Top 10 Alabama WRs/TEs for 2023 high school football season

4. Derick Smith, Jr., Southside

Another member of the state’s junior class, Smith impressed during his season with the Panthers last fall. During the year, Smith racked up 57 catches for 1,391 yards and 10 touchdowns while also rushing 51 times for 966 yards and eight more scores for the 6-5 Southside team that made it into the Class 3A playoffs. Smith was named a first-team all-state defensive back after recording 98 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, eight interceptions and four sacks.

As a stellar two-way player, it comes as no surprise that Smith has earned plenty of attention from scouts as he is a unanimous four-star prospect and rated as high as the No. 5 player in the state by ESPN which also gives him the No. 28 ranking in the site’s Junior 300. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound receiver holds 15 scholarship offers from programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Miami, Michigan and Texas among others and will be a much-welcomed addition to any team.