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Illinois WR coach George McDonald updates status of two exciting freshman in rotation
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George McDonald was named the wide receivers coach at Illinois in Jan. of 2021. He spoke about two young wideouts in the rotation in Champaign per Jeremy Werner of 247Sports.
Shawn Miller and Hank Beatty were both 3-star recruits out of high school per the 247Sports Composite.
Miller played just a couple of snaps in the season opener against Wyoming before he had his season ended by an undisclosed injury. McDonald knows how talented Miller is, and is hoping that this will just be a minor setback for him.
We’re just banking on this being at the beginning and that after we get through this hurdle we’re going to continue to get better. He’s a talented player, and he’ll be a talented player when he gets back. I think for him we want to keep him involved in the program and keep him feeling a part of growing and developing just from a mental standpoint instead of a physical standpoint until we can get him back on the field.
With Miller out for the year, McDonald also spoke about a freshman that should see some time in the receiving rotation. Beatty is a very reliable target, according to McDonald. Beatty played quarterback in high school before switching to WR, which makes him even better.
“Very reliable,” McDonald said of Beatty. “Really good hands, strong hands. Very smart. Once again, I think just being a quarterback, he’s used to learning schemes. The one thing is he doesn’t get rattled too easy. It’s just football. So he’s done a nice job of continuing to progress and continuing to get better.”
Grant Bricker covers the B1G for Saturday Tradition. His previous stops include the Williamson Homepage and Nashville Post.