Top 20 wide receivers in California high school football entering 2025

Top 20 wide receivers in California high school football entering 2025 originally appeared on The Sporting News

In a normal year, California high school football is more than adequately stocked with next-level wide receiver talent.

But in 2025? It’s overflowing, bursting at the seams with future D-1 stars at receiver.

California’s Class of 2026 talent pool at WR is one of the deepest in recent memory, and the Class of 2027 is strong there as well. There are likely upwards of 100 future Division I receivers among returning seniors, juniors, and sophomores.

With that said, here’s who we think are the top 20 wide receivers in California entering the 2025 seasons, plus a list of many more at the end who were considered.

The primary criteria are production and team success relative to strength of schedule, awards for the 2024 season from other sources, and recruiting rankings/accolades.

1. Vance Spafford, Mission Viejo – Sr.

Spafford, one of the fastest players in high school football, enters his senior year with 141 catches for 2,610 yards and 36 touchdowns for the perennial public school national contender. As a junior, he caught 57 passes for 1,017 yards and 14 touchdowns in addition to blocking two punts and a field goal. The previous year he lifted Mission Viejo to a 1-AA state title with 1,576 yards and 22 TDs. Spafford, a 4-star recruit with 38 offers, flipped from Georgia to Miami in June.

MORE: Mission Viejo sends national message with Battle at the Beach championship

2. Trent Mosley, Santa Margarita – Sr.

Despite a midseason injury that cost him four games, Mosley had 61 catches for 908 yards and eight touchdowns, 102 yards and seven TDs rushing, and a punt return TD in eight games last year against arguably the toughest schedule in the country. The 4-star USC commit enters the fall with career totals of 170 catches for 2,599 yards and 22 touchdowns, 69 carries for 372 yards and another 22 TDs, and 819 yards and one score returning kicks and punts.

3. Madden Williams, St. John Bosco – Sr.

The 4-star Texas A&M commit made 50 catches for 851 yards and a team-high 13 touchdowns as a junior despite frequently getting double teamed by some of the nation’s top defenses. Williams has at least 37 more offers including Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame, and USC.

4. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Mater Dei – Sr.

Kayden Dixon-Wyatt Chris Henry Jr.

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn

Dixon-Wyatt helped lead the Monarchs to an undefeated season and national championship with team-highs of 50 receptions and 693 receiving yards. His top performance came in October when he had seven catches for 126 yards and a TD in an to blow out rival St. John Bosco for a Trinity League title. Dixon-Wyatt is a 4-star Ohio State commit whose other 37 offers include Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Oregon.

MORE:Mater Dei overcomes rough start to win Nike Legends 7v7 Invitational

5. Chris Henry Jr., Mater Dei – Sr.

After missing nearly his whole junior season with a lower body injury, Henry (pictured above with Dixon-Wyatt) is primed for a massive senior year. 247Sports’ Composite Rankings have him as a 5-star recruit who’s No. 3 at his position and No. 21 overall in the Class of 2026. Now committed to Ohio State for more than two years, Henry is upwards of 6-5, 200 with 35 offers and USC, Miami, and Oregon listed as other top contenders.

6. Kenneth Moore III, St. Mary’s (Stockton) – Sr. (UCLA)

CLIFFORD OTO/THE STOCKTON RECORD / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn

A UCLA commit ranked as a 4-star recruit by ESPN, Moore was an overwhelming threat every time he got the ball no matter how he got it last season. He grabbed 47 catches for 840 yards and 10 touchdowns, ran for 541 yards and five TDs on 9.8 yards per carry, and recorded two TDs and 464 yards returning punts and kickoffs, totaling 1,845 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns.

7. Carson Clark, St. John Bosco – Sr. (San Jose State)

After a promising sophomore year at Los Alamitos, Clark was one of California’s top breakout stars for the Braves as a junior. He had team-highs of 55 receptions and 910 receiving yards to go with eight touchdown catches for the perennial national contender, and emerged as a track star too after that with a 100m time of 10.56 seconds. Clark is a high 3-star recruit who committed to San Jose State in March over a dozen other D-1s.

8. Daniel Odom, St. John Bosco – Sr. (Oklahoma)

A big, well-rounded 4-star Oklahoma commit with 20 more offers including Georgia, Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas, and Notre Dame. Odom had 45 catches for 682 yards and five touchdowns as a junior to enter his senior year with 87 catches for 1,303 yards and 12 scores. While he’s already one of the state’s premier wideouts, look for Odom to take another leap in 2025.

9. Jameson Powell, Folsom – Sr.

The most productive receiver on the reigning CIF-SJS Division 1 champion by a substantial margin, Powell might soon prove this preseason ranking to be too low. The high 3-star Ole Miss commit made 68 catches for 920 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior after recording 86 catches for 1,231 yards and 14 TDs as a sophomore. Perhaps his signature performance so far was seven catches for 105 yards and a score in a narrow win over Oak Ridge in the 2023 section championship.

10. Koby Shabazz, Grant Union – Jr.

Through just half of his high school career, Shabazz is a two-time CIF-SJS champion, two-time 2-AA regional champion, and one-time 2-AA state champion. And then there’s his stat line. The 3-star Sacramento State commit caught 83 passes for 1,201 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore, including 34 catches for 625 yards and six touchdowns in five playoff games. He also totaled 534 yards and a TD returning kicks and punts plus 37 tackles, two picks, and two forced fumbles on defense, which helped him secure a Sporting News Preseason All-State selection (all-purpose).

11. Luc Weaver, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) – Sr.

Weaver quietly broke out as one of California’s top wideouts in 2024, recording 53 catches for 1,024 yards and 10 touchdowns through double coverage against a Mission League schedule and getting better each game. He’s also a prototypical physical specimen at 6-3, 200 with track speed (10.68-second 100m), and could prove to be the best receiver from California in his class a few years down the road. Weaver committed to USC in May out of 16 Division I offers.

12. Ty Johnson, Crean Lutheran – Jr.

Maybe California’s top transfer from out-of-state, Johnson is already an established star after registering 68 catches for 1,046 yards and 12 touchdowns to go with a 91-yard kick return touchdown for a strong Texas team, Lampasas. He’s a 4-star recruit with 18 offers including UCLA, Wisconsin, Louisville, and most recently, SMU.

13. Demaje Riley, Tulare Union – Jr.

Ron Holman/ Visalia Times-Delta / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn

It’s not much of an exaggeration to say Riley did it all last season on offense, with 46 catches for 915 yards and 12 touchdowns as a starting point. He also played quarterback for two games, both wins, completing 18 of 27 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown and rushing 14 times for 224 yards and a score. Throw in a punt return touchdown, and that comes out to 17 all-purpose touchdowns and 1,287 total yards of offense in 10 games for the high 3-star UCLA commit.

14. Quentin Hale, Cathedral – Jr.

Hale broke out as one of California’s top wideouts regardless of class as a sophomore, and this year he might do the same on a nationwide basis with his toolset and the Phantoms’ continuity. He helped lead Cathedral to a 9-1 record and CIF-SS D3 playoff berth with 63 catches for 995 yards and 14 touchdowns.

15. A.J. Logan, Mount Miguel – Sr.

Logan was by far the most productive WR on a team jam-packed with receiver talent as a junior, totaling 67 catches for 1,197 yards and 12 TDs, a rushing TD, two completions on two attempts for 103 yards and a TD, and 352 kick return yards. He’s a 3-star Boise State commit with at least 14 offers in total.

16. Brandon “Dash” Arrington, Mount Miguel – Sr.

A 5-star ATH prospect ranked by some as the top senior in California across all positions, and Gatorade’s State Track Athlete of the Year in 2024 as well. Arrington is more of a defensive back than receiver by trade, but he has the tools to catch deep balls on Saturdays and perhaps Sundays if he zeroes in on offense as his position of the future. As a junior he caught 57 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns in a crowded receiving corps.

17. Troy Foster, Huntington Beach – Sr.

One of the top breakout stars of 2024, Foster exploded for 1,290 yards and 15 touchdowns on 65 catches and showed tremendous game-to-game consistency. He’s now a 3-star Colorado State commit with double-digit offers and good size at 6’2.5, 200.

18. Jaylen Stokes, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy – Sr.

Stokes broke out as an all-state receiver as a junior after transferring from Lakewood, making 86 catches for 1,253 yards and eight scores to help lift PMA to a Southern Section D8 title. Between the Warriors’ section championship win and competitive 4-A state finals loss, he totaled 22 catches for 331 yards and two TDs. Stokes is listed as a 3-star ATH prospect with offers from Colorado State, UNLV, San Diego State, and NAU.

19. Ja’Myron Tron Baker, Sierra Canyon – Sr.

The 3-star USC commit has been one of the top receivers in his class for a while now and looks to have a big senior year at Sierra Canyon. He spent his first three years at Los Alamitos, where he was productive against strong competition since his first days on campus and earned Junior All-State honors from Cal-Hi Sports. Baker’s other offers include Tennessee, Texas A&M, Colorado, and Miami.

20. Jermaine Missouri, Rodriguez – Sr.

Rodriguez seemed to go under the radar last year while dominating throughout its 11-1 season, and Missouri had his fingerprints all over its success. He caught 51 passes for 1,119 yards and 19 touchdowns, totaled 336 yards and a touchdown as a return specialist, and grabbed three interceptions, earning Junior All-State honors from Cal-Hi Sports. Missouri was at his best in the Mustangs’ biggest games, including a resounding upset of Vanden and a narrow win over Vacaville for a league title.

ALSO IN CONSIDERATION:

Kingston Anetema, Bishop Montgomery – Sr.

Andre Calderon, Bakersfield Christian – Sr.

Demare Dezeurn, Palisades – Jr.

Chris Flores Jr., Orange Lutheran – Jr.

Chaz Gilbreath, Mayfair – Sr. (UC Davis)

Bayon Harris, Central East – Jr.

Gianni Haynes, Alemany – Jr.

Gavin Honore, Mater Dei – Jr. (Georgia)

Treyshaun Jackson, Narbonne – Sr.

Marcus Kier, Orange Lutheran – Sr. (Princeton)

Sean McCullough, Vista Murrieta – Sr.

Courtney Miller-Thompson, Lincoln (San Diego) – Jr.

EJ Morgan, Central East – Sr. (Cal)

RJ Mosley, Pittsburg – Sr. (Arizona)

Judge Nash, Archbishop Riordan – Sr. (Harvard)

Xavier Owens, Narbonne – Sr. (Fresno State)

Isaac Pierce, Oak Ridge – Jr.

Damani Porras, Downey (Downey) – Jr.

Jalen Ross, Cathedral – Sr. (Idaho State)

Zion Secrease, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep – Jr.

Jonah Smith, Santa Margarita – Sr. (UCLA)

Kamarie Smith, Long Beach Poly – Sr. (Sacramento State)

Brayden Stevenson, Tulare Union – Sr. (Nevada)

Cynai Thomas, Archbishop Riordan – Sr. (Oregon State)

Zason Walker, Paraclete – Jr.

Wesley Winn Jr., Archbishop Riordan – Jr. (Boston College)

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