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Published Aug 31, 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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@Rivals_Clint

The updated Rivals250 for the 2024 class was unveiled Tuesday, and it's now time to dive into the position rankings. The offensive position rankings are being released today, and up next are the wide receivers and tight ends.

NEW POSITION RANKINGS: Tight end | Wide receiver | Running back | All-purpose RB | Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Sunday: Who should be No. 1?

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

Tuesday: Rivals250 revealed | Biggest risers | Gorney's position-by-position

Wednesday: Offensive position rankings revealed | Teams that should be pleased | QB rankings spotlight | RB rankings spotlight

Thursday: Defensive position rankings revealed

Friday: State rankings revealed

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NO 1. AT THE POSITION: Jeremiah Smith

Smith takes over as the new top receiver prospect in the 2024 class, and he comes in as the No. 3 player overall. The Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna product followed his breakout sophomore season with a fantastic 7-on-7 season for South Florida Express, and he appears to have picked up right where he left off to start his junior year by scoring two touchdowns to kick off the year.

At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Smith has fantastic straight-line speed and is pretty much a highlight waiting to happen. He has the ability to stretch the field as well as take the short ball the distance and is a load for even the top DBs to cover man-to-man. Smith also happens to be one of the top hurdlers in his class, which is another testament to his overall athletic ability.

He already has offers from the who's who of college football. Look for Miami, Alabama, Florida, USC and Ohio State to be among the many teams that have a legitimate shot at landing his pledge.

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TWO PROGRAMS TO WATCH: Notre Dame and Georgia

Notre Dame currently sits with the No. 1 overall 2024 class and a pair of Rivals250 commits in WR Cam Williams and TE Jack Larsen are a big reason for the Irish's lofty ranking at this point in the recruiting cycle. With highly touted 2024 quarterback CJ Carr already in the fold for the Irish, South Bend will continue to be an attractive spot for a number of top-tier receiving targets in this class. Five-star Ryan Wingo – along with four-stars Jeremiah McClellan and Mylan Graham, who just debuted at No. 39 overall in the latest Rivals250 release – should all have Notre Dame toward the top of their lists as they close in on a decision.

Georgia has come on hot with in-state commitments from the nation's No. 1 TE (Landen Thomas) and No. 5 WR (Ny Carr) since our last rankings release. Thomas and Carr also happen to be the two highest-rated recruits in a 2024 Bulldog class that has a lofty ranking despite only having three commitments in total. Georgia is far from finished here as there are four additional uncommitted Rivals250 receivers in Zion Ragins, Jalewis Solomon, Debron Gatling and BJ Gibson residing in the Peach State. Ragins is the highest rated of the bunch and much of that is due to his 10.35 100-meter speed, which makes him a serious threat for the home run play. It wouldn't be a stretch to think that the Bulldogs will land at least one additional highly touted in-state receiver should they choose to pursue any of them hard.

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THREE PROSPECTS TO WATCH: Mylan Graham, Mario Craver, Christian Bentancur

Rarely does a recruit make his debut as a top 40 player in the nation, but that is exactly what Graham has done - and with good reason to boot. Graham entered the off-season without a single offer before showing up at Ohio State's summer camp and earning his first scholarship on the spot. You don't see many players earn their first offer from a team of the Buckeyes' caliber, and even more impressive is the fact that he followed his first offer by earning additional camp scholarships from Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan State and Indiana.

Craver may be small in stature, but he has big-time playmaking ability and is quietly becoming one of the nation's most sought-after receiver prospects in the 2024 class. He has the speed to stretch the field and is downright lethal with the ball in his hands after the catch. Craver comes in as the No. 35 receiver prospect in our latest rankings release, and there's plenty of reasons as to why he has become a priority target for teams such as Alabama and Oklahoma.

Similar to the rise of Graham, Bentancur finished his sophomore season without a single offer to his name. Eight months later he has become one of the most sought-after tight end prospects in the nation while racking up well over 30 offers. Bentancur has always had the talent, but his continued physical growth and development as an athlete is ultimately what has separated him from the crowd of talented 2024 tight ends. Look for Texas A&M, Clemson, Ohio State, Northwestern, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Auburn and other elite programs to be in the mix for the talented tight end out of Illinois.

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