2022 Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 94 Days (DeMarcus Elliott)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Welcome to the 2022 edition of the Hoosier Huddle Countdown! We are now officially underway as we countdown from 100 to the beginning of the 2022 Indiana University football season. Each day, we will take a look at one (or two) players on the current roster and highlight the players role in the upcoming season. Today’s profiles are a pair of expected starters: punter James Evans and interior defensive stalwart Demarcus Elliott.

Name: Demarcus Elliott

Hometown: Garden City, Kansas (Garden City Community College)

Position: Defensive Lineman

Year: Senior

Height/Weight: 6’3”/313 pounds

Twitter: @DElliottXLV Instagram: @dmacc_94

Taking players from the junior college ranks is not a strategy IU has deployed often during the past. However, there are a few very good examples of how “JUCO” can work out really well. Demarcus Elliott has worked himself from a lightly-regarded transfer from Garden City Community College into a defensive stalwart that enters 2022 having started 30 games at defensive tackle for the Hoosiers. A Garden City native, Elliott played for Garden City High School and stayed at home to play for powerhouse JUCO Garden City Community College. He played in ten games and made only 19 tackles but was able to show enough to earn an offer from IU, making his way to Bloomington prior to the 2019 season.

As a sophomore and playing in his first FBS season, Elliott surprised by earning a place in the starting lineup for 12 games and playing in all 13 contests. He finished first among IU defensive linemen in solo stops and second in tackles. 2020 is an odd year to use for comparison purposes but Elliott was able to start in six of the Hoosiers games. Production wise, it was a step backwards. He responded with a solid 2021 campaign, starting all 12 games and recording at least three tackles in seven games. In addition to his play on the field, Elliott has done excellent in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors each of his three seasons.

Entering the 2022 season, the Indiana Hoosiers are faced with the task of bouncing back from an incredibly disappointing 2021. Demarcus Elliott returns to a defense with several new players and Tom Allen back as the head play-caller. While we don’t yet know exactly how that will look in terms of schematics, we know exactly what Tom Allen’s defenses have looked like in the past and Demarcus Elliott is a player Allen has trusted to start and play major snaps on the interior of the line. There’s no reason that should not be expected to continue. Joining him in the middle is Sio Nofoagatoto’a along with newcomers like Patrick Lucas, LeDarrius Cox and Nick James. That group will look to help the defense return to the form expected of a Tom Allen defense.

The countdown continues with a new profile each and every day so come back to hoosierhuddle.com daily!