Last confirmed: Illinois, 2020. No 2026 box-score games on record.
6′1″ · 205 lb · Chicago, IL · Brother Rice
Ricky Smalling: WR · Illinois · #4.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Ricky Smalling
Moves the chains on third down. He has spent three seasons in the Illinois receiving corps. One game to point at: 56 receiving yards and 7 receptions against UConn — Week 2, 2019.
Play style
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2019 season · 7 games
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| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-3vs Akron | 4 | 54 | 13.5 | 0 | 22 | |
| Wk 2 | W 31-23@ UConn | 7 | 56 | 8.0 | 0 | 26 | Season-high 56 yds |
| Wk 3 | L 31-34vs Eastern Michigan | 5 | 49 | 9.8 | 1 | 16 | |
| Wk 4 | L 38-42vs Nebraska | 5 | 41 | 8.2 | 0 | 17 | |
| Wk 6 | L 17-40@ Minnesota | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 7 | L 25-42vs No. 16 Michigan | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 11 | W 37-34@ Michigan State | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Total | 24 | 225 | 9.4 | 1 | 26 |
Week 3 · 2019
L 31-34
The plays that mattered most
3 seasons under Lovie Smith — 12-25 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2019 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.0 | 40.8 | 10.2 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 2.7 | 20.7 | 7.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 4.0 | 37.5 | 9.2 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lovie Smith
Pass share
43.2%
363 pass / 477 run
Plays / game
64.6
13 games
Team sack rate
8.9%
406 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2019
About as many catches a game as a typical FBS receiver who plays every week.
How it ended
Three seasons at Illinois, 1,141 receiving yards — his college career is complete.
His career
He has a stat line in 29 games over 3 seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2017–2020
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Lovie Smith.
