Illinois Fighting Illini: WR Mike Dudek
After catching 76 passes for over 1,000 yards as a freshman in 2014, Dudek has missed each of the last two seasons with two separate tears of his right ACL. Head coach Lovie Smith said the now-junior wide receiver was “totally cleared” in May, which is obviously great news. But until he’s on the field for a game and shows what he can do, any contribution from Dudek will be both a question mark and a bonus.
Malik Turner stepped up in 2016, with a team-high 48 receptions for 712 yards and six touchdowns. But no other Illini pass catcher had more than 26 receptions, 314 yards and two touchdowns, and the two guys that reached or got close to those first two benchmarks (Justin Hardee and Zach Grant) graduated. Wes Lunt was a three-year starter under center for Illinois, but his absence last season exposed Jeff George Jr. and Chayce Crouch as not close to high level Big Ten quarterbacks and the passing game definitely suffered. Virginia Tech transfer Dwayne Lawson has entered the mix at quarterback, but Smith has named Crouch as the starter heading into the season.
No matter who is throwing the passes in Smith’s second season, and Crouch, George and Lawson could all do so before it’s said and done, Dudek will be an important target. He seems sure to be diminished physically compared to what he was in 2014, but Dudek will step back into a prominent role if he is healthy. The Illini will surely have to put up some points this year, with a defense that returns just four starters, and Dudek being back will go a long way toward aiding that effort.