When Illini football coach Mike White made the command decision in the mid-80s to reduce junior college recruiting, it was not because those mostly-California athletes had come up short at Memorial Stadium.

Actually, their rate of on-field success far outdistanced the preps attracted during the White term.

But there were so many pressures ... from campus administrators and professors who saw their university's reputation besmirched by the Big Ten brotherhood as a "junior college dumping ground" ... from members of local law enforcement who had to deal with too many troublemakers ... from steady complaints voiced in the media.

Face it, not everybody is a perfect fit for this campus, and that goes double for those raised in warmer climates, those who place modest emphasis on academics, those with built-in habits that aren't altogether healthy.

White took a hard look at the big picture and sought to use the successes of the early 1980s to attract preps of similar quality. What he ultimately did, in being forced to resign, was provide a nice nest egg for successor John Mackovic.

Illini's juco receivers are a bust

But, let's be honest, the UI has not been able to sustain high-level prep recruiting for 35 years. Ron Turner, like White a Californian with NFL background, fully understood the need for juco help after going 0-11 in 1997.

The idea was good. The execution of the idea now is a near-total disaster.

Four juco receivers have been reduced to one – sub Larry Davis – with the preseason loss of Connie Moore in a drinking incident and the weekend arrest of redshirting William Loyd and five-game starter Terrance Smalls for possession of marijuana. Two juco cornerbacks also arrived this summer, but highly-touted Johnnie Harris returned to Mesa, Ariz., to complete academic work, and the other, Johnny Rogers, has been a backup.

Amazingly, two seniors who struggled near the tag-end of the depth chart when drills began, Rob Majoy and George McDonald-Ashford, are closing the season as starters. Both were prominent in the recent 31-16 defeat of Indiana. Neither Smalls nor Loyd (already redshirted due to a fracture) will suit up at Michigan State on Saturday, Turner stating he'll make a decision on their status later.

"Certain behavior is expected," Turner said. "These athletes represent a lot of people. There is a right way to do things, and those who make wrong decisions must face the consequences. I'm extremely disappointed."

Turner said he'll deal with Smalls and Loyd individually, noting rules and penalties vary according to circumstances. Said the coach: "If you're constantly dealing with someone, you have to draw the line someplace."

Questions arise about 1999

The concern now is not Saturday, since Smalls already had been benched, and the Illini go to Michigan State with their four leading receivers.

But what about 1999? Will the Illini be facing yet another difficult campaign without a genuine go-to receiver, someone who demands double coverage and draws attention away from the line of scrimmage.

It is the long-held belief here that the inability of UI receivers to shake free and intimidate rival secondaries has been the main factor in suffocating the Illini offense. Stop and analyze what the electric duo, David Boston and Dee Miller, does for Ohio State. Would Joe Germaine be leading the Big Ten in passing without those two? Think what D'Wayne Bates has done for Northwestern, Tai Streets for Michigan, and Randall Lane and Isaac Jones for Purdue.

The troublesome news is the Illini, last in Big Ten pass efficiency, will probably be weaker at the receivers next year than they are this year. They couldn't make up for the loss of Moore, now face the prospect of losing Loyd and/or Smalls, will lose Majoy and McDonald-Ashford through graduation, and may have to depend on incoming freshmen to fill the holes.

"We did not get what we needed from our JC receivers and we may not go the JC route this year," Turner said. "Our best new receivers may come from the high school ranks. We have a shot at some very good ones."

But prep stars need time. Look for Turner to scan the squad, perhaps moving Quincy Washington or giving a legitimate shot to walk-on Aaron Morehead. Maybe he'll institute a campus tryout. This is a headache that won't go away.

Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette.