With football season approaching, we’re going through Indiana’s roster to look at each position group going into fall camp.
Indiana’s wide receivers might be the most exciting position room on the entire team this year.
The Hoosiers bring back their two leading receivers from last season, and surround them with a ton of talent. Mike Shanahan’s position group is deep, with a good blend of proven experience and exciting potential. He and Curt Cignetti did what they needed to in the portal at wide receiver — and when they lost one of those additions to a season-ending injury in spring ball, they brought in another reinforcement.
Roster turnover — who’s gone
- Myles Price (exhausted his eligibility)
- Ke’Shawn Williams (exhausted his eligibility)
- Miles Cross (exhausted his eligibility)
- Andison Coby (exhausted his eligibility)
- Donaven McCulley (transfer — Michigan)
Roster turnover — who’s back
- Elijah Sarratt (senior)
- Omar Cooper Jr. (redshirt junior)
- E.J. Williams (sixth-year senior)
- Charlie Becker (sophomore)
- Camden Jordan (walk-on; redshirt senior)
- Jackson Wasserstrom (walk-on; redshirt junior)
Roster turnover — who’s new
- Makai Jackson (senior; transfer — Appalachian State)
- Jonathan Brady (senior; transfer — Cal)
- Tyler Morris (senior; transfer — Michigan; out for the season with a knee injury)
- Lebron Bond (3-star, Norfolk, Va.)
- Davion Chandler (3-star, Indianapolis)
- Myles Kendrick (3-star, Jacksonville, Fla.)
- Ace Ciongoli (walk-on, Needham, Mass.)
- Cade Kaiser (walk-on, Batesville, Ind.)
- Bruno Massel IV (walk-on, Elmhurst, Ill.)
Projected depth chart
Here’s our best estimate of Indiana’s wide receiver starters and key players.
X receiver: Elijah Sarratt, senior, 6-foot-2, 213 pounds (27 career starts at IU and James Madison)
- Charlie Becker, sophomore, 6-foot-4, 209 pounds
- Myles Kendrick, freshman, 6 foot, 190 pounds
Z receiver: E.J. Williams Jr., sixth-year senior, 6-foot-4, 205 pounds (nine career starts at IU and Clemson)
- Makai Jackson, senior, 6 foot, 197 pounds (20 career starts at Appalachian State and St. Francis (Pa.))
- Davion Chandler, freshman, 5-foot-11, 180 pounds
Slot receiver: Omar Cooper Jr., redshirt junior, 6 foot, 204 pounds (six career starts at IU)
- Jonathan Brady, senior, 5-foot-10, 183 pounds (33 career starts at Cal and New Mexico State)
- Lebron Bond, freshman, 5-foot-9, 173 pounds
The exact order of Indiana’s wide receiver depth chart doesn’t necessarily matter. The Hoosiers utilized a five-receiver rotation consistently throughout the entire season — with some others in the picture earlier on, along with running backs and tight ends who factored into the passing game. Cooper, widely regarded as one of IU’s starters last year, officially started just four games because the team regularly started in formations without him.
It would be difficult for Indiana to work all nine of these receivers into the offense this year. And it’s plausible that any injuries could lead to moving pieces to different spots more so than dipping deep into the reserves. But expect Sarratt, Cooper, Williams, and Jackson to play sizable roles this year, and Brady, Becker, and Bond also have realistic chances of seeing the field. Kendrick and Chandler could certainly put themselves in those positions as well.
Why it will work
There’s a lot to like about Indiana’s receiving corps. It starts at the top: Sarratt is one of the best wide receivers in the Big Ten, and there’s no reason to expect any drop-off from him this year. He has a very good chance to become IU’s first receiver taken in the NFL Draft since 2014. Cooper took a big step forward last season, and he has potential for an even bigger breakthrough this year.
The depth behind that tandem is really promising. Injuries have plagued Williams at Indiana, but he has the size and the talent to make a good impact if he can stay on the field. Jackson played with Sarratt at St. Francis (Pa.) in 2022, and followed that up with two productive seasons at Appalachian State. Brady has existing familiarity with Fernando Mendoza from Cal, and filled the void created by Morris’ injury. And Cignetti has been really high on his younger receivers going back to spring ball; between Becker, Bond, Chandler, and Kendrick, there’s size, speed, hands, and lots of athleticism. It’s easy to see one or more of that group making some plays for the Hoosiers this fall.
Why it won’t
Given how 2024 played out, the 2025 Hoosiers may largely be judged by their performance in big games. Last year, in IU’s two losses to Ohio State and Notre Dame, the team posted two of its four lowest passing yardage totals of the season, including just 68 yards against OSU. Obviously, some of that comes down to quarterback performance and play-calling, which the receivers can’t control. But this group is too talented to have letdowns like that its biggest games. If Indiana’s wide receivers aren’t making things happen against Illinois, Iowa, Oregon, and Penn State this year, it would feel like a bit of a waste of a really talented position room.
Prior previews:
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