Illinois WR Edwin Carter Entering Transfer Portal

Edwin Carter, who played only one game but had two touchdowns as a freshman in 2018, announced he’s entering the transfer portal.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The renewed depth in the wide receiver meeting room at Illinois just lost one scholarship player Monday.

Edwin Carter, who played only one game but had two touchdowns in his only two touches in that game as a freshman in 2018, announced he’s entering the transfer portal. According to NCAA rules, a player, who hasn’t signed scholarship papers with another school, can pull his name from the transfer portal process and return to the original school. The transfer portal is a NCAA created device to assist the player and prohibits programs from restricting the transfer options of the outgoing player.

In what will be likely the only game Carter wears the orange and blue of the Illini program, Carter had a pair of touchdown catches in the 34-14 victory over Western Illinois on Sept. 8, 2018.

In what will be likely the only game at Illinois, Edwin Carter (80) had a pair of touchdown catches in a 34-14 victory over Western Illinois on Sept. 8, 2018. Carter suffered a severe knee injury on his second touchdown catch.  :: Mike Granse/USA TODAY Sports

Carter suffered multiple torn ligaments in his right knee while catching his second touchdown pass against WIU as the then-freshman wideout went head over heels into the end zone and landed awkwardly on his right leg.

In the 20-point win over the in-state Football Championship Subdivision opponent, Carter was one of seven true freshmen in the nation with two touchdowns in the first two weeks of the 2018 campaign. Carter’s Illini career will total just 11 snaps in one game.

Unbelievable job of hanging onto this @IlliniFootball TD by freshman Edwin Carter.

Carter was helped off the field with an injury, and we wish him a speedy recovery! pic.twitter.com/qvC1Z086DM

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 9, 2018

Carter was a three-star recruit by ESPN.com and Rivals.com coming out of Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Fla., after picking Illinois over lower tier scholarship offers of Mercer, Middle Tennessee and Western Illinois.

Carter’s injury was so severe that he was forced to miss the 2019 season while he rehabbed the knee.

The unfortunate nature and timing of Carter’s injury saw the 6-foot-3 receiver get passed over on the Illini’s depth chart by several pass targets including Football Bowl Subdivision program transfers Josh Imatorbhebhe (Southern California), Trevon Sidney (USC), Desmond Dan (New Mexico State), Brian Hightower (Miami-Fla.) and Khamri Thompson (Missouri). 

Illinois head coach Lovie Smith said he’d wait until Wednesday to update his 2020 roster but even without Carter, according to an ongoing tally from Illini Now/Sports Illustrated research, Illinois is still currently slated to have 11 scholarship wide receivers for the upcoming 2020 season.