals250.

No. 1 TE Brady Prieskorn lives about an hour from Ann Arbor and should have the Wolverines in it until the end. The No. 7 TE prospect, Tayvion Galloway, has an incredibly high ceiling and Michigan appears to be in great position with him following his visit to Ann Arbor earlier this week.

The other Rivals250 TEs that Michigan has offered are former Florida State commit Landen Thomas and Michael Smith, who are both from Georgia.

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3. Three names to watch: Tayvion Galloway, Jeremiah Smith and Cam Williams   

Tight end Tayvion Galloway was a late addition to the Rivals250, but he has as high of a ceiling as any TE in the 2024 class. At 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, he has a frame to add a ton of weight and with that added mass he has a chance to be as well-rounded of a TE as you will find in the 2024 class. Galloway is athletic enough to split out at receiver, creates coverage mismatches when he lines up as a true TE and is nasty as an in-line blocker as well. LSU, Michigan, Michigan State and Cincinnati are teams to keep an eye on early in his recruitment.

Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has a chance to be special. Like No. 1 WR Ryan Wingo, he possesses a great frame with elite playmaking ability. The Florida product already ranks among the nation's best for his class in the 110 hurdles this season, and performing at such a high level as a hurdler is a true testament to his overall athletic ability. He is the cousin of NFL QB Geno Smith, so he has great athletic lineage as well. Smith's recruitment has really taken off since the new year as he has picked up offers from Texas A&M, Utah, Miami, LSU, USC, Alabama and Oklahoma since Jan. 20.

WR Cam Williams is a name to watch simply because he has the physical gifts and upside of an elite receiver. While he is already very good, he isn't even close to what he will eventually be as a player. At 6-foot-2 plus, Williams has great length and speed that many receivers with his frame do not have. He has an incredible catch radius, can stretch the field and also take a short throw the distance. It is hard to say where Williams will end up in the end because his offer list is sure to grow exponentially over the next year, but I would consider Iowa an early leader, with Illinois in the running early on as well.