10 QB-WR Combinations to Watch in CFB Recruiting
Every good offense needs a leader and a producer in a quarterback. And that quarterback wants a reliable receiver—or two or three.
A good quarterback-wide receiver combination always makes for a good story, and the 2016 football season has a handful of talented duos expected to not only get multiple press clippings for their on-field play but also earn interest from the world of college football recruiting.
The season is still early, but here are 10 quarterback-wide receiver tandems around the country who are expected to become dynamic one-two offensive punches.
IMG Academy: 4-Star QB Kellen Mond and 4-Star WR Jhaman Ausbon
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Here's the good thing about IMG Academy. A handful of skill-position athletes can make up a go-to combination on offense. The offense starts with Texas A&M commit Kellen Mond, who has been impressive in three victories.
Being from Texas, Mond has bonded with another Texan, LSU wide receiver pledge Jhamon Ausbon, and the two have created magic. They've connected six times this season, but four of those plays have gone for touchdowns. Ausbon is averaging 29.5 yards per catch.
Mond, who has thrown for 730 yards and eight touchdowns, also has Central Florida commit Emmanuel Greene and 2018 wide receiver Brian Hightower to rely on as targets. It's a luxury that Mond has become accustomed to since joining IMG in January.
Parkway: 4-Star QB Justin Rogers (2018) and 5-Star WR Terrace Marshall (2018)
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The talk around the Battle on the Border in Shreveport, Louisiana, last weekend involved a running joke: Would Parkway High School's football team average more points than its basketball team this year? It's a fair question, as the football team is averaging 59 points in two games, including a 69-point effort against Lufkin High School Saturday.
Parkway scored 10 touchdowns, and the combination of Justin Rogers and Terrace Marshall were responsible for four scores. At the end of the day, Marshall caught six passes for 233 yards and four touchdowns, and Rogers threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns in the win.
This duo is good enough to challenge as the nation's best one-two combination for all classifications. Collectively, the two have 30 offers, and schools like LSU, TCU, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Houston are hoping to ultimately sign them as the proverbial package deal.
Calabasas: 4-Star QB Tristan Gebbia and 4-Star WR Keyshawn Johnson Jr.
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Nebraska fans smiled when wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson Jr. committed on March 23. The same Cornhuskers fans celebrated even more when quarterback Tristan Gebbia gave his verbal pledge roughly two weeks later.
The Calabasas High School combination is a dangerous one in Southern California high school football, and the duo is expected to bring a chemistry that will immediately reflect upon the future of Nebraska football.
Gebbia and Johnson have connected 13 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns this year. What's scary is that Johnson hasn't been the go-to option in Calabasas' first three games. Darnay Holmes, rated a 5-star cornerback who also plays receiver for his school, has been the team's deep threat, accounting for team highs in receptions (14), receiving yards (286), average yards per catch (20.4) and touchdowns (4).
If Nebraska has its way, it'll sign all three Calabasas standouts in February. Nebraska is a school to watch for Holmes, who also is considering UCLA, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame and others.
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Bishop Gorman: 4-Star QB Tate Martell and 5-Star WR Tyjon Lindsey
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The college football recruiting world knows what Tate Martell can do. And the recruiting world knows what Tyjon Lindsey can do. Them doing it together is what Ohio State fans are eagerly anticipating. Unfortunately, they will have to wait a few weeks to see the two future Buckeyes connect for Bishop Gorman, as Lindsey is nursing a preseason collarbone injury.
In the meanwhile, Martell has done his part in holding down the Bishop Gorman offense. Martell, per MaxPreps, has thrown for 591 yards and seven touchdowns and also has rushed for 354 yards and five touchdowns. Martell also has found a reliable receiving target in Jalen Nailor, who has a team-high 11 receptions for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
Lindsey's return could mean even more fireworks for an already-explosive Bishop Gorman offense. As a junior, he caught 45 balls for 1,117 yards and 14 touchdowns. The combination of Martell and Lindsey could be a major talking point around the Big Ten Conference in a couple of years.
Cedar Hill: 4-Star QB Avery Davis and 4-Star WR Charleston Rambo
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The Notre Dame-to-Oklahoma connection was highly anticipated before the start of the season, and quarterback Avery Davis and wide receiver Charleston Rambo have yet to disappoint. When healthy, the duo has put up solid numbers.
Here's the situation with Cedar Hill, however: Davis has been sidelined with an ankle injury, giving under-the-radar quarterback Garrett McGuire (who also is the team's long snapper) a chance to put up big numbers. Regardless of who's playing quarterback, Rambo still has been productive, accounting for a team-high 16 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns in three games.
Cedar Hill manages to spread the ball around to several receivers. Texas A&M commit Camron Buckley also is a reliable target, as is all-purpose back Kaegun Williams. In the early part of the year, the big-play capability of Rambo has come in handy for a Cedar Hill team with earned national recognition.
St. Thomas Aquinas: 4-Star QB Jake Allen and 5-Star WR Trevon Grimes
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The ceiling for Jake Allen is high, a Florida commit since July 2015. The expectations for Trevon Grimes, an Ohio State commit since August, are just as high. Before they go their separate ways from a college football perspective, they are committed to helping St. Thomas Aquinas play for elite-level status in the state of Florida.
St. Thomas Aquinas is hoping to get Grimes back soon, as he's been nursing a knee injury. Allen and Grimes can produce magic on the field. In the first game of the year, the two connected 10 times for 152 yards.
The connection between Allen and Grimes was easily noticeable last year. Grimes caught 27 passes for nearly 500 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior and entered his senior season expecting to shatter those numbers. Allen threw for nearly 1,700 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.
DeSoto: 4-Star QB Shawn Robinson and 4-Star WR K.D. Nixon
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As DeSoto High School slowly creeps up both the Texas high school and national high school rankings, Shawn Robinson and K.D. Nixon continue to keep things productive and businesslike. Robinson's arm strength and Nixon's top-notch speed have meshed well.
Robinson, a TCU commit and a legit dual-threat option, has thrown for 656 yards and eight touchdowns and also rushed for 397 yards and six touchdowns in three games. He leads the team in passing yards and rushing yards. Nixon, uncommitted with 19 reported offers, leads DeSoto with 10 receptions, 223 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
DeSoto has another reliable option at wide receiver in Laviska Shenault Jr., a Colorado commit who has scored three touchdowns from his nine receptions thus far. DeSoto traditionally has been a school that features several playmakers working together to pick up a large number of wins each season.
Peddie School: 4-Star Allan Walters (2018) and 4-Star Jahan Dotson (2018)
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This is the first year Allan Walters and Jahan Dotson have played together at Peddie School in New Jersey, but the potential for building chemistry has been noticed. In Peddie's season-opening win against Seton Hall Prep on Saturday, Walters threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns, and Dotson caught seven passes for 224 yards and a score.
The first-game performance is something Peddie hopes to build on, and you can bet that college scouts are looking to keep the two athletes together when it's their turn to sign national letters of intent. As juniors, the two have a combined 43 reported offers. Among the schools to offer are Alabama, Michigan, Ole Miss, Maryland and in-state Rutgers.
Walters, the nation's No. 11 pro-style quarterback, and Dotson, the nation's No. 7 wide receiver, both could see a rise in their ranking if they continue to produce big numbers. The fall season will be one to watch, and the spring offseason will be an opportunity for them to further build camaraderie and chemistry on the field.
Mater Dei: QB J.T. Daniels (2019) and 4-Star WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (2018)
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Stanford has a stud commit in Mater Dei High School 4-star wide receiver Osiris St. Brown, but thanks to defenses double-teaming him, the St. Brown receiver that stud 2019 quarterback J.T. Daniels has been finding on the field is younger brother Amon-Ra St. Brown.
In Mater Dei's first game, a 63-14 win against Bishop Amat, Daniels threw six touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown had four of the six touchdowns. In three games, he has caught seven touchdowns, and Daniels has been beyond impressive, throwing for more than 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns.
The future looks bright for Mater Dei, and Daniels, who has nine reported offers, is making his case as an elite-level quarterback. Osiris St. Brown is still a reliable go-to option for Mater Dei, but Amon-Ra St. Brown is showing that he is the real deal and worthy of the 13 reported offers he currently has.
McEachern: 4-Star QB Bailey Hockman and 3-Star WR Tyler Smith
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The connection between Bailey Hockman and Tyler Smith was established quickly this season. McEachern High School's first two touchdowns of the 2016 season came via pass plays featuring the two athletes—and the program is hoping to see more of the same throughout the season.
Hockman and Smith ultimately will be an ACC connection. Hockman committed to Florida State in April. Smith committed to North Carolina last November. Before they become conference foes, they're on a mission to win a Georgia state championship as teammates.
Hockman has thrown five touchdowns in three games and had his night cut short last Friday after leading McEachern to its most lopsided win in program history, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. Smith, in addition to his two touchdowns in the first game, also has a punt return for a touchdown.
Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles
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