Since his first day at Indiana, Curt Cignetti has emphasized his preference for production over potential.
There’s no greater representation of that on IU’s current roster than the wide receivers. Cignetti and his staff transformed the wide receiver room in the offseason with several key transfer portal additions, augmenting some good returnees. The wide receivers have the potential to be one of the strongest position groups on the team, as well as one of the better teams at the position in the Big Ten.
Here’s our preview of Indiana’s wide receivers.
Prior previews: Quarterbacks
Roster turnover — who’s gone
- DeQuece Carter (exhausted his eligibility)
- Cam Camper (transfer — Boise State)
- Kamryn Perry (transfer — Miami (OH))
- Jaquez Smith (transfer — Missouri State)
- Derrick Bohler (entered transfer portal)
Roster turnover — who’s back
- Donaven McCulley (senior)
- Andison Coby (fifth-year senior)
- E.J. Williams Jr. (fifth-year senior)
- Omar Cooper Jr. (redshirt sophomore)
- Derin McCulley (redshirt senior)
- Eli Jochem (redshirt junior)
- Camden Jordan (redshirt junior)
- Jackson Wasserstrom (redshirt sophomore)
- Brady Simmons (redshirt sophomore)
Roster turnover — who’s new
- Ke’Shawn Williams (transfer — Wake Forest)
- Elijah Sarratt (transfer — James Madison)
- Myles Price (transfer — Texas Tech)
- Miles Cross (transfer — Ohio)
- Charlie Becker (3-star, Nashville, Tenn.)
Projected depth chart
Here’s our best estimate of Indiana’s starters at wide receiver and who the other key players will be.
- X receiver: Elijah Sarratt, junior, 6-foot-2, 209 pounds (14 career starts at JMU)
- E.J Williams Jr., fifth-year senior, 6-foot-4, 203 pounds (six career starts at Clemson)
- Slot receiver: Myles Price, fifth-year senior, 5-foot-9, 183 pounds (25 career starts at Texas Tech)
- Miles Cross, senior, 5-foot-11, 210 pounds (22 career starts at Ohio)
- Ke’Shawn Williams, fifth-year senior, 5-foot-9, 189 pounds (11 career starts at Wake Forest)
- Z receiver: Donaven McCulley, senior, 6-foot-5, 203 pounds (four career starts at quarterback, 11 at wide receiver)
- Omar Cooper Jr., redshirt sophomore, 6 feet, 201 pounds (two career starts)
- Andison Coby, fifth-year senior, 6-foot-1, 178 pounds (10 career starts)
While the exact pecking order among IU’s receivers isn’t fully clear, this should be pretty close. And this group could be very dangerous this year. Sarratt was one of the best receivers in the country last season, and McCulley displayed so much prowess, particularly late in the season. Those two could form a strong tandem on the outside. During the spring game, Price appeared to have some real rapport with Kurtis Rourke, and if that continues into the season, he could be a good playmaker for IU. The Hoosiers have good depth at the position, with a lot of prior production in the room. Keep an eye on Cooper — he made real strides last season, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him become an important part of the offense if given the opportunity. E.J. Williams has been limited throughout fall camp, which could create additional opportunities for someone like Cooper.
Quotable
Curt Cignetti on the wide receiver room:
“We’ve got to utilize them. The one good thing is we can absorb an injury or two. But I’m still looking for a couple guys to step up and separate themselves from the rest. That would be a nice thing.”
Curt Cignetti on Donaven McCulley:
“I thought he took a step forward towards the end of spring. But he needs to continue to develop, play in and play out. I don’t want him to be a ‘sometimes’ guy. I want him to be an ‘every down, every play’ guy that we can count on.”
Why it will work
As always with wide receivers, much will depend on quarterback play. If Kurtis Rourke is consistent in effectively getting the ball to his playmakers, Indiana’s receivers can make Indiana’s offense dangerous. This group has a lot of weapons with different skill sets. There’s speed, vertical, strong hands, and good route-running spread throughout the room. McCulley looked like a game-changing receiver at his best last season, and adding Sarratt may prevent defenses from completely taking him out of the game. Sarratt has the potential to be one of the best receivers in the conference this year.
If things break right, Indiana could have one of the better wide receiver groups in the Big Ten this season. And even if the Hoosiers don’t quite reach that level, it’s hard to see wide receiver becoming a real weakness — just less of a strength.
Why it won’t
There are very real scenarios where too many setbacks prove too much for Indiana’s wide receivers to overcome. Cignetti is correct that the group can absorb a few injuries with its depth. But with Williams already banged up, if there were one or two more injuries, the depth is suddenly gone. If some of the new faces don’t adapt to Big Ten football well enough, that could also cause problems. And if those things — injuries and ineffectiveness — happen together, it could be season-changing for IU. That’s the worst-case scenario, though.
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
