2017 Indiana Football Recruiting Class Needs
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Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Before jumping full force into bowl analysis, we thought this was a great time to take a look at the future of Indiana football. The most immediate “future” for college football programs is recruiting. The Hoosiers have a good base of commitments for the 2017 class and we broke those down in detail here (insert link to commits article) but there are still needs to round out the class and make it a major success, at least on paper.
-Linebacker-
-The Hoosiers could potentially lose Marcus Oliver and Tegray Scales to the NFL Draft this season and they definitely will lose both of them after the 2017 season. The cupboard isn’t bare at that position once those excellent players depart and IU’s needs for the position are different than most programs because of Tom Allen’s preferred defensive formation. The current linebacker class breakdown (with their class for the 2017 season) is as follows:
-Senior- Tegray Scales, Marcus Oliver, Chris Covington
-Junior- Kenny Arnold (walk-on), Dameon Willis
-Sophomore- Reakwon Jones, Tom Bolstad (walk-on), Branden Moore (walk-on)
-Freshman- Thomas Allen (2017 Commit)
In my opinion, the Hoosiers need two more linebackers for this class and it certainly wouldn’t hurt for one of those guys to be an immediate impact JUCO linebacker that has two years of eligibility remaining. I’m hopeful that at least one of the duo of Scales and Oliver returns for his senior season and both Chris Covington and Dameon Willis were very solid in back-up roles this past season. Reakwon Jones has potential but there’s basically no proven production in the younger classes so the position needs restocking.
-Defensive Back-
The Indiana Hoosiers have a plethora of players listed as “defensive backs” and they are actually in extremely great position at the free safety, strong safety and Husky positions. When I write “defensive back”, the position I am actually writing about in this case is a true cover cornerback. On paper, the Hoosiers don’t lose any players from the secondary before the 2017 season. However, it’s very possible that Rashard Fant opts to enter the NFL Draft and there are a few players that could decide to transfer due to lack of playing time and no clear path to increasing it. As more and more offenses play up-tempo attacks, the need for a deep pool of cornerbacks is greater than ever. Below is a list of cornerbacks (not Husky’s or safeties) with their class as of the 2017 season:
-Senior- Rashard Fant, Ben Bach, Noel Padmore, Arthur Jones
-Junior- Tyler Green, Andre Brown, Wesley Green
-Sophomore- A’Shon Riggins, Thomas Henderson (walk-on), Johnny Albomonte (walk-on), Jake Attar (walk-on)
-Freshman- LaDamion Hunt (2017 Commit)
So, the Hoosiers will still be very deep at this position in 2017 but they are a bit thin there beginning in 2018 if they can’t haul in another quality corner.
-Quarterback-
The most well-known position on any roster is the quarterback position. Most teams attempt to bring in one scholarship signal-caller in each class and IU is usually no exception. Richard Lagow is the likely 2017 starter as a senior but he will be pushed by both Austin King and Peyton Ramsey. Despite having terrific offenses, the Indiana Hoosiers have struggled to land a “top-notch” recruit at the position under Kevin Wilson. It’s something that has to confound the coaching staff but they have still brought in some talent at the position. Nate Sudfeld was certainly good, Richard Lagow was a prized JUCO prospect with a big arm and both King and Ramsey had plenty of other high-major scholarship offers. As with the other positions, the player list is for the beginning of the 2017 season:
- -Senior- Richard Lagow
- -Junior- Danny Cameron
- -Sophomore- Austin King, Mike Fiacable
- -Freshman- Peyton Ramsey
IU’s coaching staff is pursuing a pair of quarterbacks right now: Tyler Lytle (3-star verbal commit to Colorado from California) and Braxton Burmeister (4-star verbal commit to Arizona from California) but other names could emerge according to Matt Weaver of Peegs.com..
-Running Back-
As this current season has shown, you can never have too many running backs. Devine Redding surpassed 1,000 yards for the second straight season but the Hoosiers backfield depth was decimated by injuries to Cole Gest, Mike Majette and Devonte Williams. At the end of the regular season, the only scholarship backs were Redding and Tyler Natee. IU returns every member of the 2016 backfield for the 2017 season but this group averaged less than 4 yards per carry and they need some explosion and burst to return to being a dominant running game. Camion Patrick is expected to play some running back next season as he should get a full offseason of preparation after coming back before he was 100%. He showed some flashes of what he can do and I expect him to be a far more integrated member of the attack next season. Tyler Natee became a fan favorite as a part of the “Bacon ‘N Legs” package and it will be interesting to see how the big back from Texas is used moving forward. Cole Gest was impressive in his limited time before injuring his ankle and both Ricky Brookins and Alex Rodriguez received a few carries in the win over Purdue. The players are listed by class below:
-Senior- Devine Redding, Camion Patrick (also a WR)
-Junior- Alex Rodriguez (walk-on), Mike Majette, Ricky Brookins (also a WR)
-Sophomore- Tyler Natee, Devonte Williams
-Freshman- Cole Gest (Redshirt)
There is not a clear-cut, traditional “#1” back on the roster after 2017. Could Mike Majette develop into that? It’s possible. Is Cole Gest big enough to be a durable and reliable “every down” back? I think he can be but there’s no evidence of it just yet. The Hoosiers could use a future every down back and they could use an explosive option to add more of a “home run” threat back into this running game.