Cincinnati high school football: Preseason top 10 receivers to watch in 2023.

The beginning of the high school football season is less than two months away with Northern Kentucky and Ohio each scheduled to kick off on Aug. 18.

Here’s a rundown of the top 10 receivers to watch from each side of the river going into the 2023 season.

(This is the third of a seven-part series where The Enquirer will list the top 10 players at each positional group. Next up is offensive linemen).

More: Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky high school football: Preseason top 10 RBs to watch

More: Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky high school football: Preseason top 10 QBs to watch

Ryan Brotherton, East Central

Brotherton will team up with Josh Ringer and quarterback Cole Burton to form one of the best offensive trios in the region. It doesn't hurt that all three are seniors, either.

The Western Michigan commit is coming off a season in which he caught 35 passes for 859 yards and 11 touchdowns. Over 15 games, he averaged 57.3 receiving yards per contest and an almost unthinkable 24.5 yards per reception.

Brotherton's highlights from 2022 include an 88-yard touchdown against Moeller, a 58-yard touchdown against Silver Creek, and five catches for 190 yards and three touchdowns against Harrison.

Donte Ferrell, Woodward

Ferrell, a three-star receiver and the No. 44 overall recruit in Ohio for the Class of 2024 by 247Sports' composite rankings, recently committed to Colorado State.

Ferrell was a first-team All-Ohio selection in Division II last season. He was one of the nation's leaders in receiving yards (1,744), a category he led the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference in along with catches (92) and touchdowns (12).

Ferrell was held under 100 receiving yards in just one game last season (3 catches, 87 yards vs. Trimble) and had multiple touchdown catches in five contests. He had a season-high 280 yards and two scores on nine grabs in a 42-28 win over Bethel-Tate and had a season-high 19 receptions against Western Hills.

Tra'Mar Harris, Winton Woods

Listed as a three-star athlete and the No. 24 overall recruit in Ohio for the Class of 2024 by 247Sports, Harris committed to Purdue on June 30. He chose the Boilermakers from an offer sheet list that included Indiana, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Virginia Tech and others.

Harris led the Warriors receiving unit last season, totaling 53 catches for 806 yards and 11 touchdowns, which ranked fourth in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference. Harris had a receiving touchdown in eight consecutive games, including a multi-score performance in a 28-14 win over Milford.

Harris crossed the century mark three times, including a season-high 133 yards on eight receptions in a 34-21 playoff win over Ross.

Chris Henry Jr., Withrow

Henry has two dozen offers, including from Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Miami, Purdue, Penn State and Michigan State, after just one year of prep football.

Henry was a second-team all-district selection at defensive back last season as a freshman playing for West Clermont. On the receiving end, he had 29 catches for 292 yards and five touchdowns. Henry had a season-high six catches in his first high school game against Hamilton, then caught two scores just two weeks later against Winton Woods. He had a season-high 85 yards on just three catches (two touchdowns) against Milford later in the season.

Henry has since transferred to Withrow, where he'll team up with fellow transfer Luke Dunn, who led the Greater Catholic League-South in passing yards last season.

Isaiah Johnson, Cooper

From a numbers perspective, Johnson had one of the best seasons of any receiver in Northern Kentucky in 2022. He caught 33 passes for 673 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 20.3 yards per catch and 61.2 yards per game.

The senior will team up with junior Austin Alexander to form a reliable tandem for Cam O’Hara. With so many weapons to be had, Cooper will be a team to watch on the offensive side of the ball this fall.

Brennan Remy, Lakota West

Remy has picked up offers from Southeast Missouri and the University of Indianapolis over the last week.

The senior was an honorable mention All-Ohio selection last year after helping lead Lakota West to the regional championship game. After a four-catch sophomore season in 2021, Remy emerged as one of the top receiving threats in the Greater Miami Conference last fall. He finished tied for the league lead in receptions (46) and touchdown catches (10) while finishing second in receiving yards (665).

Remy had a season-high six catches for 103 yards in a season-opening win over St. Xavier and caught two touchdowns in wins over Lakota East, Sycamore and Mason.

Willie Rodriguez, Covington Catholic

A broken elbow placed Rodriguez on the sideline halfway through his junior season. Before the injury, the junior tight end caught 14 passes for 295 yards and five touchdowns and was on pace to be the Colonels' leading receiver.

Rodriguez is a three-star recruit at 247Sports and is committed to playing at Kentucky after racking up 33 Division I offers.

Isaiah Smith, Western Brown

Smith was an honorable mention All-Ohio selection last season after putting up impressive numbers in Western Brown's high-flying offense.

Smith was one of three 1,000-yard receivers for the Broncos, totaling 46 catches for 1,022 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged a team-high 22.2 yards per catch.

Smith had four 100-yard performances last season, including a 164-yard performance in a 50-28 win over Clinton-Massie. He had a season-high seven catches in a 54-40 victory over Washington Court House and caught two touchdowns in wins over Wilmington and Mount Healthy.

Over the last two years, Smith has 85 receptions for 1,707 yards and 15 scores.

Mike Smith, Anderson

As a junior last season, Smith ranked second in the ECC in receptions (94) and fourth in receiving yards (1,114) to go with six touchdowns.

Smith had at least four catches in all but one game last season, including a season-high 11 grabs for 168 yards and two touchdowns in a 62-20 victory over Turpin. Smith had over 100 receiving yards in back-to-back playoff games in wins over Little Miami and Edgewood, helping Anderson reach the Division II, Region 8 championship game.

In the regional final, Smith had nine catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Kings.

Dorian Williams, Princeton

Williams, a three-star recruit by 247Sports, is ranked the No. 25 recruit in Ohio for the Class of 2024 and the top-ranked wide receiver in the state.

Williams had 22 catches for 374 yards and three touchdowns last season for the Vikings, averaging 17 yards per catch. Williams had nine Division I offers, including from Kentucky, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Colorado State, before committing to Vanderbilt on June 21.

Best of the rest

Trace Jallick, Caden Piening, Jack Sammarco, Anderson; Carson Cheek, Badin; Max Mehlman, Batavia; Troy Harris, Bethel-Tate; Bryce Sipple, Blanchester; Austin Alexander, Cooper; Braylon Miller, Covington Catholic; Carson Class, Highlands; C.J. Hayden, Indian Hill; Nate Lyman, Kings; Luka Gilbert, Lakota West; Kyle Koch, Lebanon; Braden Greer, Mason; Reece Davis, Milford; Eli Jacon-Duffy, Moeller; JayJay Etheridge, Mantee Mathis, Mount Healthy; Trey Sininger, New Richmond; Jeremy Sanders, Norwood; Jordan Houston, Princeton; Levi Smiley, Purcell Marian; Landon Lorms, Ryle; Gio Garrett, Sycamore; Jay'Quan Bostic, Taft; Aaron McFarland, Taylor; Connor Berrey, Waynesville; Alex Ervin, Williamsburg; Quinton Simmons Jr., Withrow; Michael Cephas, Woodward

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati high school football: Top 10 receivers to watch in 2023