2024 IU Football Position Preview: Wide Receivers

With the start of fall camp approaching, IU football is in the middle of a crucial summer. New head coach Curt Cignetti has come to Bloomington and has sparked a new confidence and belief in the program that has been missing.

A big reason for this new excitement has to do with the potential for the Indiana offense.

The IU Football offense is going to look a lot different next season than it has in years past. Cignetti added 14 players in the transfer portal and nine freshman recruits on the offensive side of the ball.

Not only has he revamped the offensive roster, but he also has implemented a more pass-heavy offense.

The Hoosiers’ receiving core is one of the strengths of the roster and will make it easier for former Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke to step in and succeed early. With a mix of returning and incoming talent in the room, the potential for the wide receiver core is exciting.

What does the wide receiver room look like heading into fall camp?

More Indiana Football Position Previews: Quarterback, Running Back

WR Room

Andison Coby Sr.+ 6-1 178

Donaven McCulley Sr. 6-5 203

Omar Cooper Jr. R-So.+ 6-0 204

Myles Price Sr.+ 5-9 185

Ke’Shawn Williams Sr.+ 5-9 190

EJ Williams Jr. Sr.+ 6-4 200

Derin McCulley R-Sr. 6-1 174

Elijah Sarratt Jr. 6-2 209

Miles Cross Sr. 5-11 210

Jackson Wasserstrom R-So 5-11 173

Charlie Becker Fr. 6-4 200

Brady Simmons R-So 6-1 169

Eli Jochem R-Jr. 6-1 191

Camden Jordan R-Jr. 6-0 180

The Lead Guy

One of the biggest additions of the offseason for IU Football was the return of Donaven McCulley. After entering the portal, McCulley received interest from Michigan, Penn State, Kentucky, Texas A&M, UCLA, Mississippi State, Nebraska, and others.

The 6-foot-5 QB turned WR was one of the few highlights of Indiana’s offense in 2023. He reeled in 48 receptions for 644 yards and six touchdowns.

WHY USE TWO HANDS WHEN HE ONLY NEEDS ONE 😱@DonavenMcculley x @IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/hXMOYEU8qZ

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 4, 2023

In the final five games, McCulley broke out and established himself as the ‘guy‘ on the outside. He had 420 yards and five touchdowns over the final stretch of the season including a monster performance on the road against Illinois where he caught 11 passes for 137 yards and two scores.

Despite high expectations, it seemed McCulley did not get off to the best start with Cignetti.

“I think Donaven needs to pick it up a little bit,” he said during spring camp.

McCulley seemed to better down the stretch in spring camp and even caught a touchdown during the spring game.

McCulley will have to adjust to a new quarterback leading the way, but if IU Football is going to reach its ceiling, he is going to have to play a big role.

The Key Additions

Elijah Sarratt

Elijah Sarratt was one of the standouts from Indiana’s transfer class this offseason and for obvious reasons.

After making the jump from Division II to James Madison most would have suspected it might take him a bit of time to adjust, but it was the opposite. Sarratt burst onto the season in his first year with the Dukes, catching 82 passes for 1,191 yards and nine touchdowns.

So when Cignetti left for Indiana, he made sure to get his star wide receiver to follow him. Sarratt is now in a unique position of being at a new school, but also being one of the most experienced players with the coaching staff.

Sarratt is expected to have a big role in the Indiana offense, but his role off the field could be just as big.

“[I] definitely got to pick up more of a leadership role this year,” Sarratt said during the spring. “I had a lot of older guys that were showing me the way last year. Towards the end of the season I started speaking up more, but one of my focuses this year is trying to be more of a leader.”

Like McCulley, Sarratt played his best football down the stretch in 2023. He had over 100 yards in six of his final eight games and caught six touchdowns over that span.

Sarratt and McCulley are the likely pair to lead the receiving core in 2024, and their past success has given the Indiana faithful a lot to be excited about.

Miles Cross

Miles Cross was one of Kurtis Rourke’s favorite targets at Ohio and now the two reunite in Bloomington where they’ll look to recreate some of that magic they shared.

The 6-foot-1 receiver played a big role in Rourke’s 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year season. Cross caught 47 passes for 521 yards and three touchdowns during the season and reeled in 69.1% of his targets.

He then followed that season up with 47 receptions for 617 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.

With one year of eligibility remaining, Cross chose to follow Rourke to Indiana over other programs such as Pittsburgh, Florida Atlantic, South Florida, and others.

Myles Price

The Texas Tech transfer was a consistent producer in the Big 12 and will be looking to replicate his production with IU Football. Price brought in 161 receptions for 1,751 yards and 10 touchdowns over his four years at Texas Tech.

At 5-foot-10, Price figures to fit in as a slot receiver for the Indiana offense and showed that during the spring game. He had four catches for 39 yards on five targets during the spring game.

With a loaded wide receiver room, there is not a clear path for Price to be a focal point on offense, though he will be able to impact the game in other areas.

As a punt returner Price averaged 21.8 yards per return in 2022 and holds a career average of 15.6 yards per return. With no clear punt returner heading into the season, Price could establish himself as a difference-maker in the return game.

The receiving core is expected to be a strength for IU Football

© Bobby Goddin/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Potential Breakout

Omar Cooper Jr. has all the potential but he has not been able to put it all together on the field consistently yet for IU Football.

The 6-foot-0 Indiana native has shown flashes during his first two seasons with the team. In 2023 he caught 18 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. He was second on the team in yards per catch with an average of 14.8.

“Cooper has made some nice plays, just a little more consistency,” Cignetti said during the spring.

We’ve seen the highlight plays like his helmet catch against Michigan.

How did Cooper Jr. hang onto this?! 😱@IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/F3DLvNwbhu

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 14, 2023

Cooper Jr. has all the potential to make an impact for Indiana and he has shown it many times. Last season against Indiana State he had a standout performance where he reeled seven catches for 101 yards.

If he can find some consistency he could easily find himself playing a big role for the Indiana offense.

Rest of the room

EJ Williams

Williams was one of the standout additions in 2023 after joining the program from Clemson, but he battled injuries for much of the season.

The 6-foot-4 receiver was able to put it all together late in the season where he played arguably the best stretch of football of his collegiate career.

Over the final four games, he caught 20 passes for 247 yards but did not find the end zone. Williams will need to be more of a threat in the red zone if he wants to play a big role for IU Football in 2024.

Andison Coby

Coby was flying under the radar for much of the spring until he exploded for four catches, 115 yards, and a touchdown during the spring game.

The 6-foot-1 former Tennessee transfer is in his third year with IU Football but struggled to find the field in 2o23. After catching 18 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown in 2022, he only caught five passes for 41 yards and a touchdown in 2o23.

While 2023 was a major disappointment, Coby will be looking to build on his strong spring game performance in fall camp and establish a role for himself on the Indiana offense.

Ke’Shawn Williams

Williams spent his first four seasons with Wake Forest where he totaled 1o7 catches for 1,385 receiving yards and six total touchdowns.

Williams picked the Hoosiers over Baylor, Houston, Utah, Cincinnati, and other schools.

The 5-foot-9 receiver will have a difficult task trying to find the field on offense but could play a major role in the return game.

As the primary kickoff returner for Wake Forest, Williams excelled. He averaged 19.8 yards per return over his four seasons and had his best year in 2023. In 2023 he averaged 23.4 yards per return for the Demon Deacons.

While his role on offense might be up in the air at the moment, Williams has a clear path to make an impact on special teams.

SEE ALSO: Top rated players for Indiana football in EA Sports College Football 25

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated, part of the Full Ride Network, on Twitter @Indiana_FRN, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. You can also listen to the Talking’ Bout the Hoosiers podcast on Spotify.

Looking for a place to get more Indiana content? Hoosier Illustrated has partnered with Tom Brady’s company ‘Autograph’ to streamline our coverage, so you can continue to do what you do best – follow IU sports. Use the CODE: Indianafr to get started today. For more info, you can start here.