One of the biggest benefits of bowl games is that they provide a glimpse into what is to come the next season. With every bowl game opt-out, a new opportunity is presented for someone else to step in and fill that void.
And most of the time it’s somebody who will then take on a greater role within the team during the next season. Illinois wide receiver Hank Beatty is a classic example.
With Pat Bryant opting out, Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer needed a new favorite target. He found junior Hank Beatty early and often in their 21-17 upset win over South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl.
Beatty had four catches for 90 yards, including a long play of 59.
“Obviously we knew he (Bryant) was out so any one of the receivers, we knew, was going to have to step up and make some plays,” Beatty said exclusively to The Sports Bank.
“And I’m grateful that it was me, and grateful that Luke threw me the ball.”
In addition to being a phenomenal performer on the field, he’s a tremendous student off of it, earning Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors in 2023.
He’s kind of like Houston Texans Pro Bowl Edge Will Anderson, not just a star player, but an overall stellar human being. As chronicled by RG, Anderson is devoted to philanthropy.
A volunteer at the Houston Food Bank, Anderson has been nominated for the NFL’s prestigious, annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship award.
Like Anderson, Beatty thinks of others, in addition to thinking of himself. With Bryant leaving early for the NFL and Zakhari Franklin having exercised all his collegiate eligibility, he’s now, more or less the established WR1 on the Illini roster.
Head coach Bret Bielema will likely hit the transfer portal pretty hard this offseason, as the program will look to add depth to the receiver room.
Hank Beatty really came far this past season.
“At the beginning of the year, I didn’t know if I’d have a big role on the team, so being able to fight through some things and earn more of a role is definitely a great feeling,” he said.
Beatty led the Big Ten and finished third in the nation in average yards per punt return (14.7) during the season.
The Rochester, Illinois native finished with 310 punt return yards on the season, just 13 behind Dike Eddleman for the Illini single season record.
Beatty, like everyone else, was of course asked about the very tense situation that occurred in the Citrus Bowl.
Bielema angered South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, to the point where Beamer had to be restrained by his assistants from charging at the Illini coach.
Tempers flared and almost boiled over into a massive brawl.
“I think that just got the energy going,” Beatty told the media.
“It was pretty crazy- they were coming on to the field, we were coming onto the field, and the stadium was live. I could just hear them yelling at each other.”
The incident may have gotten additional competitive juices flowing for the Illini, and that may have made the difference in Illinois getting the win.
“Getting everybody fired up like that, making us want to win the game even more than we were, really helped us pull through,” Beatty added.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.