Texas Football: 3 former Fighting Illini to get out of the transfer portal

Ricky Smalling, WR

Somehow, the former Fighting Illini multiple skill position weapon Ricky Smalling still has not found his next home out of the transfer portal this offseason. Smalling actually put his name in the transfer portal well ahead of the turn of the calendar year after missing out on the 2020 season.

Smalling didn’t necessarily opt out of the 2020 campaign, but he did miss all of it due to a season-ending knee injury that he went through last fall. But at this point, Smalling should be well-recovered and ready to go for the start of the 2021 campaign, though.

Smalling is one of the more experienced players in the transfer portal at the moment too. He is as versatile as they come in the transfer portal at this point of the offseason. Smalling does have the impact to make an impact by getting the ball at the line of scrimmage, on intermediate routes, and deep on the outside.

That’s not to mention that Smalling is a good blocker for a wide receiver of his size. The 6-foot-1 and 205-pound Smalling was one of the highest-graded blocking wideouts for the Fighting Illini for the past two seasons he actually played in.

Moreover, Smalling registered 88 catches for 1,141 receiving yards (13.0 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns. You can also respect the steady production that Smalling brought to the table for Illinois. In less than 30 games played in his career to date, Smalling has registered at least 50 receiving yards and/or one touchdown catch in 13 outings.

Given the loss of Smith to the transfer portal earlier this month, bringing Smalling into the mix could be a good move for Sark and the Longhorns.