Indiana Football Positional Preview: Wide Receiver Room is Very Diverse
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Image: Indiana Athletics
Written by: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)
While the quarterback room continues to battle in fall camp in anticipation of Indiana’s kickoff on September 2nd, who will Brendan Sorsby or Tayven Jackson ultimately be throwing to? Today we’ll answer that question, as we preview what we have heard coming out of camp regarding the Hoosiers’ wide receiver room.
Indiana finished last season with just the 87th best passing attack nationally, averaging 217.4 passing yards per game and hauling in 16 touchdowns on 13 interceptions. The 2023 Hoosiers will look to improve on these numbers, and they’ll have some help; the star of last year’s room, Cam Camper, returns to action after tearing his ACL against Rutgers last season. Emery Simmons and DJ Matthews have departed, but Camper will have returners Donaven McCulley and Andison Coby along his side. Along with a few key additions from the transfer portal, wide receivers coach Anthony Tucker is happy with the progression of the room, specifically its depth compared to rooms in the past.
“I could go down the list of guys and there’s a ton of competition in our room,” said Tucker. “I can’t narrow it down to one or two guys that have impressed me the most to this point, because I feel like they’re all showing up every single day and competing.”
When September 2nd ultimately rolls around, though, here is how we see the room shaking out.
The Standouts
We once again expect the lead receiver on this team to be former JUCO transfer Cam Camper. Despite tearing his ACL last season, Camper still led all Hoosier receivers with 46 receptions for 569 yards despite playing just seven complete games. He is expected to be ready to go for the opener and is on a bit of a personal redemption tour after working tirelessly this offseason to get back on the field.
“I just want to win the day, honestly,” said Camper. “In practice, Monday through Thursday, so when game day comes around I am ready, then we start back over the next week.”
“Cam's been a great leader and great model in our room,” added Tucker. “He's made his way back and worked really, really hard. He's looked great, I am really pleased with him.”
Camper will be joined by two players added through the transfer portal that we expect to be key in the receiving game this season, Clemson transfer EJ Williams and Fordham transfer DeQuece Carter. Williams’ career got off to a great start at Clemson, where he posted 306 receiving yards his freshman season, but took a bit of a dip the last two years and is looking to return to glory with a new home in Bloomington. Carter is the elder of the group, a graduate transfer with tons of experience – last year alone he hauled in 13 touchdowns and 1,166 yards. He left his mark on the Fordham history book (#4 all-time in receiving touchdowns with 31, #3 all-time in receiving yardage with 3,035, and #8 all-time in total receptions with 176) and is now looking to see how his game will translate to the bright lights of the Big Ten.
“He's got a great, mature presence about him,” Tucker said about Carter. “Really positive guy. He's really fit in with our team fast. He's really smart and he has really picked up what we're doing and how we do things. He's perfect for what our culture is here. He's fit in our locker room really well.”
You’ve Seen the Field, Now It’s Time to Take a Leap
You’ll find a pair of familiar names in this category in Donaven McCulley and Andison Coby, but now it is time for an expanded role for the two of them. Second years in the system and second year at the position (for McCulley), but how they play in the 2023 season could ultimately decide how high this receiving room’s ceiling is able to go. Both had good, not great, years in 2022. McCulley caught 16 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown, while Coby caught 18 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown. If both are able to expand their roles, secondaries could have a difficult time attempting to cover the players that fall in this tier along with the rest of the room.
Future Hoosier Household Names?
“Starter or not, Coach Tucker says there shouldn't be a drop off regardless of if you come on the field first or second it should be the same standard all the time,” said Cam Camper.
If the above quote is to play out to be true, then Indiana fans should also expect a level of production from Kamryn Perry, Omar Cooper Jr, and Jaquez Smith. The trio are just getting their footing under them at Indiana in terms of playing time, but all three could see expanded roles headed into this season. Perry and Cooper Jr took redshirts last year, while Smith redshirted 2021 before missing last season to an injury. Perry and Cooper have gotten shoutouts from the staff in press conferences this offseason and our Hoosier Huddle staff has seen Smith standout at times as well. Perry, a speedy 5-9 slot receiver, projects as a good DJ Matthews replacement, while the bigger-bodied Cooper and Smith were priority recruits in the past for this staff and project to line up on the outside.
Additional Depth
· Derin McCulley – Brother of Donaven, Transfer from Ball State
· Jackson Wasserstrom – Walk On
· Reece Bellin – Walk On
· Orlando Greenlow – Member of the 2023 Recruiting Class. 3-star recruit from California.
· Derrick Bohler – Member of the 2023 Recruiting Class. 3-star recruit from Florida.
· Brady Simmons – Walk On
· Eli Jochem – Walk On
· Camden Jordan – Walk On