Southern California's Top WRs, TEs to watch this 2025 high school football season

Some of the nation's top wide receivers and tight ends compete on Friday nights in Southern California. Here's a look at the standouts.

St. John Bosco’s Madden Williams is one of the top wideouts in country for the 2026 class. / Tarek Fattal

The wide receiver position might be the most talented of any group this upcoming 2025 season, which isn't surprising considering the history of terrific wideouts that've come from the high school rankings in Southern California.

Desean Jackson (Long Beach Poly), Keyshawn Johnson (Dorsey) and Steve Smith (Taft) come to mind. But there've been new names to standout on Sundays, too, like Amon-ra St. Brown (Mater Dei) 2025 rookie Tetairoa McMillan (Servite).

On this list, we also look at the top tight ends.

NOTE: A list on SoCal's best 'athletes' (two-way players) will also be released soon.

Southern California is home to some of the best wide receivers in the country — many of which reside in the CIF Southern Section — but this looks at all the best WRs in SoCal, including San Diego.

Be sure to check back on all of High School On SI's preseason football coverage, as Senior Reporter Tarek Fattal breaks down the top players to watch and releases the preseason Top 25 rankings in the CIF Southern Section on Sunday, Aug. 10.

Here are the top SoCal wide receivers and tight ends to watch in 2025:

(Name, school, year, college (if committed))

1. MARK BOWMAN, MATER DEI, SR. (USC)

Bowman's name has been destined to be heralded as the nation's top tight end in the country since he was a freshman ... and here he is. A bonafide 5-star recruit at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Bowman is the top end in America (even after reclassifying up to 2026). He blocks, catches, gets the team Gatorade - everything.

2. CHRIS HENRY JR., MATER DEI, SR. (OHIO STATE)

Chris Henry Jr. looks like a Sunday guy already. He's 6-foot-5, 205 pounds and is a major threat down field. He is coming off a leg injury that kept him sidelined the latter part of his junior season, but will be looking to make a major impact in 2025.

3. VANCE SPAFFORD, MISSION VIEJO, SR. (MIAMI)

Mission Viejo's Vance Spafford is one of the top returning senior wideouts in California. / Heston Quan

Elite speed and elite route runner. Spafford is always open. Opposing defenses know the ball is going to Spafford and it still doesn't matter. Last year, he tallied 57 catches for 1,017 yards and 14 TDs. He had 22 TD catches as a sophomore.

4. KAYDEN DIXON-WATT, MATER DEI, SR. (OHIO STATE)

Yup, another aerial target for Mater Dei's offense. Dixon-Wyatt is ultra quick and very good at creating separation from secondaries. He's listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. Local pundits believe Dixon-Wyatt has NFL upside.

5. MADDEN WILLIAMS, ST. JOHN BOSCO, SR. (TEXAS A&M)

Williams is a big-play wideout with a big personality. Even though he's listed at 6-foot-1, Williams plays a lot bigger than that. He tallied 50 catches for 851 yards and 13 TDs as a junior. Against Sierra Canyon, he had 10 catches for 252 yards and three TDs.

6. TRENT MOSLEY, SANTA MARGARITA, SR. (USC)

Santa Margarita's Trent Mosley /

Mosley is a make-you-miss-in-a-phone-booth kind of athlete. The USC commit has been unguardable since he was a freshman. Now he's a senior and ranked the No. 11 wideout in the country. He was the Trinity League MVP as a sophomore before sustaining injury last year (played just 8 games).

7. QUENTIN HALE, CATHEDRAL, JR.

Hale has garnered 20 DI offers before his junior season. A major athlete at 6-foot-3, Hale has offers from Alabama, USC, UCLA, Tennessee, Oregon, Ole Miss and Ohio State.

8. DEMARE DEZEURN, PALISADES, JR.

Big track guy. Dezeurn is one of the fastest high schoolers in the country, running the 100 meter in just over 10 seconds. That speed translates well to the football field. This speedster is going to be the best playmaker in the City Section this upcoming season.

9. LUC WEAVER, NOTRE DAME SHERMAN OAKS, SR. (USC)

Weaver exploded onto the scene as a junior at Notre Dame. He grew to 6-foot-3, 205 pounds and has added a ferocious aspect of speed and strength to his game. As a junior he hauled in 53 catches for 1,024 yards and 10 TDs.

10. TY JOHNSON, CREAN LUTHERAN, JR.

Johnson tallied 68 receptions for 1,048 yards and 12 TDs as a sophomore. He's earned a 4-star rating with offers to Arkansas, TCU, UCLA and Washington.

OTHERS TO WATCH BY CLASS

SENIORS (2026)

• Ja'Myron Baker, Sierra Canyon (USC)
• Hayden Vercher, Thousand Oaks, TE
• Daniel Odom, St. John Bosco (Oklahoma)
• Caleb Tafua, Bishop Montgomery (Texas A&M)
• Kamarie Smith, Long Beach Poly (Sac St.)
• Carson Clark, St. John Bosco (San Jose State)
• Andre Nickerson, Inglewood, TE (SMU)
• Luke Sorensen, Servite, TE (Nebraska)
• Keawe Brown, Centennial, TE
• Chaz Gilbreath, Mayfair (UC Davis)
• Morley Boyd, Palos Verdes
• Tyler George, Centennial
• Bo Ausmus, Redondo Union
• Sean McCullough, Vista Murrieta
• Antonio Reasby, Charter Oak
• Jarod Sersansie, JSerra
• Dezmyn Hardy, Calabasas
• Devin Olmande, Newbury Park

JUNIORS (2027)

• Damani Porras, Downey
• Nico Bland, Orange Lutheran
• Delontay Williams, Mount Miguel
• Gavin Honore, Mater Dei (Georgia)
• Chris Flores, Orange Lutheran
• Jayden Coley, Long Beach Poly
• Tycen Johnson, Chaparral
• Matix Frithsmith, Hart
• Charles Davis, Westlake
• Toby Thuss, Loyola
• Trey Roberts, Yorba Linda
• Clark Cokley, JSerra
• Ayden DeGiacomo, Edison
• Raymond Castro, Bishop Amat

SOPHOMORES (2028)

• Darren Tubbs, St. John Bosco
• Aaden Brady, Palos Verdes
• Christian Butler, Oaks Christian
• Ryan Bose', Gardena Serra
• Brayden Roberson, Mission Hills
• Hayden Koo, Tustin

---

2024 CIF SOUTHERN SECTION RECAP

The CIF Southern Section is heralded as one of the most talented high school football state associations in the country, most notably because it's home to juggernaught programs like Mater Dei and St. John Bosco.

As we head into the 2025 season, here's a headline recap of what happened in the CIF Southern Section last fall.

MATER DEI GOES BACK TO BACK

The Monarchs won their second straight CIF-SS Division 1 title and second straight national title in 2024, which was anchored by an ultra-elite defense and first-year coach Raul Lara.

Mater Dei defeated St. John Bosco 31-24 in the section final before going on to thump De La Salle in the CIF State Open Division title game 37-15.

The 2024 campaign might've garnered the Monarchs their best team ever. HERE'S WHY

NEWBURY PARK STUNS D2 IN TITLE RUN

5-star QB Brady Smigiel and wideout Shane Rosenthal (now at UCLA) led the Panthers the CIF Southern Section Division 2 crown in 2024 after question marks about their soft schedule arose before the postseason.

• Newbury Park football forges improbable CIF championship run fueled by naysayers

Newbury Park defeated top tier programs like San Jacinto, San Clemente (on the road) and Yorba Linda en route to its 31-28 victory over Murrieta Valley (in Murrieta) to win the Division 2 title. It was the program's first CIF title since 1993.

JULIUS GILLICK CAN'T PLAY TITLE GAME FOR EDISON

One of the section's top runners, Julius Gillick of Edison, is ejected from the CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinal against Vista Murrieta for two unsportsmanlike penalties. The first was due to a touchdown celebration. The second was due to 'excessive celebration'.

Despite an appeal, Gillick couldn't play in the CIF final. Despite his absence, Edison beat Simi Valley 35-21.

High School On SI reporter Tarek Fattal broke down the controversary (video below).

THE 'COMPETITIVE EQUITY' CHAMPION

St. Pius coach Devah Thomas was not shy about his team's accomplishments in 2024 ... afterall the season did result in a CIF title.

Under the new competitive equity rules that decide playoff placement, St. Pius' strength of schedule rating earned the program a berth to the Division 8 playoffs despite being 1-9 (an 0-8 start).

• How St. Pius won a CIF championship after one-win season

The Warriors ended up making a run to win the Division 8 crown over Serrano 38-19.

feed

---

Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school sports news.

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: 

Download iPhone App | Download Android App