2025 Trib HSSN football position-by-position breakdown: Scouting the wide receivers
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Tuesday, August 12, 2025 | 3:04 PM
Seton LaSalle wide receiver Khalil Taylor (0) celebrates with teammates Will Martin and Michael Pastirik after Taylor scored a touchdown in the 2024 WPIAL Class 2A final at Acrisure Stadium.
Woodland Hills’ Scoop Smith intercepts a pass during practice Aug. 5.
Bishop Canevin’s Damar Olds pulls in a catch during the Willie Thrower quarterbacks camp in 2024 at Valley High School.
Penn Hills’ Carter Bonner works out during practice on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Penn Hills.
TribLive HSSN will break down the top players at one position per day until Week Zero. Here is a look at the top wide receivers for the 2025 season.
1. Khalil Taylor
Pine-Richland
Junior, 6-0, 180
College recruiting outlets rate Taylor as one of the top junior wideouts in the country. The Penn State recruit showed why last year with 51 catches for 932 yards at Seton LaSalle. He averaged 18 yards per catch and earned first-team all-conference honors for the second year in a row. He scored 22 touchdowns, and his longest was an 85-yard kick return. He transferred this summer to Pine-Richland and must still complete the WPIAL process to be eligible. The website 247Sports ranked him 10th nationally among wide receivers in the 2027 class. He committed to the Nittany Lions in March over Power 4 offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, Rutgers and Syracuse. He later added a Notre Dame offer in June.
Watch Khalil Taylor highlights
2. Scoop Smith
Woodland Hills
Senior, 5-7, 150
Smith owns the title of “Fastest athlete in the WPIAL” as the reigning 100-meter champion. His sprinter’s speed shows up on Friday nights, too. The longest of his 15 touchdowns last season were kick returns of 99 and 75 yards, runs of 86 and 82 yards and an 80-yard catch. The Miami (Ohio) recruit caught 38 passes for 630 yards and had another 352 yards rushing on 27 carries. He averaged 16.6 yards per catch and 13 yards per carry, earning first-team all-conference honors at wide receiver in Class 5A for the third year in a row. He had close to 20 Division I FBS and FCS offers.
3. Carter Bonner
Penn Hills
Junior, 6-3, 190
Bonner is a talented two-way player at wide receiver and cornerback. His college future might be on defense, but he earned first-team all-conference honors at wide receiver in Class 5A last year. He averaged 16.8 yards per catch and looks poised to become an even bigger part of the offense this season. He had 436 yards and six touchdowns on 26 receptions. His college offers include Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers and Tennessee. As a freshman, Bonner had 448 receiving yards and four touchdowns at Shady Side Academy, earning all-conference honors for both offense (first team) and defense (second team).
Watch Carter Bonner highlights
4. Drew Cook
South Allegheny
Senior, 6-1, 160
Cook set a school record last year when he led the WPIAL in receiving yards with 1,490. He caught 80 passes and scored 17 touchdowns. His yards-per-catch average of 18.6 was bolstered by TD catches of 85 and 95 yards. He earned first-team all-conference in Class 2A. A multi-sport athlete, Cook won a WPIAL basketball title last winter, reached the state finals and topped 1,000 career points as a junior. He lists offers from Akron, Duquesne, Northern Arizona, Sacred Heart and Youngstown State. His father, Bilal, played defensive back at Kansas.
5. Damar Olds
Bishop Canevin
Senior, 5-11, 175
Olds converted 14 of his 47 catches into touchdowns last season while averaging 18.4 yards per catch. He totaled 867 receiving yards and earned first-team all-conference honors in Class A. He’s likely the top offensive weapon for the Crusaders, so expect new coach Rod Steele to find ways to get him the ball. He had a rushing touchdown among his scoring plays last season. His longest TD was a 73-yard catch in the WPIAL quarterfinals. He lists college offers from Akron and Kent State.
One to watch
Javien Robinson
McKeesport
Junior, 6-2, 190
In terms of pass-catching skills, Robinson already ranks among the better wide receivers in the WPIAL. Playing for a run-heavy offense has limited his chances, however. He caught eight passes last year while the team leader had only nine. He finished his sophomore season with 174 receiving yards and two touchdowns, earning all-conference honors in Class 4A. Recruiting outlets rate him as a four-star prospect, and 247Sports ranks him 15th among junior wideouts nationally. He has Power 4 offers from Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse and Wisconsin. Also a standout sprinter, he placed second in the 200 meters (22.13 seconds) at the WPIAL Class 3A championship.
Watch Javien Robinson highlights
• • • • •
Position breakdowns
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | DE | LB | CB | S | K
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Bishop Canevin, McKeesport, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, South Allegheny, Woodland Hills
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