Ad Disclosure
With a big year, Nick Westbrook could become Indiana’s all-time receiving yards leader
Published:
Indiana is no stranger to talented receivers. Guys like James Hardy, Simmie Cobbs, Shane Wynn and plenty of others have all had tremendous careers in Bloomington.
Nick Westbrook has the potential to be the best, though.
Through three seasons, Westbrook has totaled 1,654 receiving yards, and has become a top target for the Hoosiers’ passing attack. He’s excellent down the field and outside the numbers, regularly making outstanding grabs.
His three-year total is just 1,086 yards behind Indiana’s all-time leading receiver James Hardy, who totaled 2,740 yards in his career with the Hoosiers. So, with a big year from Westbrook, he could be the top receiver in IU football history.
Fairly surprising stat: Nick Westbrook is 1,087 receiving yards away from becoming IUFB’s all-time leader. I’m not sure he’ll get there, given the many weapons in this offense, but he has an outside shot (especially if IU makes a bowl game)
— Punt John Punt (@PuntJohnPunt) August 28, 2019
A 1,000-yard season isn’t easy to attain, but Westbrook has come pretty close before. In 2016, he totaled 995 yards on 54 receptions. He also caught six touchdown passes that season. Last fall, he recorded 590 yards and four touchdowns on 42 catches.
RELATED: Michael Penix Reacts to Winning Starting QB Job at IU
With Kalen DeBoer bringing a new offense to Bloomington, Indiana is hoping to hit on more explosive plays and utilize its talent and size at the skill positions. That bodes well for Westbrook and other receivers. Westbrook could see a lot more targets, which would result in high production totals for the senior.
It’s a stretch, but Westbrook is more than capable of rewriting Indiana’s receiving records this fall.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB