The Illinois football program is missing a couple of key pieces from the 2024 squad.
If you remember that team, and I think you do, the Illini finished with 10 wins for the first time since 2001. Two of the biggest pieces of this team were wide receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin.
Bryant is now in the NFL, and Franklin is trying to make the next level. They combined for over 1,636 yards and 14 touchdowns for the program last season. With that production missing, Illinois needed to find targets for Luke Altmyer.
In the first half against Western Illinois, I think Illinois found the two wide receivers who will emerge and replace those giants of the program.
Hank Beatty is one of the leading returning wide receivers for the Illini, and he had a huge first half against the Leathernecks. Beatty finished with five receptions for 108 yards in the first 30 minutes of action. This included a play where he had a great double move that burned the secondary for 59 yards.
I kind of expected Beatty to have a good year, but the player who had a big first half that I was pleased with was Justin Bowick.
Bowick, the transfer from Ball State, was a big-time target for Altmyer. He narrowly missed him on a couple of big plays, but Bowick still had a huge first half. He finished with two receptions for 16 yards and two touchdowns.
Justin Bowick seems to be a huge target for Illinois in the red zone
On top of Bowick being a big-play wide receiver, it looks like he is the prime target for Altmyer when it comes to the red zone. This is important considering Illinois was one of the worst red zone offenses in the Big Ten last season.
Bowick does stand at 6-foot-4, and he looks every inch of it on the field. He is physical, and that helps create even more separation. I think Bowick is in for a massive season, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he goes for 1,000 yards and 10+ touchdowns.