Illinois Football: Illini depth still strong after losing WR to transfer portal

The regular season ended for the Illinois football team on Saturday, and that means it is time to heat up the ole transfer portal.

Bret Bielema did a great job filling the gaps needed to have a great 2022 campaign. The Illini had their best record in nearly two decades finishing at 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten.

But a good record doesn’t always stop players from transferring out of the program. On Tuesday morning, Illinois lost their first player this year to the transfer portal. Wide receiver Daniel Edwards decided to enter his name into the transfer portal in the hope of finding a new home.

In the post on Twitter, Edwards expressed gratitude toward the Illinois program. The reason for the transfer was not stated, though. He did finish his statement off by wishing his now-former teammates and the program the best.

Illinois football can sustain the departure of wide receiver Daniel Edwards.

Coming out of Winter Park High School in Florida, Edwards was rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1016 player in the class of 2021. I remember Illinois recruiting this kid. I thought he was a great get considering the Illini beat out some good teams to get him.

In year one, Edwards ended up taking a redshirt. He didn’t get a chance to play, but this season could have been a nice breakout performance. Illinois needed wide receiver help, and Edwards could have been that player.

That didn’t end up being the case, though. Edwards would go two seasons without putting up a single catch for the Orange and Blue. Now the two parties are moving on.

While it is never fun losing a player to the transfer portal, I think the Illini can sustain this loss. Edwards didn’t contribute on the field in his two seasons with the program, so it is not like we are missing production from him.

Illinois also has decent depth at the wide receiver position. The only wide receiver the Illini are losing from 2022 is Jonah Morris, and he only had four catches for 55 yards. Isaiah Williams, Pat Bryant, Brian Hightower, and Casey Washington are projected to all be returning to the Illinois roster.

That doesn’t even include the stockpile of young Illini wide receivers. Shawn Miller and Eian Pugh were both top 800 recruits in 2022. They will make a huge impact on the Illinois program in the coming years. I am also excited to see the development of Hank Beatty and Miles Scott. Both players saw action this season and have a really bright future.

I hate losing players to the transfer portal, but Illinois football will be okay after Edwards transfers out. The depth at wide receiver is strong. We have high-level talent in this unit.