Countdown to 2020 IUFB Kickoff: 51 Days (Mackenzie Nworah)

Written by Nathan Comp

The Hoosier Huddle countdown to kickoff is almost halfway complete! Fifty-one days remain until the Hoosiers kickoff the 2020 season at Camp Randall Stadium against the Wisconsin Badgers. Today, we’ll highlight redshirt senior offensive lineman, Mackenzie Nworah.

Mackenzie Nworah (Redshirt Senior)

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 322 Pounds

Position: Offensive Line

The tackle and center spots along the offensive line seem to be locked up by Matthew Bedford, Harry Crider, and Caleb Jones. But the men tasked primarily with blocking the B-gap are still to be determined. One of the men vying for a guard spot is fifth-year senior Mackenzie Nworah. Nworah played in eight games last season and has nineteen total games under his belt with the Hoosiers. After starting six times his redshirt freshman season in 2017, Nworah has served as more of a flexible option along the line ever since, filling in wherever he may be needed. This flexibility will be key heading into the 2020 season.

"I always talk about position flexibility," said offensive line coach Darren Hiller via teleconference at the end of April. "There's a lot of position flexibility in the interior.”

Nworah will have to remain flexible and ready at all times in 2020, just like he did last season when Indiana traveled to Nebraska. Simon Stepaniak missed the game due to injury, but Nworah stepped in and helped lead the team to a bowl-eligibility clinching win.

In 2020, Nworah will hope to not only be seeing time because of injury, but rather establish himself as one of the five best lineman in the room. He will be battling players like Dylan Powell (Stanford graduate transfer), Mike Katic, Charlie O’Connor, and Britt Beery for time at the guard position.