Throughout the history of the Illinois football program, some legendary wide receivers have stepped foot in Memorial Stadium.
Some of the best pass-catchers include David Williams, Brandon Lloyd and Arrelious Benn. The current Illini squad also has some great wide receivers as well.
Current Outlook
Heading into spring practice, this is probably the most comfortable I have been with our wide receiver corps in a long time. We have more talent out wide right now than any Illini team in recent memory.
The main trio for the Illini will set the tone on offense this season. Josh Imatorbhebhe is the main pass catcher for the Orange and Blue. He had a great first year with Illinois catching 33 passes for 634 yards and 9 touchdowns. He was also a five-star coming out of high school too. So, there is a great chance he continues to blossom.
Behind Imatorbhebhe are Ricky Smalling and Trevon Sidney. Both of these players dealt with injuries in 2019, so it will be nice to have them healthy once again. They were also both four-star recruits out of high school. Look for them to take the next step in their career.
I really like our second-tier wide receivers too. I have Casey Washington and Donny Navarro as guaranteed second-stringers. Navarro was second on the team in receptions (27) and yards (345) while also pulling in two touchdowns. Washington showed Illini Nation that he has game too. He ended up catching 11 passes for 132 yards. His hands are incredible.
Future Outlook
Now, this is where it gets a little dicey. While I love what we are bringing back for 2020, I am slightly concerned by what the future holds at wide receiver.
Imatorbhebhe, Smalling and Sidney are all seniors in 2020, so they will be departing. That means Washington – who will be a junior – and Navarro – who will be a senior – will step up into starting roles come 2021. I am also curious to see how Edwin Carter progresses too. After the gruesome injury in 2018, he came back last season and didn’t get a lot of playing time. He might be an asset for this team
Honestly, what we really need in 2020 is the development of both Kyron Cumby and James Frenchie. Getting these two as much playing time as possible will benefit the team greatly. They should start working a lot with future starting quarterback Isaiah Williams too.
I also believe Illinois needs to have a strong class of 2021 that features some talented wide receivers. Some names to keep an eye on would be Demetrious Cannon out of Trinity Catholic and Jaedon Wilson out of DeSoto. They would be great additions to this program.