Cincinnati Bearcats Football Recruiting: 2018 Wide Receiver Targets Part Two

We are still waiting to see what the offense will look like in a Luke Fickell program, but we certainly know that there will need to be players to catch the ball. Yesterday we started taking a look at targets at wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bearcats’ 2018 recruiting class, and there’s a lot of them. Now we’ll take a look at a few more.

Joseph Scates

There are a number of things working in UC’s favor when it comes to Scates. He’s a somewhat local kid (Dayton) and he is somewhat “warm” on the Bearcats according to 247Sports. Unfortunately, he is right now considered more likely to pick Alabama than any other school, but the No. 6 recruit in Ohio is still considering UC for all intents and purposes. A four-star wideout, Scates would be a major recruiting coup, the offensive version of Malik Vann. At 6’3 and 175 pounds, he’s already built to succeed, and would be that kind of go up and get it receiver that any quarterback or offensive coordinator would love.

During his junior year at Dunbar, he caught 30 passes for 688 yards and 14 touchdowns. With a 22.9 yards per reception average and those fistfuls of scores, Scates showed off his big play ability, which will translate whether he picks the SEC or the American Athletic Conference as his stomping grounds.

Nikko Hall

There are only two players from California on the current UC roster, but wide receiver Devin Gray is one of them, so maybe Hall will see the success Gray had last season and use that to dictate his college choice. The three-star prospect from Calabasas, California, has 18 offers and is projected to pick USC. Should UC lure him away, it would be getting the No. 42 recruit in the state of California and the No. 62 wide receiver in the 2018 class. Hall has the size to be good (6’0 and 171 pounds) and he produced 1,026 yards and 12 touchdowns on 51 receptions during his junior year.

Meechi Harris

Here’s a wideout that UC actually has a very good shot at. Although 247 Sports is currently predicting that he will attend Kentucky, Harris is also categorized as warm on Cincinnati. The three-star wide receiver from Xenia, Ohio is the No. 22 recruit in the state of Ohio and the No. 85 wide receiver in the 2018 class. He has 18 offers, including ones from Michigan State, Iowa State and Minnesota as well as UC and UK. Like Scates, he is a big receiver (6’2”, 188 pounds) who would play well in the red zone.

Nate Bauer

Hailing from Akron, Bauer could very well be the most likely commit on this list for the Bearcats. The locality obviously helps, but UC is also one of 12 teams that have offered the 6’1 wideout but only one of four categorized as “warm” by 247 Sports. Bauer is only the No. 227 wide receiver in the 2018 class but he is a top 60 prospect in Ohio. He plays for Archbishop Hoban, which went 14-1 last season.

Xavier Johnson

Johnson is a more highly touted recruit than Bauer, even if both are three-star rated, ranking 148th among 2018 wide receivers and No. 36 among Ohio prospects. Johnson is 6’1 and 215 pounds, so he has size and could even be converted into a tight end at some point. He has eight offers currently, mainly from local programs and could be a target the Bearcats zero in on considering he is from the area, playing for Summit Country Day School.

Zion Roland

Its likely that Roland will remain local and play for a Florida program, but the St. Petersburg native has offers from 10 teams, with UC being one of them. A three-star recruit, Roland is a top 100 wide receiver and top 100 prospect from the Sunshine State. 247 Sports currently has him pegged to pick either USF or Florida. The 5’11 receiver plays for Admiral Farragut Academy.

We’ll be back tomorrow with even more wide receiver targets. Stay tuned.