Illinois Football: Dejon Brissett adds depth to wide receiver corps
The Illinois football team added a member to the family on Sunday night.
Dejon Brissett announced on Twitter that he has decided to play for the Illini this upcoming season. He will be transferring in from Richmond. This is a much-needed addition to the Illinois football team considering the lack of depth at wide receiver.
Brissett is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound wide receiver from the University of Richmond. His hometown is Mississauga, Ontario but he played high school football for Lake Forest Academy in Illinois. So, this is a good pickup for the Illini because he can come back home and play close to where he went to high school.
According to Brissett’s profile on the Richmond football website, he played in five games his freshman season and had two receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown. The following season, he played in every game for the Spiders and totaled five receptions for 66 yards. During his junior year, Brissett had 63 receptions for 896 yards and seven touchdowns. These numbers were good enough to earn him All-CAA First Team as well.
Last season was supposed to be big for Brissett, but he went down with a season-ending injury just three games into the campaign. During the three-games he did play, Brissett had 16 receptions for 299 yards and a touchdown. But, the ankle fracture sidelined him for the entire year. Now the Illini are getting this talented pass catcher.
I think this is a good addition for the Illini. Brissett can come into the program and become an impact player the year he is here. This past season, if Brissett would have stayed healthy, he was on pace for roughly 1,400 yards receiving and five touchdowns. Those would have been impressive numbers.
Illinois also needed help at the wide receiver position. We have a lot of unproven pass catchers and adding Brissett will help create competition. I like this move because it could elevate the play of everyone at the position.
I am excited to see what Brissett can do on the football field. Hopefully, he can stay healthy this season and be a big-time player for this program.