2021 Countdown to Kickoff: 49 Days Part I (Sam Daugtrup)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The 2021 Countdown to Kickoff is more than 50% complete! There are only 49 days remaining until the Indiana Hoosiers kickoff the 2021 campaign by traveling to Iowa City to face the Iowa Hawkeyes in a critical season-opening contest. Today’s countdown piece features a pair of profiles, Sam Daugstrup and Brett Wethington.

Name: Sam Daugstrup

Hometown: Avon Lake, Ohio (Saint Ignatius)

Position: Tight End

Year: Freshman

Height/Weight: 6’5”/230 pounds

The Indiana Hoosiers have put an emphasis on getting the tight end position more involved in their offensive attack. With a weapon like Peyton Hendershot, that makes a lot of sense. This will be Hendershot’s final season in Bloomington and Matt Bjorson could be playing his last campaign as well. IU knows they need to find the future of the position. AJ Barner is an exciting option and incoming recruits Aaron Steinfeldt (Bloomington, IN) and James Bomba (transfer from Miami (OH)) could develop into answers to the question. One player that hopes to work his way into the tight end rotation for position coach Kevin Wright is Sam Daugstrup.

Daugstrup is 6’5” and 230 pounds and came to IU as a preferred walk-on prior to the 2020 season. He played football and lacrosse for one of the powerhouse programs in Ohio (St. Ignatius High School) and had six major conference offers as a three-star recruit. However, he suffered a serious knee injury in high school and his recruiting track was derailed. He chose to come to Indiana and try to get back to the level he was at before the injury. If he can reach his potential, he projects as a starting tight end with a versatile skillset similar to Matt Bjorson. With Hendershot, Barner, Bjorson and Khameron Taylor ahead of him, the 2021 season looks like another developmental year for Daugstrup but several of the contributors at the position are gone after this season and the battle for playing time in the future could have Daugstrup as a contender.