Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini win over Northwestern

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Nov 26, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats defensive back Rod Heard II (24) tries to tackle Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Isaiah Williams (1) during the first half at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

3. We have so many receiving weapons returning in 2023

Tommy DeVito was a breath of fresh air this season. Illinois football fans haven’t seen a quarterback of his caliber in a long time. One of the great things DeVito brought with him was the ability to actually get the ball to our wide receivers.

On Saturday against Northwestern, DeVito didn’t have a great game, but he still had the ability to spread the wealth. He connected with six different pass catches en route to 136 yards through the air.

Pat Bryan, Casey Washington, and Isaiah Williams each had three receptions. Chase Brown, Luke Ford, and Hank Beatty each had one reception on the day. It is great to see these guys catching passes because a lot of them are going to be returning in 2023.

Let’s go down the list of Illinois’ leading receivers for 2022. Williams leads the team with 72 receptions. He is only going to be a junior next year. Bryant is second on the team with 34 receptions. He too is going to be a junior.

Brian Hightower (37 receptions), Brown (27), Washington (24), Tip Reiman (17), and Ford (10) round out the Illinois players who have at least 10 receptions on the season. Brown is probably going to the NFL and Ford is listed as a senior. But Hightower and Washington will be seniors in 2023 and Reiman will be a junior.

With that being said, five out of the top six players in receptions will likely be returning to the Illinois roster in 2023. That is a lot of firepower for whoever steps into the quarterback vacancy left by DeVito.

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