The West Region is brimming with wide receiver talent in the upcoming recruiting classes. Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney hands out superlatives for a handful of different position-related categories.
THESE SERIES: Superlatives for the Mid-South’s top receivers | South East | Midwest
MORE FROM THE WEST: Mid-Summer Review: Pac-12 Recruiting Rankings
PAC-12 TEAM RANKINGS: 2024 | 2025
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RANKING OF THE CLASS OF 2023: Rivals250 | Crew | Position | State
RANKING OF THE CLASS OF 2024: Rivals250 | Crew | Position | State
RANKING OF THE CLASS OF 2025: Rivals250 | Crew | Position | State
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BEST HANDS: Xavier Jordan
Chatsworth (California) Sierra Canyon’s new receiver isn’t the fastest or the biggest, but he catches anything he can get his hands on. All. At OT7 Phoenix and other events this offseason, Jordan has been phenomenal, so consistent and after rising to No. 101 overall nationally, that still might not be enough.
THE USC committing has speed – he’s certainly not slow – but even in contested situations where the cornerback sticks with him the whole way through, all the quarterback has to do is throw the ball within Jordan’s catch radius and the four-star goes down with the ball.
There’s no question that Jordan is striving to be California’s top receiver by the end of the 2024 cycle.
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BEST SIZE: Kwazi Gilmer
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, on paper, Gilmer doesn’t seem like the best-sized receiver in the West. But he’s big, he’s tough and he can box defensive backs who try to compete for him on balls in the field.
What makes the Chatsworth Sierra Canyon most special is that it doesn’t sacrifice smooth motion or decent speed due to its size and mass as an outside receiver. After the transfer from West Hills (California) Chaminade, Gilmer and Jordan should form a dynamic – and unstoppable – duo in their senior seasons.
UCLA has the advantage here, with Stanford right there with Oklahoma, state of michigan, Washington And cal making up his top six.
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BEST SPEED: Gatlin Bair
Bair beat five stars in 2023 Port of Nyckoles in a race this offseason, and Harbor nabbed a five-star rating in part because of his incredible track times. Bair, a four-star top from Burley, Idaho, also beat California’s fastest man, Rodrick Nicea four-star from 2023 that has signed with Oregon.
What’s most surprising about Bair is that despite his impressive performance on the track, the four-star plans to stop participating in the sport when he gets to college and just focus on being the best receiver he can be – which is good enough.
Last season, Bair finished with 73 receptions for 1,073 yards and 18 touchdowns. Sure, it was against competition from Idaho, but everyone knew the ball was coming and no one could stop it – or catch it.
Nebraska, Michigan, TOSBoise State and Oregon are in his top five and despite more high-profile offers recently, Bair remains focused on those five, with the Wolverines perhaps having an edge.
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BEST RUNNER: Jordan Anderson
It’s a cliché, but Anderson always takes what the defense gives him, stays patient, and consistently wins against nearly every cornerback.
Newport Beach (Calif.) newbie Newport Harbor loves to go deep and make really tough catches look easy because he has the speed, focus and playing ability to stretch the court. If the cornerback gives up too much cushion, Anderson is happy to take a short pass and move the chains.
Every time Anderson is on the court, the Oregon commit – which has shown no signs of watching other programs – has the potential to do something big and at the very least be a productive and consistent receiver.
