Building the Illinois football program: Wide Receivers
The Illinois football team is building their program, and getting more talent on the offensive side of the ball is key.
Here is what Lovie Smith started with in 2016 and what the Illini will be putting out at wide receiver this fall.
2016 Starter: Malik Turner (2-Star #1752 Class of 2014)
The No. 1 on the Illinois wide receiver core entering the 2016 season was Malik Turner. It should have been Mike Dudek but he went down with an injury. Turner had a pretty good season, though.
Despite his sub-1500 ranking in the class of 2014, Turner turned out to be a good player. He caught 48 passes for 712 yards and 6 touchdowns during that first season under Lovie Smith. I imagine his numbers would have been even better had Wes Lunt not gone down with an injury as well.
Starter: Justin Hardee (3-Star #1311 Class of 2012)
Justin Hardee played his final season in the Orange and Blue in 2016. He was coming off a season-ending injury, but he still played well. He finished as the second-leading receiver on the team with 25 catches for 314 yards.
Starter: Zach Grant (Not Ranked)
Illinois’ third-leading wide receiver in 2016 was Zach Grant. He ended with the Illini via St. Ambrose University. Grant wasn’t ranked or rated by the recruiting sites, but he did finish his senior year in 2016 with 26 catches for 265 yards and a touchdown.
Backup: Sam Mays (3-Star #416 Class of 2015)
In 2016, Sam Mays was the highest rated wide receiver recruit on the team. He didn’t get many starts, but he was a productive sophomore catching 13 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. He intended to transfer after last season but is finishing up his senior year with the Illini this fall.
Backup: DJ Taylor (3-Star #773 Class of 2013)
DJ Taylor was a solid backup at the wide receiver position in 2016. He finished the year off with 7 catches for 65 yards.
Backup: Desmond Cain (3-Star #837 Class of 2015)
Illinois was also able to get some production out of Desmond Cain during the 2016 season. He finished with 5 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. He would transfer out of the program.
2018 Starter: Ricky Smalling (3-Star #711 Class of 2017)
Snagging Ricky Smalling from the class of 2017 was a great get by Lovie and his coaching staff. 247Sports has him rated way too low, but that is the site I went off of to do this write-up.
Smalling finished his freshman season with 31 catches for 510 yards and 2 touchdowns. This was all on a quarterback carousel that saw three different passers throughout the season. He will enter 2018 as the No. 1 pass catcher.
Starter: Mike Dudek (3-Star #1101 Class of 2014)
Despite injuries throughout the years, Mike Dudek is back again and ready to show the world he still has that luster from his freshman campaign. He ended up catching 24 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown last season. Look for him to be the No. 2 pass catcher this year.
Starter: Carmoni Green (3-Star #654 Class of 2017)
Another great get for the Illini in the class of 2017 was Carmoni Green. He was a highly rated recruit coming out of the state of Florida. He should be the No. 3 wide receiver on the team despite only catching 8 passes for 75 yards last season.
Backup: Sam Mays (3-Star #416 Class of 2015)
Sam Mays is one of the few holdovers from the Tim Beckman regime. He didn’t play a lot last season, but he is a talented pass catcher entering his senior year. He should be one of the main backups.
Backup: Shaedon Meadors (3-Star #755 Class of 2014)
Illinois received Shaedon Meadors via the graduate transfer route. He is coming from Appalachian State and should be a good backup option. Look for him to shine in this Illini offense after a season in which he put up 45 catches for 716 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Next: Building the Illinois football program: Running Backs
Backup: Trenard Davis (3-Star #1431 Class of 2015)
Trenard Davis emerged as a viable option last season at the wide receiver position. He was actually the fourth leading wide receiver on the team with 10 catches for 152 yards. He is likely in line for a backup job this season as well.