Indiana Football Position Previews: When It Comes To Receivers? Old Is Gold For Hoosiers

Indiana's pass-catchers have a combined 292 games of experience.

Todd Golden | Aug 20, 2024

Indiana's Donaven McCulley (1) celebrates his long gain during the second half of the Indiana versus Michigan State football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Also pictured is E.J. Williams Jr. Both receivers return in 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – If there’s one word to describe Indiana’s wide receiver group? That word is old.

In college football? Old is gold.

Of Indiana’s 14 players listed at wide receiver, only four of them are underclassmen. There are four seniors playing their extra season due to COVID-19 amnesty, one redshirt senior and two more traditional seniors.

Add in three more juniors, and the Hoosiers have an upperclassmen group that would be the envy of any team.

Among all of the receivers, there’s a total of 292 games played. Several of the receivers weren’t just padding the numbers against weaker competition, either. Six of them have produced in a Power Four conference. Four of Indiana’s receivers have received all-conference honors of some kind.

If you want to view the talent pool from a glass half-empty perspective, you might wonder how all of these talented receivers share the ball? Especially considering there’s an equally deep running back group who wants the ball, too.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti isn’t worried about it.

“I am not worried about the gelling and them being best friends, but what I am worried about - and I am not worried because I like that room - the cream rises to the top,” Cignetti said during spring practice.

“Who comes out and practices every day, day in and day out consistency, who learns the plays, who does the right thing, who makes plays, who gives consistent effort. Who doesn't know their plays and who is inconsistent,” Cignetti added.

Fall camp has not necessarily created a group of have’s and have not’s. The Hoosiers are still working with a deep group, and with Kurtis Rourke most likely delivering the passes, big things are expected from the Indiana passing game.

Personnel

#0 Andison Coby: senior-plus, 6-foot-1, 178 pounds. 24 games at Indiana, 5 games at Tennessee.

#4 Myles Price: senior-plus, 5-foot-9, 183 pounds. 42 games at Texas Tech.

#5 Ke’Shawn Williams: senior-plus, 5-foot-9, 189 pounds, 46 games at Wake Forest.

#7 E.J. Williams Jr.: senior-plus, 6-foot-4, 203 pounds, 33 games at Clemson, 8 games at Indiana.

#10 Derin McCulley: redshirt senior, 6-foot-1, 176 pounds, 9 games at Ball State, 8 games at Indiana.

#1 Donaven McCulley: senior, 6-foot-5, 203 pounds, 31 games at Indiana.

#19 Miles Cross: senior, 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, 37 games at Ohio University.

#83 Eli Jochem: redshirt junior, 6-foot-1, 190 pounds.

#89 Camden Jordan: redshirt junior, 6-foot-0, 180 pounds, 5 games at Indiana.

#13 Elijah Sarratt: junior, 6-foot-2, 209 pounds, 25 games at James Madison.

#3 Omar Cooper Jr.: redshirt sophomore, 6-foot-0, 201 pounds, 13 games at Indiana.

#24 Jackson Wasserstrom: redshirt sophomore, 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, 1 game at Indiana.

#81 Brady Simmons: redshirt sophomore, 6-foot-1, 173 pounds, 5 games at Indiana.

#80 Charlie Becker: freshman, 6-foot-4, 204 pounds.

Top expected contributors: Donaven McCulley, Myles Price, E.J. Williams, Ke’Shawn Williams, Miles Cross, Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr.

Contributors who departed from the 2023 team: Dequece Carter, Cam Camper (to Boise State).

Transfer infusion

Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt catches a pass during practice. / Indiana Athletics

There’s a lot of exciting talent here. Perhaps none more so than Elijah Sarratt, one of the 13 Hoosiers who were previously with Cignetti at James Madison.

Sarratt had a breakout season for JMU in 2023. He had 82 catches for 1,191 yards and eight touchdown. Sarratt was first team All-Sun Belt for his efforts.

“I’ve improved a lot. If you check my film from freshman year to now, I’ve improved on a lot of things, but nowhere near where I want to be,” Sarratt said during spring practice. “I came here because the coaching staff was a great coaching staff. They gave me the ball in spots I wanted to be put in.”

Sarratt also said the detail-oriented staff has helped him to improve.

“If I’m one yard off my split, I’m wrong, which is good. You’ve got to be where they want you to be so the whole play works out,” Sarratt said.

Three more transfers – Ke’Shawn Williams, Myles Price and Miles Cross – have 115 games of experience between them.

Of the trio, Price has been getting consistent playing time for the longest period of time.

Price was a regular part of Texas Tech’s receiving options from his first season with the Red Raiders in 2020. He peaked at 523 receiving yards in 2021 and at 51 catches in 2022, but Price has never had less than 29 receptions in a single season. His career numbers are impressive at 161 catches, 1,751 yards and 10 touchdown catches.

He was also used on jet sweeps at times with Texas Tech.

Williams emerged in 2021 for Wake Forest. His best statistical season came in 2022 when he had 39 catches for 553 yards.

Cross has the advantage of having played with Rourke at Ohio University. The pair combined for 94 receptions, 1,177 yards and eight touchdowns over the past two seasons at the Athens, Ohio, school.

Returning players

Sep 8, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (3) runs with the ball while Indiana State Sycamores linebacker Garret Ollendieck (35) defends in the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The most important player from Indiana’s 2023 roster that Cignetti convinced to stay is undoubtedly Donaven McCulley. The 6-foot-5 converted quarterback became a dangerous weapon for the Hoosiers in the second half of the 2023 season.

McCulley had 48 catches for 644 yards and six touchdown catches in 2023. McCulley and former quarterback Brendan Sorsby really came into sync in the final five games of 2023. McCulley had 28 catches for 420 yards and five touchdowns over that stretch.

McCulley was particularly deadly on fade routes or corner routes as he used his size and leaping ability to out-stretch opposing defenders.

Not that McCulley is being handed anything. With the competition at his position, he had to keep pushing and continue to be pushed.

“Coming back to Indiana, just talking to Coach (Cignetti), I told him, ‘Coach me hard, do what you’ve got to do.’ Him getting on me in the spring? It challenged me and it kind of helped me learn how he and the team operates,” McCulley said.

E.J. Williams Jr. is also back in the fold. In his first season at Indiana after coming from Clemson, Williams had 23 catches for 281 yards. He proved effective when healthy, but he only played in eight games in 2023 and has missed some time in fall camp.

Also back is one of the few underclassmen with playing experience – Omar Cooper Jr. The redshirt sophomore had 18 catches for 267 yards and two touchdowns in 2023.

“Coop’s done a good job. He’s put some good days together. He’s a guy that has a lot of ability. He has great hands and good body control,” Indiana co-offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said.

Veteran Andison Coby, who had an 18-catch season in 2022, is also part of the rotation.

The bottom line

The depth at the receiver spot is inarguable. The only debate that might occur among Indiana fans is whether the wide receivers or the running backs have the most depth on the offensive side of the ball.

Rourke won’t have any need to worry about legitimate targets. If the experienced quarterback can marshal the Indiana offense the way he’s expected to, it could be a very exciting season for the Hoosiers.

Personnel

Transfer infusion

Returning players

The bottom line

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