With the talent at the disposal in Indiana's offense, junior wide receiver Whop Philyor predicted that the Hoosiers would have a top-five receiving corps in the country this season.
Philyor currently leads all Indiana pass catchers with 10 receptions and 141 yards after two games.
Indiana's junior wide receiver Whop Philyor put his determination and grit on full display against Eastern Illinois last Saturday. Philyor’s four receptions were good for 75 yards, earning him the honor of Indiana’s Offensive Player of the Week.
During the game, redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. found Philyor down the field for a 36-yard pickup. Philyor extended his arms in front of him to haul in the pass, his longest so far on the season.
“Mike put it in a spot where only I could get it, Philyor said after the game. “It was a great ball by him. It was actually what we emphasized a lot this week, we knew we were going to hit on one.”
Later in the game, he took a screen pass for 29 yards, eventually being tackled inside the five-yard line, but not before spinning and bouncing off of several would-be tacklers.
Philyor admitted that he didn’t know his knee would be stable enough to pull off such a physical play. For a small player, he plays with an enormous competitive stature.
“As receivers, that’s what we do,” Philyor said. “Our team motto is ‘consistent playmakers with contagious energy.’ So we try to bring energy to the team as much as we can. It felt good. I actually didn’t know I could do that, to be honest with you. I was just running, that’s what I was born to do.”
Last season, Philyor had a breakout game against Michigan State, securing 13 passes for 148 yards and a score. It marked the second time in his young career he had amassed 13 receptions.
Philyor is the only player in Indiana program history to have multiple games with double-digit receptions, and he played in only 18 games during his first two years with the Hoosiers.
In 2017, he set Indiana true freshman records of 33 receptions and three touchdowns. In just two years riddled with inexperience and injury, the Tampa, Florida native has shown flashes of potential.
Fully recovered and equipped with a new offensive system, Philyor wasted no time setting the bar high for himself and his teammates in 2019. Without hesitation, he said before the start of Indiana’s fall camp that the program had the potential to produce a top-five receiving corps in the entire nation.
After two games against Ball State and Eastern Illinois, Indiana has proven to be more explosive than we’ve seen in the past. The Hoosiers are currently ranked second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally with 383.5 passing yards per game.
Philyor, despite limited action in a 52-0 blowout against Eastern Illinois, is the team’s leading receiver. He’s caught 10 passes so far this season, totaling 141 yards.
He’ll continue to play a big role in first-year offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer’s offense not only in the upcoming matchup against No. 6 Ohio State but for the rest of the season.
On the field, the 5-foot-11, 179-pound slot receiver is an agile route runner that provides DeBoer a threat on short and deep passes alike. In the season-opener against Ball State, Philyor led the team in catches with six, but his longest play of the game came on a 22-yard rush.
Philyor hasn’t shied away from showing the confidence he carries for himself and his teammates. The team fully understands the type of challenge Ohio State will bring this upcoming Saturday, but the leadership of Philyor — alongside other upperclassmen — will help prepare Indiana for its toughest opponent of the season.
“We’re going to see how good we are next week against Ohio State,” Philyor said. “But they still have to play us, remember that.”
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