Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Mississippi State

2. Good core coming back at wide receiver

Illinois lost and that was painful. It was a struggle to see this team fall against Mississippi State, but there were plenty of positives to take away from this game. One of the positives is how good our wide receiver corps is and that we are getting a lot of that talent back in 2023.

Isaiah Williams was amazing during the 2022 campaign. His electric speed and quick moves proved to be a real threat for the Illinois offense. He continued his great play with his best yardage game of the season on Monday.

Williams would finish the game with nine receptions, ties a season-high, and 114 yards, which is a season-high, against the Bulldogs. They didn’t have an answer for Williams. He was quicker than any of the Mississippi State defensive backs, and I would argue we didn’t utilize him enough. I think Williams could have a first-team All-Big Ten caliber season in 2023.

I was also impressed with Casey Washington on Monday. He had season-highs in both receptions and yards finishing the game with eight receptions for 74 yards. I always thought Washington had massive talent, and he displayed that talent against the Bulldogs.

These two talented wide receivers had big games, and they will both be returning to Champaign in 2023. But they aren’t the only two pass catchers to be excited about next season.

Looking at the roster, Illinois has the chance to get back nearly every wide receiver. Illinois’ top four wide receivers for 2022 – Williams, Pat Bryant, Brian Hightower, Washington – are all listed as sophomores or juniors. That doesn’t even count the insane freshmen from the 2022 and 2023 classes who will be available for Illinois next season. The wide receiver corps is going to be special.