Illinois Football: Illini wide receiver depth improving with every class

The Illinois football team hasn’t had a deep wide receiver core for over a decade.

Illinois has had legendary pass catchers in that time, though. They had players who excelled on the football field despite the defense knowing that is who the quarterback is going to throw to.

Players like Arrelious Benn consistently put up great numbers with not much in the way of help behind him. He moved on and then AJ Jenkins took over as the dominant wide receiver on the team. He put up tremendous numbers his final year in Champaign.

But, throughout history, the depth at wide receiver has really killed this team. Granted, the quarterback situation has seemed shaky at best since the years of Kurt Kittner. The depth at wide receiver is changing, though.

Illinois brought in a great crew of wide receivers from the class of 2017 to go along with Mike Dudek for his final season in Champaign. Ricky Smalling had a great true freshman campaign catching 31 passes for 510 yards and two touchdowns. He will be a starter this season and will produce even more.

Carmoni Green will also continue developing into a starting caliber type of wide receiver. This kid was a good player coming out of high school in Florida. Watch for him to emerge as a potential starter this season if not, he will be a primary backup.

The class of 2018 has a few pass-catchers coming in as well. Carlos Sandy is a speedy 5-foot-8 wide receiver who will be a nightmare to cover. On the opposite end of the height spectrum, Edwin Cater is coming at 6-foot-3 and should be a main big-man target. These two will bring even more depth this season.

But, the class of 2019 has a chance to take this Illinois wide receiver core from great to potentially legendary. Marquez Beason is already signed up for the Illini, and he is a four-star and top 60 player. He can play either cornerback or wide receiver. Having him as a starting wide receiver would be phenomenal.

Adding someone like Fabian McCray would be amazing too. He is a top 1000 player from Chicago, Illinois. This 6-foot-2 wide receiver might be the most underrated player in the class of 2019. He would get playing time immediately and be a great option for incoming quarterback Isaiah Williams.

Beason and McCray would help make this wide receiver group one of the best in the nation. There is also an outside shot at some other talented pass catchers like Marcus Washington as well.

Next: Top 5 in-state recruiting targets for the Illini

Illinois has a chance to do something special in Champaign. They finally have a top-tier quarterback coming in, and they are putting one of the best wide receiver cores around him. People need to watch out for this Illini team.