| Illinois Fighting Illini–No. 80 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 20, 2003 |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Rochester (Rochester, Illinois) |
Hank Beatty is an American football wide receiver for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Beatty attended high school at Rochester located in Rochester, Illinois. In the first game of his senior season, after a stellar performance he became the first player in CS8 history with more than 1,000 yards passing, rushing and receiving. [1] He finished his senior year, completing 152 of 236 passing attempts for 1,899 yards and 23 touchdowns, while adding 1,371 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns on 146 carries and catching 22 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns, where for his performance he was named the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year. [2] Coming out of high school, Beatty was rated as a three-star recruit, and the 23rd overall prospect in the State of Illinois, where he committed to play college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini over offers from other schools such as Iowa State, Air Force, Central Michigan, and Illinois State. [3]
During his first two collegiate seasons in 2022 and 2023, Beatty totaled 90 receiving yards and eight return yards. [4] In the 2024 Citrus Bowl, he tallied a career-high 90 yards versus [[2024 South Carolina Gamecocks football team}South Carolina]]. [5] Beatty finished the 2024 season hauling in 20 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown, while also returning 22 punts for 310 yards. [6] [7] For his performance during the 2024 season, he was named third team all-Big Ten. [8] Heading into the 2025 season, he was named to the Paul Hornung Award watch list. [7] In week one of the 2025 season, Beatty hauled in five passes for 108 yards, while also returning four punts for an Illinois single-game record 133 yards and a touchdown, in a victory over Western Illinois. [9] [10]