Illinois on SI is delivering scouting reports for each of the key players on the Illini football team's 2026 roster. Below, we present our breakdown of senior wide receiver Hudson Clement . We will add more as other on-field contributors emerge during the season.
Hometown:Martinsburg, West Virginia
High school:Martinsburg
Height:6-foot-1
Weight:215 pounds
Clement is pretty close to the complete package. He lacks elite size, bursst and top-end speed, but all are still quite good. He has the strength, footwork and route-running ability to get off the line easily, create separation and get the best of physical defenders.
He can be productive all over the field, but he really shines in tight spots or when he has to beat his man and go get the ball. Clement has excellent hands, and he can be more productive near the goal line this season if new Illinois quarterback Katin Houser makes him his weapon of choice there. It will be interesting to find out how far along Clement's blocking has come after a year in Barry Lunney Jr.'s offense, which prioritizes blocking from its receivers.
Clement, the Maxpreps West Virginia Player of the Year as a high school senior in 2021, singed with his state school and excelled after a redshirt season at West Virginia. He combined for 73 receptions, 1,221 yards and nine touchdowns with the Mountaineers, building on his first active season with a breakout 2024.
He transferred to Illinois ahead of last season, but a preseason injury and an egalitarian passing offense limited his opportunities and his numbers over the course of the year. Clement made several fantastic plays and came on late in the season (257 yards and three TDs over his last five games), suggesting a higher ceiling than Illini fans got to see in his first year in Champaign.
| Year |
Team |
Games |
Receptions |
Receiving yards |
Receiving TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
West Virginia |
11 |
22 |
480 |
4 |
| 2024 |
West Virginia |
12 |
51 |
741 |
5 |
| 2025 |
Illinois |
13 |
36 |
454 |
3 |
Illinois receivers coach Justin Stepp on Clement:
"He's got a lot of confidence. He's comfortable in the offense, which helps tremendously. Hudson's over there coaching the receivers if I can't get 'em. So I think he's comfortable and he's not thinking as much, and he's just going and playing."
Clement will almost certainly secure one of Illinois' two starting receiver positions, and in any case, he can likely expect more - and maybe a lot more - targets than he saw a year ago. With Hank Beatty gone and Jayshon Platt out to start the season, Clement's skill and experience will be needed.
Surrounded by speed - including receivers Collin Dixon and Brayden Trimble and new tight end Kaden Feagin - Clement could be hugely productive working the short and middle areas as others stretch the field. And if he clicks with the strong-armed Houser, he could command enough attention to push for fringe All-Big Ten honors.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as Illinois Football 2026 Scouting Report: Wide Receiver Hudson Clement .
