Last spring, Illinois lost its best player when wide receiver Mike Dudek tore his ACL during practice.
Well, another knee injury has befallen the redshirt-sophomore-to-be.
Head coach Lovie Smith told reporters Tuesday that Dudek suffered a knee injury, but he declined to say how severe it is or how long it will keep Dudek off the field. Dudek didn't practice Tuesday.
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"Just as a general rule, guys, I don't talk a lot about injuries," Smith told reporters. His quotes were published by Illini Inquirer. "I'll tell you the injuries they had. He had a knee injury, and we held him out of practice today.
"I learned a long time ago that 'doctor' isn't in front of my name. I try not to be Dr. Smith a lot. If guys can't go, we hold them out. Spring of course you take every precaution."
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Dudek had a tremendous freshman season, one of the best campaigns by a wide receiver in Illinois program history. He caught 76 passes during the 2014 season for 1,038 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
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His return as a sophomore last season was supposed to lift an offense that struggled to find consistency while switching between quarterbacks Wes Lunt and Reilly O'Toole in 2014. But without Dudek — and with injuries affecting many other members of the offense — last season saw the Illini rank in the bottom three in the conference in scoring offense.
Again this offseason, Dudek's return is expected to provide a huge boost to the offense in Smith's first season as head coach. Though it remains unknown how long this injury will keep Dudek off the practice field.