Countdown to 2019 IUFB Kickoff: 46 Days (Aaron Casey and Samuel Slusher)

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Written by Nathan Comp

#46

The Hoosier Huddle countdown to kickoff is over halfway complete. Just 46 days remain until the Hoosiers kickoff the 2019 season in Indianapolis against the Ball State Cardinals. Today we will highlight a pair of Indiana linebackers, Aaron Casey and Samuel Slusher.

Aaron Casey (Redshirt Freshman)

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 229 Pounds

Hometown: Douglasville, Georgia

Position: Linebacker

Aaron Casey joined the Indiana program as a part of the 2018 recruiting class from Alexander High School in Georgia. The three-star prospect filled the stat sheet with 225 tackles, nine interceptions, 10 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 recovered fumbles during his career as both a linebacker and a safety. This earned him the ranking of the 76th best outside linebacker by ESPN and the 83rd best prospect in Georgia by Rivals.

Casey opted to redshirt in 2018, but this does not mean he stopped producing. He was named special teams scout team player of the year, was a two-time defensive scout team player of the week (Michigan, Minnesota), and a two-time special teams scout team player of the week (Ohio State, Maryland). He also has added about 25 pounds of muscle working with David Ballou and Dr. Matt Rhea. Casey will look to continue this type of growth and production in 2019 and hopefully find his way onto the field.

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Samuel Slusher (Redshirt Sophomore)

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 196 Pounds

Hometown: Greensburg, Indiana

Position: Linebacker

Samuel Slusher is a fellow linebacker who joined the Indiana program as a walk on just one season prior to Casey. After redshirting the 2017 season, Slusher was able to make his collegiate debut last season in the victory against Ball State. He finished the season having seen three games of playing time and making one tackle on special teams.

Slusher is still a bit undersized for a stereotypical Big Ten linebacker but should be able to continue to make contributions to both special teams and the scout team defense. Slusher was named defensive scout team player of the year in 2018 and amassed three defensive scout team player of the week honors (Florida International, Michigan State, Maryland). He also finished the season as an Academic All-Big Ten selection.