2017 National Signing Day Profile: Raheem Layne

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Raheem Layne, 6’0”, 183 pounds, Sebastian, FL (Sebastian River High School), ATH, 247Sports Composite Ranking: 3-star (82.31)

The Indiana Hoosiers added a true cover corner to the 2017 Hoosier Army as former Minnesota commit Raheem Layne flipped late in the process and signed to play for Tom Allen’s defense. The 3-star recruit chose IU over Minnesota, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Iowa and others. At the time of his commitment, he was, remarkably, the ninth IU prospect in the 2017 class from the Sunshine State.

“Minnesota was my first offer and I really liked the school when I went there,” Layne wrote in a special piece for the TCPalm paper. “But it is a new coaching staff there now, so it wasn’t that tough when I decided to de-commit. Besides Minnesota, I visited Indiana and Wake Forest. The Indiana trip was great. As soon as I walked on campus, I felt like I was at home. They have the best coaching staff out of all the schools I’ve been to, especially the corner coach (Brandon Shelby). That made picking Indiana much easier.”

Layne has good length for a corner and he is athletic and quick to react in coverage. According to the ESPN recruiting profile on him, Layne is “a physicaly CB with the ability to play in any type of coverage. Has speed, physicality and ball skills. High upside due to his physical traits and overall awareness.”

The Hoosiers are very deep in the secondary but they did have a need for a couple of true cover cornerbacks to develop behind Rashard Fant (a senior in 2017), A’Shon Riggins and Tyler Green. While the cupboard won’t be bare after Fant leaves, adding Layne and LaDamion Hunt in the 2017 class ensures IU’s corner position will be well-manned for the foreseeable future.