Illinois Football: Wide receiver depth a strength for the Illini

The Illinois football team has a ton of talent at the wide receiver position.

That is a sentence I haven’t uttered in quite some time. In fact, I am pretty sure I haven’t said those words at least in the past decade. But the Illini wide receiver corps has made some adjustments and is going to be putting one of the most talented groups we have ever seen out on the field this fall.

I think it is fair to say, Illinois hasn’t had the best talent at the wide receiver position over the years. There has been a smattering of skill but nothing substantial.

Josh Imatorbhebhe was the leading pass catcher for the Orange and Blue the two years he was with the program. But he only finished with 931 yards in those two seasons. As a whole, Illinois has only had a total of 31 wide receivers who have eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for their career. That number is generous considering some of those 31 are actually tight ends.

As of late, even when Illinois manages to find a great wide receiver, they end up getting hurt and never being the same again. Just ask Mike Dudek who had 1,038 yards during his freshman season but then went down with an injury every year after that. The kid played in 21 total games and is still No. 15 all-time in career receiving yards.

Times are changing for the Illinois football wide receiver corps.

With a new coaching regime at Illinois comes a new lease on life on the football field. The Illini fanbase and the team seem to be rejuvenated and ready to win games like never before. A big part of winning games is having a well-oiled offense.

The wide receiver corps is one of the main cogs to drive this well-oiled machine. And, for the first time in a long time, I believe Illinois has the weapons to do some damage in the Big Ten and on a national level. Let’s take a look at what we have to work with this season.

• Marquez Beason – 4-star – #99 overall

Switching from defensive back to wide receiver, superstar athlete Marquez Beason is ready to make a name for himself. After missing his first year with an injury and then having a COVID-shortened second year, Beason has a chance to be Illinois’ No. 1 wide receiver. He was a great two-way player coming out of Texas, so the position change shouldn’t be a problem.

• Isaiah Williams – 4-star – #116 overall

Illinois is chock-full of highly-rated talent at wide receiver. Isaiah Williams is switching from his quarterback role over to wide receiver for 2021. He is another superstar athlete who can play anywhere on the field. I expect to see Williams in the slot a lot this season. Don’t be shocked if he leads the team in catches.

• Brian Hightower – 4-star – #154 overall

A trio of wide receivers who were all top 160 recruits in their respective class is an impressive grouping. Brian Hightower rounds out the trio. He is the highest-rated returning wide receiver on the team from last season. He was able to show sparks of greatness in the COVID-shortened season with 11 catches for 209 yards. If you are keeping track at home, that is 19 yards per catch. He also led the team with three touchdowns.

• Jafar Armstrong – 3-star – #471

There isn’t a huge drop in talent from the trio mentioned above to the No. 4 highest-rated wide receiver. Jafar Armstrong is coming in from Notre Dame where he didn’t have the best run. He was used as a running back and wide receiver with the Irish, so look for the Illini to have him line up in different spots on the field. Armstrong will be a Swiss Army Knife for this program.

• Depth for the Illini

Those four mentioned above are the highest-rated wide receivers Illinois has on the roster. But even the players who weren’t ranked inside the top 1000 nationally are going to make an impact.

Illinois is getting back Casey Washington. He decided to transfer out of the program and committed to Wake Forest this offseason. That commitment fell through and now the talented Texas product is back with the Illini.

Donny Navarro, Dalevon Campbell and Carlos Sandy are also returning for the Illini. They each contributed to the program last season and should be strong depth pieces in 2021.

Overall, Illinois is returning five out of their top six wide receivers from last season. They switched two top 150 recruits over to the wide receiver position. The Illini also added a former top 500 recruit to the mix in Armstrong. This program didn’t just reload, they revamped. Watch out for the Orange and Blue this season.