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Illinois Fighting Illini lose receiver Mike Dudek to torn ACL

By Patrick Schmidt

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Illinois receiver Mike Dudek suffered a torn ACL in spring practice and his availability for the upcoming season is in doubt.

Mike Dudek tore his ACL at spring practice and Illinois’ leading receiver could miss the 2015 season. Dudek was one of the few bright spots for the Illinois Fighting Illini in 2014 as the freshman receiver led the team in receiving with 76 catches for 1,038 yards and six touchdowns and will be tough to replace.

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According to Jeremy Werner, the Fighting Illini hope Dudek will be able to return by October, but that timeline sounds incredibly optimistic considering the recovery period is about one year from the time of the injury. Returning in October would put Dudek at less than six months.

He was expected to be the preferred target for quarterback Wes Lunt this year and develop into one of the top quarterback-wide receiver combinations in the Big Ten, but now those hopes are on hold. If he returns at the beginning of October, Dudek will miss four non-conference games and be back in time for the Oct. 3 game at Memorial Stadium.

Dudek came to Illinois as a three-star recruit out of Nequa Valley in Naperville, IL and was ranked as the nation’s No. 942 ranked recruit, No. 132 receiver and the No. 31 recruit in the state of Illinois, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He made those rankings look silly when he finished second in the Big Ten in receptions and third in the conference in yards.

With Dudek out indefinitely, the Illini will rely on Geronimo Allison, Malik Turner and Justin Hardee to fill the void at receiver until he is healthy enough to return to the starting lineup.

Illinois opens the season on Sept. 4 vs. Kent State.

Next: Top 10 Coaches on the Hot Seat Entering 2015

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