Hoosiers Spring Football Preview: Wide Receiver Room Gets Revamped
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Written by T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Indiana University’s 2022 passing attack improved in Walt Bell’s first season but the bar was very low after the disaster of 2021. That being said, no one would say the Hoosiers had a stellar passing game and it was clear Indiana needed to make more changes to reach an acceptable level on offense. The Hoosiers ended the season averaging nearly 22 receptions per game with 217.4 yards of passing per contest. Indiana suffered from poor offensive line play for a large chunk of the season and Connor Bazelak was inconsistent and at times, very inaccurate. IU’s best wide receiver, by far, was injured in the seventh game of the season and the Hoosiers struggled to find players to step up. There are some promising players returning but this position has again been turned over in the transfer portal and there are lots of intriguing options entering spring practice.
Departed
Emery Simmons – Transfer to Utah
Javon Swinton – Transfer to Eastern Michigan
Malachi Holt-Bennett – Transfer to UAB
D.J. Matthews Jr. - Graduated
Returning
Cam Camper
Andison Coby
Donaven McCulley
Jaquez Smith
Omar Cooper Jr.
David Baker
Kamryn Perry
Incoming
Dequece Carter – transfer from Fordham
E.J. Williams – transfer from Clemson
Derrick Bohler – freshman
Orlando Greenlow – freshman
Cam Camper – 6’2”/200 pounds - enters the spring session as the unquestioned number one receiver. The JUCO transfer was on pace for a 1,000 yard season in his FBS debut but he was lost for the season in game number seven with a knee injury. He’ll likely be doing non-contact work during the spring sessions but he’s definitely expected to be 100 percent healthy for the beginning of the 2023 season. Before his injury, Camper had 46 catches for 569 yards with 81.3 yards per game. He’s a big, physical target that showed he was very capable of making contested catches against good defenders and he’ll be a weapon for whoever emerges at quarterback. Cam Camper at WR1 is the only easy spot to determine.
-Andison Coby- 6’2”/175 pounds - transferred to Indiana from the University of Tennessee and provided a few quality moments during the season. He ended the season with 18 catches for 237 yards and one touchdown. Coby was typically lined up as the third receiver for the Hoosiers and had his touchdown against Western Kentucky. Coby needs to show more this season to keep his playing time but he does have experience that most of IU’s other receiving options do not have.
-Donaven McCulley – 6’5”/210 pounds – the former quarterback was a full-time receiver in 2022 and he flashed his potential on more than one occasion. McCulley is the biggest wideout the Hoosiers have and his 6’5” frame gives him a lot of potential. His first major impact came against Wyoming as he ran for a score from four yards out. He showed up as a receiver against Western Kentucky with 53 receiving yards and a crucial game-tying two-point conversion reception late in the game. McCulley is still raw as a wideout but with his height, strength and athletic ability, there is no reason he can’t have a big jump forward in 2023. This is a big spring for his continued development as he works with IU’s quarterbacks to develop rapport.
-Kamryn Perry – 5’9”/162 pounds – Perry will be a redshirt freshman for the 2023 season after he appeared in only one game last season. He was a late addition to the recruiting class and is known as a very quick slot receiver. Ideally, he will have used the past months to put some weight onto his slender frame so that he can handle the rigors of Big Ten football. If that has occurred, he could flash this spring and carve a place into an offense that could desperately use more explosive plays in the passing game.
-Jaquez Smith – 6’1”/200 pounds – We do not know much about Jaquez Smith and what his role is going to be. He was a four-star recruit from Fairburn, Georgia, and he redshirted the 2022 season without appearing in a game. Smith is pretty well-built and his highlight film from high school showed a physical wideout with great hands. This spring is important for him to show he is ready to break into the rotation.
-David Baker – 6’3”/202 pounds – Baker is entering his fourth season with the program and he has yet to record a reception. He redshirted the 2020 season, did not see any game action in 2021 and missed all of 2022 because of an injury. Baker was a prolific high school player for a small and successful Indiana program (Scecina Memorial) with 31 touchdowns in his career. The time for Baker to make an impact is now and he really needs a great spring to show that deserves some playing time.
-Omar Cooper Jr. – 6’1”/191 pounds – Omar Cooper Jr. is a player most Hoosier fans were clamoring for last season. The staff kept him to four games and he was nearly exclusively used as a kick returner. Cooper was a four-star recruit from the Indianapolis area and he is an exciting athlete. He has the quickness and athleticism to develop into a deep threat target for Indiana and he projects as a starter in the near future.
-Dequece Carter – 6’0”/195 pounds – Carter is a new addition the Hoosiers. A transfer from Fordham University, Carter has one year of eligibility remaining and he is IU’s most experienced collegiate receiver. He started 38 games at the FCS level and was an all-conference player for three straight seasons. Carter is a big-bodied target that showed great hands and an ability to get open against college corners. This is a very important spring for him to get up to speed at his new level and prove to the IU coaches that he is capable of excelling in the Big Ten.
-E.J. Williams – 6’3”/190 pounds – Having a player at Indiana that suited up and made plays for a perennial College Football Playoff contender does not happen often. The Hoosiers snagged former Clemson Tiger E.J. Williams in the transfer portal and he comes to IU after playing in 32 games for Clemson. He was a top-150 recruit and a standout in Alabama as a prospect. He’s a long-strider and at 6’3”, he has the ability to get behind the defense and make contested catches. The production has not been what you’d like for a guy with his skillset but Williams is hoping the change of scenery helps him find a new level.
Evaluating the Wide Receiver Room Entering Spring
The Indiana Hoosiers return three players with at least some level of experience at Indiana: Cam Camper, Andison Coby and Donaven McCulley. It is strongly believed that Camper will be a starter and the number one target for whoever is playing quarterback. McCulley has the ability to progress into a starting role but he’ll need a big spring session. Omar Cooper is a returning player that did not make an impact yet but he is expected to show up this spring and make a dent as a rotation player. Kamryn Perry is a player to keep an eye on in the slot. Dequece Carter and E.J. Williams will need to use the spring to get acclimated and it is anticipated they will both work their way into the rotation.
If we were guessing at a depth chart for the opening week of the season, we would go with the following: Cam Camper, Dequece Carter, Andison Coby as the starters. Donaven McCulley, Omar Cooper and E.J. Williams as the “second-string”. Jaquez Smith and Kamryn Perry both receiving rotational work.
If Jaylin Lucas is moved to a wide receiver role, that would change things dramatically but for now, he is still listed as a running back so we will exclude him from this particular position preview.