Best Houston area, Southeast Texas high school football players in 2023: Top 20 wide receivers

From Cy-Fair's Owen Carter to The Woodlands' Quannel X Farrakhan Jr., here are the top pass-catcher in the region

As the Texas high school football season roars on, SBLive continues its look at the top players across the state by position and region.

We identified the top 20 quarterbacks in each region, starting in North Texas, then Central Texas, South Texas, East Texas, Southeast Texas and West Texas.

Then we moved to running backs, identifying the top 20 in North Texas, Central Texas, South Texas, East Texas and the Houston area/Southeast Texas.

Now, we're looking at the state's best wide receivers in the 2023 season.

After scouring North Texas, South Texas, East Texas and Central Texas, we're moving to the Houston area and Southeast Texas Texas. 

Here are the 20 best receivers to consider, spanning schools of all sizes across the entire region.

Stay with SBLive Texas (@SBLiveTX) for a position-by-position look at the top high school football players across each of the Lone Star State's six regions in the 2023 season, along with reader polls asking fans to choose the best on each watch list. Players are listed in alphabetical order.

TOP RECEIVERS IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

Christopher Barnes, senior

School: Galena Park North Shore
Measurables: 5-8, 195

A 3-star recruit, Barnes put up huge numbers in his junior year for the Mustangs, garnering 58 receptions for 1,167 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2022. He also played basketball as a point guard this past year. The wideout has committed to North Texas.

Tristen Brown, senior

School: Houston Lamar
Measurables: 5-9, 170

Ranked No. 20 overall at the wide receiver position, the 3-star recruit collected 988 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on 35 receptions as a junior in 2022. Brown was a dynamic force on special teams who had three kick return touchdowns. The Texas District 18-6A first-team selection as a junior has committed to Vanderbilt.

Adam Buffington, senior

School: Friendswood 
Measurables: 6-1, 175

A bright spot of Friendswood's offense, Buffington has caught a receiving touchdown at least one per game and gone for more than 100 yards four times. He has 33 catches for 660 yards and eight total touchdowns on the season for the Mustangs (3-3).

Jabari Bush, senior

School: Katy Paetow
Measurables: 6-4, 200

Bush only played in 5 games his junior year with 11 catches for 68 yards, but he was huge his sophomore year as the Panthers receiver had 38 receptions for 416 yards and 4 scores in 11 games. The 3-star recruit is an Arkansas State commit.

Owen Carter, senior

School: Cypress Cy-Fair
Measurables: 6-1, 185

Ranked No. 26 in his position class, he had 51 receptions for 992 yards and nine touchdowns in 9 games as a junior in 2022 for the Bobcats, earning Texas District 17-6A first-team selection. He also competed in track and field. The 3-star recruit has committed to Rice.

Deion Deblanc, junior

School: Galena Park North Shore
Measurables: 5-10, 180

The 4-star recruit for the Mustangs is ranked No. 29 overall in the state. In 2021 he was the Texas District 14-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman. The speedy Deblanc also runs track and currently has 9 offers, including Houston and Texas Tech. He will be a great asset to any team, with his elusive ability to get over the top, strong blocking skills, and usefulness on special teams in the return game.

Mason Dossett, senior

School: Fort Bend Ridge Point
Measurables: 6-1, 180

Dossett racked up 46 catches for 660 yards and 4 touchdowns in 13 games for the Panthers. He also was great on special teams, with 15 kickoff returns and 1 touchdown. A multi-sport athlete, he competed in track hurdles. Ranked as No. 18 in his position, the 3-star recruit earned 2nd team all-district and has committed to Baylor. His father, Martin Dossett also played for Baylor, and eventually in the NFL for 2 years for the Packers.

Quannel X Farrakhan Jr., junior

School: The Woodlands
Measurables: 6-0, 170

Ranked No. 31 at wideout and overall in the state of Texas, the 4-star recruit reeled in 38 receptions for 532 yards and 7 touchdowns as a sophomore, with his freshman year numbers actually a bit higher. Farrakhan also can run the ball, with 230 yards on 26 carries with 2 touchdowns. The 2022 Texas District 13-6A first-team selection as a sophomore has 18 offers including Georgia, TCU, Penn State, Tennessee, and Michigan.

Andre Feast, junior

School: Fort Bend Marshall
Measurables: 5-10, 165

Feast racked up 31 receptions for 482 yards and 6 touchdowns as a sophomore for the Buffaloes. A 3-star recruit, he has 4 offers, including UTSA.

Jakayden Ferguson, junior

School: Fort Bend Marshall
Measurables: 6-2, 175

One of the top wide receiver names in the 2025 class, Ferguson is ranked No. 13 overall in the state and No. 4 in his position. The 4-star recruit for the Buffaloes had 25 receptions for 411 yds and 6 touchdowns his sophomore year. Ferguson also runs track. He currently has 19 offers including Arkansas, Texas Tech, OU, Auburn, and Tennessee. His uncle Robert Ferguson played at Texas A&M and was in the NFL for 8 years.

Dane Jones, junior

School: Fort Bend Ridge Point
Measurables: 5-11, 175

Jones had 34 receptions for 488 yards and 4 touchdowns for the Panthers in 2022. Ranked No. 62 at the wideout position, the 3-star recruit has 11 offers including Florida, TCU, Baylor, and Kansas State.

Ashton Jones, junior

School: Pearland Shadow Creek
Measurables: 6-5, 185

As the No. 71 prospect in Texas, he has 11 offers including Baylor and Houston. The 3- star recruit for the Sharks had 12 catches for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns in 7 games. He also competed in the high jump as a multi-sport athlete.

Zion Kearney, senior

School: Fort Bend Hightower
Measurables: 6-3, 195

Kearney is one of the top wide receivers in the upcoming 2024 class, ranked No. 4 at his position and No. 22 overall in the state. The 4-star recruit put up huge numbers of 39 receptions for 765 yards and eight touchdowns to earn unanimous first-team all-district honors in 13 games for the Hurricanes. He also runs track. The Texas District 20-6A unanimous first-team selection as a junior has committed to Oklahoma.

Andrew Marsh, junior

School: Katy Jordan
Measurables: 6-0, 170

Marsh is the big name at the top of the 2025 recruits list, ranked 2nd overall at his position and No. 5 in Texas as a whole. As the Texas District 19-6A Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore, he racked up 53 receptions for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Warriors. The 4-star recruit also competes in track and field. He has a whopping 30 offers, including Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and LSU.

Ashton Belthel-Roman, senior

School: Fort Bend Ridge Point
Measurables: 6-2, 170

As a first-team all-district in his junior year, Roman reeled in 37 receptions for 892 yards and 8 touchdowns in 13 games for the Panthers. Ranked No. 9 at the position, he has big play athleticism with sneaky speed, helped by his accomplishments in track and field. His father Mark Roman was a 2nd round pick in 2000 and made 100 NFL starts in 10 seasons. The 3-star recruit has committed to Arkansas.

Britain Simmons, senior

School: Jasper
Measurables: 5-11, 170

As a multi-sport athlete, Simmons is also playing basketball this season as a shooting guard/small forward. The 3-star recruit had 49 receptions for 768 yards and 9 touchdowns for the Bulldogs in 9 games. He has received 8 offers, including from Texas Tech and Vanderbilt.

Andre Thompson, senior

School: Manvel
Measurables: 5-8, 150

The wideout for the Mavericks collected 48 receptions for 592 yards and 2 touchdowns in 10 games as a junior. Additionally, he had over 100 rushing yds on 11 carries. The 3-star recruit has received nine offers, including from Texas A&M, Miami and Arkansas.

Jelani Watkins, senior

School: Humble Atascocita
Measurables: 5-9, 160

He is one of the top recruits at the wide receiver position ranked No. 4, and No. 28 in the state overall. Watkins earned 1st team all-district as a junior, piling up 12 receptions for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns in only 3 games. He averaged 74 yards per game for the Eagles with 63 yards as his longest catch. A talented multi-sport athlete, Watkins won the 200-meter Texas 6A state championship in track. The 4-star recruit has committed to LSU.

Jacorey Watson, junior

School: Pearland Shadow Creek
Measurables: 5-11, 175

Watson is a complete package heading into his junior year as a true do it all at QB, RB, WR, and kick returning. However, his specialty is wideout as he is ranked No. 6 in that position and No. 20 overall in Texas. He had 24 receptions for 323 yards and eight touchdowns for the Sharks. Watson also had an impressive stat line as a quarterback, with 63% completion, for 952 yards and 13 touchdown passes. Don’t forget about his rushing with 50 carries for 158 yards and four touchdowns. By the way, he also runs track. The 4-star recruit has 14 offers, including Michigan, Texas, and LSU. 

-- Maanav Gupta | @sblivetx