West Texas football preview: Some of the wide receivers to watch ahead of the 2024 season

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

Despite the turnover from departing senior classes, many of the nearly 40 teams in the Standard-Times coverage area retained plenty of young talent, as well as bringing in some new faces, looking to make their mark on the 2024 season.

Before the season begins, the Standard-Times will highlight the top local players at 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 top option for Jaime Buitron in the Bronco’s passing game last season. He finished his junior season with 621 yards and nine touchdowns receiving on the way to a regional final appearance with Sonora. He was named to the All-West Texas second team and made it to the state track meet in the 400-meter run.

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Hayden Bowlin, jr., Forsan

Bowlin was a breakout star for the Buffaloes passing game that exploded in 2023. He had 631 yards and nine touchdowns in 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 varsity, Daniels played an integral position in Ozona’s third-place finish in District 3-2A Division I. He finished the season with 37 catches for 506 yards and five touchdowns receiving and was an honorable mention of 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 ascending player they can lean on through 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 receiving in his first season in varsity and earned a spot on the All-West Texas first team.

Kellan Oliver, jr., Wall

Despite not receiving a lot of 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. In his sophomore season, he finished with 273 yards and four touchdowns, and will likely catch more passes as the Hawks transition to a different offense.

Omrie Johnson, jr., Reagan County

In a highly-crowded receiving room, Johnson carved out a significant role as a sophomore on the Owls. He had 26 catches for 455 yards and four touchdowns receiving.

Dillon Medina, sr., Miles

In a pass-heavy offense with a lot of receiving options, Medina found himself with his best season in 2023. He finished with 437 yards and four touchdowns receiving and was an Honorable Mention on the All-West Texas team.

Hutton Rogers, sr., Richland Springs

Rogers earned 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 semifinal in 2023.

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