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Illinois Football: Top 5 instant impact newcomers for the Illini in 2023

By Rees Woodcock

LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 29: Head coach Bret Bielema of the Illinois Fighting Illini leads the team on the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 29: Head coach Bret Bielema of the Illinois Fighting Illini leads the team on the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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PISCATAWAY, NJ – NOVEMBER 14: An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet lies on the turf against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first quarter at SHI Stadium on November 14, 2020 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Illinois defeated Rutgers 23-20. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

3. Malik Elzy

Speaking of Freshman All-American talent, I think Illinois landing Malik Elzy is going to be one of the best gets of the Bret Bielema era. This kid has so much talent, and the Illini offense is finally getting a big weapon on the outside.

Elzy is a 6-foot-2, 204-pound wide receiver from Simeon High School in Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 225 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 33 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 4 player coming out of Illinois.

Illinois was able to flip Elzy from Cincinnati earlier this year. I think this will go down as one of the biggest recruiting flips in program history when it is all said and done.

It has been a long time since Illinois has had this much talent at wide receiver. I can’t wait to see what Isaiah Williams does in his junior year. He has All-American talent written all over him. I am also excited to see how Casey Washington and Pat Bryant do this season. They are two talented pass catchers.

But beyond those three, there are a bunch of question marks in the Illinois wide receiver corps. There is a lot of talent on paper, but most of these wide receivers haven’t played a snap in college just yet.

This would leave room for Elzy to come in and make an instant impact from day one. He is the highest-rated wide receiver Illinois has pulled in since Arrelious Benn in 2007. Look for Elzy to have a big year and be a Freshman All-American candidate. He is going to do wonders for the Illinois offense.

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