Cincinnati Bearcats Football Recruiting: 2018 Wide Receiver Targets Part One

The Cincinnati Bearcats have already made some additions to its 2018 recruiting class at wide receiver. With Jayshon Jackson and Ja’Von Hicks already making their commitments, the class is off to a fast start. Those two will be attempting to join the ranks of great receivers of UC team’s past, including Shaq Washington, Anthony McClung and Mardy Gilyard.

But Jackson and Hicks do not an entire recruiting class make. The staff at UC, led by Luke Fickell, are hard at work sending out offers to several handfuls of recruits who will hopefully catch lots of passes in a Bearcat uniform. We’ll tackle (nailed that football reference) all of them over the course of the next few days.

Al’vonte Woodard

Woodard is one of six uncommited four-star receivers that UC has its eyes on. From Houston, Woodard is considered the No. 73 recruit in the country and the No. 10 recruit in the state of Texas. That’s a pretty big deal and makes him an elite talent. Unsurprisingly, the Texas Longhorns appear to be the front runner for his services, while programs like LSU, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M are also in Woodard’s top five. UC isn’t in the running anymore, but until he fully commits, he’s still a target, albeit an unrealistic one. After he turned 35 receptions into 792 yards and 14 touchdowns for Lamar in 2016, its obvious why so many programs, both large and small, are still holding out hope.

Kevin Austin

Unlike Woodard, Austin has not announced finalists for his services and we don’t have an exact timeline for when he’ll commit. When he does, he’ll likely be going to Notre Dame, if 247Sports is to be believed. UC is still in the running technically, but with Clemson, Miami and Tennessee also there, the Bearcats are fighting an uphill battle for the four-star receiver and No. 140 wideout in the 2018 class. Austin is a versatile athlete, as he rushed for 454 yards and six touchdowns to go with 1,021 yards and 13 touchdowns on 41 receptions for North Broward Prep last season.

Elijah Moore

Again, here’s a four-star recruit that UC offered that probably isn’t going to give the Bearcats a ton of thought. The 5’11 receiver from Florida is warming to Miami, Ohio State and Ole Miss, which are three of 33 programs to offer him. A four-star recruit, Moore is ranked No. 175 nationally and No. 36 in the state of Florida. He only played in seven games for St. Thomas Aquinas last season and accumulated just 42 yards on nine receptions, but his potential is what has so many schools jockeying for his services.

Rondale Moore

From Louisville, Kentucky, UC has to contend with a few local rivals here, as Louisville and Ohio State are both at the top of the list for this 5’8 speedster. Kentucky is also in the running for Moore, a four-star recruit and the No. 1 prospect in the state. Once again, were’s seeing UC swimming with sharks for a recruit, as Texas just recently offered him, while teams like Penn State, Michigan State and West Virginia have entered the fray along with a total of 33 schools.

JaMarr Chase

Chase might be giving an in-state discount to LSU, as the four-star receiver is leaning toward the Tigers, TCU and Tennessee, according to 247Sports. A 6’1, 195-pound pass-catcher from Metairie, Louisiana, Chase has 27 offers in front of him. It makes sense. He’s a top 200 recruit overall and the No. 6 recruit in the state of Louisiana.

Bryson Jackson

Jackson has begun to get cozy with Oklahoma recently, making an unofficial visit in early June after receiving an offer at the end of May. UC is one of 23 teams to offer the three-star recruit from Houston. He is 5’11, 174 pounds and the No. 354 recruit in the country, as well as a top 50 prospect in Texas. He had an unbelievable junior year, catching 70 passes for 1,581 yards and 21 touchdowns for St. Pius X. Talent like that would be a huge boost for the Bearcats, but like the rest on this list, he’s probably out of reach.

Cameron Brown

Brown has more height on his side, standing at 6’1 and is a three-star recruit, meaning he falls a bit more into UC’s recruiting range. However, his recruiting track has been a bit bumpy, especially recently, as he committed to Nebraska on May 7, then decommitted a little more than a month later after attending camp at and receiving an offer from Ohio State. Brown is the No. 7 recruit in Missouri and a top 400 recruit nationally. Brown’s moves after his time at Ohio State indicate that he is probably keen on becoming a Buckeye, but we’ll see.

Stay tuned tomorrow for our second part of this series, where we’ll start getting into the more realistic targets.