Aug. 26—CHAMPAIGN — Jayshon Platt was one of five wide receivers in green jerseys during the Illinois football team's final training camp practice this past Saturday at Gies Memorial Stadium.
Not all green jerseys are created equal, of course, with those wide receivers' availability in practice defined by their injury. Hudson Clement, who is now fully cleared from concussion protocol, took nearly every rep possible Saturday even wearing green.
Platt, however, spent the entire practice on the sideline. That's where the Florida Atlantic transfer will likely find himself when Illinois opens the 2026 season on Sept. 3 against UAB.
"This injury has been one that, when it first happened, we didn't know the exact timeline on it," Illinois coach Bret Bielema said on Tuesday. "We've gotten good news since then, but whether he's back in Week 1 or Week 3 or Week 4 we don't really know at this point."
That leaves Illinois without one of its projected top targets in the passing game. Platt caught 46 passes for 720 yards and five touchdowns last season at Florida Atlantic and was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list earlier this month as one of the top wide receivers in the country.
Platt's undisclosed injury, of course, isn't the only issue Illinois is dealing with at wide receiver.
The other wide receivers in green jerseys on Saturday included Brayden Trimble, Kenyon Alston and Jacob Eberhart. That's depth — or in Trimble's case, potential significant snaps — that will be available this season. Fifth-year transfer receivers Alex Perry (likely season-ending injury) and Josh Lorick (eligibility evaporated when federal injunction in Colorado stayed) likely won't be.
For now, Illinois wide receivers coach Justin Stepp continues to operate shorthanded. Keeping everyone involved and on the same page, regardless of status, is his and assistant wide receivers coach Harper Cole's challenge.
"Those guys have scripts on the sidelines," Stepp said about the players unable to fully participate in practice. "We echo the call. They have to watch the signal and make sure they know the plays. Coach B. says there's two types of reps — mental reps and physical reps. If you can't get the physical reps, then you have to get the mental reps. Those guys do a good job of paying attention. You really don't have to babysit them."
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Nate Cichy might have played his way into the rotation at wide receiver even without the injury issues at the position. The extra reps in training camp, though, didn't hurt the freshman out of Mount Prospect who was signed with Harvard just three months ago before Illinois flipped him.
It didn't take long for Cichy to impress the Illini coaching staff once he got to Champaign.
"He was going to Harvard, but still, it's really incredible how fast he's picked up the offense," Stepp said. "He studies. He's constantly taking notes. He's unbelievable in the meeting room. He's unbelievable in walkthroughs."
Stepp has Cichy learning both outside receiver positions. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder had 142 catches for 2,313 yards and 28 touchdowns in his high school career as a top target for Prospect.
Stepp said he had "no earthly idea" how Cichy was Harvard bound and available to be flipped until he got calls from Bielema, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. and pass game coordinator Mike Neu about the three-star recruit.
"I watched his film and was like, 'Golly, this kid is good. How in the world was he not recruited?'" Stepp said. "It just goes to show you've got to dig, and if you dig hard enough and deep enough, you can find the right guy."
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Nick Hankins Jr. was at the other end of the recruiting spectrum from Cichy. The 6-foot, 205-pound defensive back was ranked as a consensus four-star recruit. Rivals even had the Belleville West product among the top 100 prospects in the Class of 2026 with an offer list laden with power-conference programs in pursuit.
While Hankins' recruitment differed from Cichy, both could factor into the rotation at their respective positions this fall. Hankins earned plenty of reps with the second-string defense in training camp at both cornerback and nickel back.
More reps at the latter Saturday led to some mistakes. How Hankins handled one particular mistake and talked it through on the sideline, though, stood out to defensive backs coach Corey Parker.
"The fact he could articulate that to me let me know he's seeing the game whole-part-whole," Parker said. "For young guys, that's what you want as a coach because I'm not going to be out there versus UAB, right? He's going to have to be able to mentally identify things and say, 'This is where I'm at. This is my spatial awareness. This is how I need to respond.'"
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Will Holmes' move from linebacker to defensive line followed a conversation with Bielema this summer. The Illinois coach, who coached defensive linemen with the New England Patriots and outside linebackers with the New York Giants before returning to college football to take the Illini job in 2020, saw Holmes fitting a defensive end mold better.
Holmes agreed with Bielema's evaluation. The pass coverage requirements at linebacker in Illinois' scheme didn't fit his skill set as well as the pass rushing he'd do as part of the Illini's defensive line.
"I'm much better forward than going backward," Holmes said. "I was a little skeptical and scared because I'd have to learn a whole new side of the playbook instead of the MIKE position that has totally different job responsibilities. (Defensive ends coach Mike Linehan) came in Tuesdays and Thursdays all through the summer — on his break and his time — and I really appreciate getting the playbook down with him."
Holmes made seven starts in 10 games at Utah State last season. While he currently projects as a backup at defensive end behind Pat Farrell and Joe Barna, Illinois could use the Detroit native's pass-rushing skills. He had two sacks, six quarterback hurries and 61/2 tackles for loss for the Aggies in 2025.
The fit for Holmes in first-year defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck's 3-3-5 system is centered on movement. The 6-4, 260-pound defensive end can set up as a pure edge rusher (nine-technique) or line up opposite the guard (two-technique).
"We have a lot of different plays and different calls, but we're always moving," Holmes said. "That's what I'm good at. I'm really twitchy, and when it comes to the movement stuff, that's really easy for me. I think that's just my game — pass-rushing, putting pressure on the quarterback. I'm really good getting off the ball."
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The hit Ca'Lil Valentine laid on Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson last season in Durham, N.C., lowering is shoulder to turn a short reception in the flat into a 12-yard reception and first down was one of the Illinois running back's top highlights from the 2025 season.
It's an aggressiveness Valentine wants to show more of this fall. To send a message.
"I love contact," Valentine said. "When we did hit drills in youth football, I was always trying to get to the front. I was always trying to be that guy that would hit. I know I don't have the biggest frame — that's what a lot of people think — but I'm really just trying to hit somebody."
Amping up his physicality wasn't Valentine's only offseason goal. Now in his third season in the Illinois offense, the 5-11, 205-pound running back is trying to fine-tune small details that will make him more effective in the Illini backfield.
Details as simple as how fast he picks up and puts down his feet on the move.
"When I'm jump cutting and getting to a hole, it's making sure I'm getting there very quick because there's obviously defenders coming from all over the place," Valentine said. "I think I'm able to be more explosive. When I'm keeping my feet on the ground, I think I can get through holes way faster and be way more explosive."
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