Some of Texas’ top wide receivers call Northeast Tarrant home

High school football in Northeast Tarrant County is experiencing quite the run when it comes to receivers.

A simple five-yard slant can turn into a 65-yard touchdown. It’s not just happening at one place. It’s everywhere.

Of Northeast Tarrant County’s 15 teams, nine have receivers (11 total) with at least 20 receptions and more than 400 receiving yards and eight averaging 17.5 yards per catch. At this pace, nine could finish with 1,000-plus yard seasons. Dramatic growth in the area has produced more prospects. Skill players begin the process as early as middle school.

Location doesn’t matter. These receivers check will look at the box score. This is a fraternity that stretches across the area.

“It’s cool to see what everybody is doing,” Keller Fossil Ridge senior wide receiver Stefan Cobbs said. “It’s like checking in on your brother. We feel like we’re bringing attention to this area.”

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Cobbs is one of several Division I prospects. He’s joined by teammate Jaylen Hearst. Keller Timber Creek senior Erik Ezukanma has 13 offers. Colleyville Heritage senior Ke’Von Ahmad holds 11 offers. Panther teammate Kam Brown is committed to UCLA.

“The coaches in this area look to get one of the top players in their middle schools into that lead wide receiver role,” Colleyville Heritage coach Joe Willis said. “You start in the youth leagues then to the middle schools. Basically, that position is secondary to the quarterback. You want to follow him through.”

Keller Timber Creek head coach Kevin Golden said he immediately noticed that in Ezukanma. He was much more advanced than other receivers. The only question was if Ezukanma would play running back, inside receiver or outside receiver. Eventually, Ezukanma moved to the outside.

“He was pretty special,” Golden said. “But then again, it’s not only him. This is a good year for big plays.”

But you don’t have to be Division I prospect to be considered at the top. Grapevine junior David Clayton is building his case to becoming a prospect. Teammate Jordan West-Brooks, a senior, is averaging 15.5 yards per reception.

There are unknowns becoming knowns in Haltom’s Immie Cooksey and Richland’s Rashee Rice, followed by the unheralded receivers, including Southlake Carroll’s Cade Bell. This is what you get when the development starts early, the coaching pays attention to detail and the constant refinement produces these results.

Ezuknma, Ahmad, Brown and Cobbs set the precedent. They have the size. Each is at least 6-0. They have the extra oomph to run away from the secondary. They have discipline in the way they run their routes.

“What a lot of those kids have is the uncanny knack of going to get the ball and blocking everything else out,” Golden said. “They have really great concentration, especially when it comes to fades and throws over the middle. That’s part of makes them incredible athletes.”

Ahmad and Cobbs took different paths to reach the apex of his individual high school game. Ahmad started as a running back before he transitioned to a wide receiver when he arrived at Colleyville Heritage.

Cobbs began in middle school. Each day, he and his father would work on running routes. His father would place cones at spots where defenders would possibly play. Call it muscle memory or instincts or both, but Cobbs said he can identify how he’s being defended through the first couple of series before he makes his own adjustment.

Ahmad is similar. But their lore isn’t defined by making the simple catch. It’s defined by making the difficult reception. Receivers speak the same language.

“I look at it as [being] someone who can read the field and see where I need to turn after I catch it,” Ahmad said. “The difficult catch is about body control. Two of the best things I know are how my body works and knowing where I am. If I’m about to catch it, I want to see where the opening is. If I catch it and know I’m going to get hit pretty hard, I’m going to turn my body just a little bit so I can take the hit and hold on to the ball.”

Grapevine, Colleyville Heritage and Fossil Ridge present the challenging defensive dilemma, because they have two playmakers each. While Timber Creek, Haltom and Richland may have the one alpha receiver, they still make it a tough guard.

“You have to decide who you’re going to single and who you’re going to double [cover],” said Grapevine coach Mike Alexander, a former defensive coordinator. “It puts the defensive play caller in a position where he has to take chance and roll the dice. We see scores that reflect that. There aren’t bad defensive teams, but these receivers create mismatches in the secondary.”

The progression of the spread offense has yielded this kind of productivity. The game is played in space. Defenses are stressed to where it’s not about tackling in gaps but taking the right angle and running 10-15 yards in order reduce the damage.

The on-field matchups have produced their own can-you-top this event. Cobbs and Ezukanma saw each other Sept. 29. That was a push. Rice and Cooksey squared off on Sept. 15. Rice dominated with a 235-yard performance. But Cooksey caught a 45-yard touchdown pass. Ahmad and Brown will be on opposite sidelines from Clayton and West-Brooks Oct. 27.

“Me and Erik are cool,” Cobbs said. “We’re all family. We want to see each other do well. But we’re very competitive. When we’re on the field, it’s like me versus him.”

Big-time players making big-time plays

A look at the Northeast Tarrant wide receivers having a big 2017.

Note: Keller Fossil Ridge and Haltom have yet to have their bye. Those teams have already played seven games. The other schools have played five games. Stats have been compiled between DFW Varsity and team stats entered on their Max Preps pages.

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Some of Texas’ top wide receivers call Northeast Tarrant home."