Ryan Wingo: 2024 4-star WR next in line in St. Louis

Yes, there’s another Wingo from St. Louis University High.

And he might just be the best in the bunch.

In the Class of 2009, Ronnie Wingo Jr. out of SLUH was one of the nation’s most coveted athletes. During his career at SLUH, he rushed for 4,449 yards and 48 touchdowns. He ranked in the top 100 by most of the recruiting media outlets and picked Arkansas over Missouri, Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma and a host of other national programs. Wingo had a solid career with the Hogs, rushing for more than 1,090s yards. He played pro football with the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Then in the 2014 class, Raymond Wingo was a four-star defensive back from SLUH. He signed with Missouri over Auburn, Michigan State and other national programs. He played receiver for the Tigers and had two touchdown catches before deciding to retire from football.

Now next in line at SLUH is sophomore Ryan Wingo. But many insiders believe he might be first in line from the Wingo family from a talent standpoint.

Ryan Wingo a ‘top-10 player’

Ryan Wingo, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound four-star receiver, is already ranked as the No. 6 player in the country, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also is ranked by the On3 Consensus early on as the nation’s No. 1 receiver and the top overall player in the 2024 class from the Show-Me State.

Last week, Ryan Wingo was offered by Texas A&M, which only added to the early list of impressive tenders from top national programs. He was previously offered by Arkansas, Notre Dame, Missouri, Florida, Texas, Oregon, Penn State, Ole Miss, Iowa, Michigan State, West Virginia, Nebraska, Boston College, Iowa State, UCF and others.

“I have recruited St. Louis for 20 years and recruited both of his brothers,” a veteran B1G coach told On3. “Ronnie was tremendous, and Ray had big potential, too. But Ryan is special. He is one of the top 10 players on our board – in the entire country.”

‘You are incredible’

SLUH recruiting coordinator Adam Cruz played with Ronnie in high school. He said it’s impossible to compare the siblings. All Cruz knows is that Ryan Wingo is one of a kind.

“On the football field, he can do whatever he wants,” Cruz said. “His receiving numbers and skills speak for themselves. He threw a 75-yard touchdown pass this year. Ryan took three back in the return game. He was our punter and was named all-conference at receiver and punter. He was also top five in the area in net punting average.

“There were so many times this past year he would just do something, and I’d be like, ‘Man, you are incredible,’ and he’d just laugh.”

Wingo earned all-metro honors in St. Louis after catching 32 passes for 638 yards. He also rushed for 206 yards and had 16 total touchdowns. Wingo has been timed as fast as 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He also has a sub-22-second 200-meter time, a 36-inch vertical leap, and a 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump.

Ryan Wingo special off field, too

Ryan Wingo is taking all the early attention in stride. It certainly helps his family has been through this process twice already. Plus, his father, Ronnie Wingo Sr., has done a great job of keeping Ryan Wingo focused on what’s most important.

“Ryan is the easiest kid in the world to get along with,” Cruz said. “Which makes recruiting fun. He is just an easy-going good natured and humble kid. I know everyone says that, but with Ryan it really is true.

“I teach him in English and coach him in JV basketball. He’s a great classmate and an incredible teammate, which is just really neat to see. You see him interact with schoolmates, and you’d have no idea of his accolades.”

Still early in recruiting process

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine currently favors Notre Dame and Arkansas at 38.4%. Missouri is listed in the On3 RPM at 13.4%, but the Tigers are definitely expected to be a factor in his long-term recruitment.

Cruz said Iowa, Notre Dame and Missouri have done a “great job” early on of recruiting him. He also said Wingo enjoyed talking with A&M about the offer last week.