Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 62 Days (Brandon Knight)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

#62

The Hoosier Huddle Countdown to Kick-off is rolling along! The season is just a bit more than two months away but tick-tock, each and every day brings us closer to the opener against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Today, we take a close look at one of the most interesting and potentially important offensive players for the Hoosiers: offensive lineman Brandon Knight.

Brandon Knight

-Height: 6’5”

-Weight: 300 pounds

-Hometown: Noblesville, IN (Noblesville High School)

-Position: Offensive Line

Brandon Knight starred at Noblesville High School, earning a spot on the all-state team in both his junior and senior seasons and rating as the seventh best prospect in-state prospect for his class. He chose IU over offers from several Midwest schools and quickly impressed the coaching staff with his preparation and talent.

Kevin Wilson and former offensive line coach Greg Frey initially wanted to redshirt Knight but his talent proved too much to keep on the sidelines as he worked his way onto the field for 11 games. The Hoosiers used him at tackle and tight end and he was eventually named IU’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year and was placed on BTN.com’s All-Freshman team following the 2015 season. He had a 22-yard touchdown reception against Purdue and helped IU’s offense excel as one of the top attacks in college football.

Jason Spriggs moving to the NFL prior to the 2016 season meant that there was a hole at left tackle and Brandon Knight was largely expected to fill that void. However, true freshman Coy Cronk quickly established himself as IU’s best option at the position and Knight showed his versatility and flexibility by moving to the right side of the line and starting the first eight games of the season at right tackle. Unfortunately, he was injured in the ninth game of the season and his sophomore season was over.

The Hoosiers lost some strong veterans along the offensive line including Dan Feeney, Jacob Bailey and starting center Wes Rogers. While the returning pieces are inexperienced, they are definitely talented and it makes for quite an interesting puzzle for new offensive line coach Darren Hiller to piece together. Knight’s injury in 2016 had one benefit: Delroy Baker was able to get some valuable playing experience at right tackle and he showed himself to be quite capable. We know for a near certainty that sophomore Coy Cronk will start again at left tackle and it seems highly likely Baker will start again at right tackle. Redshirt junior Wes Martin is the odds-on favorite to start next to Cronk at left guard. That leaves the center and right guard positions wide open and Knight will almost certainly fill one of those starting positions. If players like Grayson Stover, Ryan Smith, Hunter Littlejohn and Mackenzie Nworah can develop adequately and make Hiller feel that they at least a couple of them are capable of stepping in at tackle if required, I think Brandon Knight will shift to center and start in the middle of IU’s line.

Darren Hiller believes he has the skills and mindset to become a top-notch player at that position and he believes you should do whatever possible to “get the five best linemen on the field”. If true freshman center Harry Crider proves to be ready to start right away, Knight could settle in at right guard. He is an athletic and versatile lineman that has already proven himself to be quite valuable during his first two years in Bloomington and he has the physical tools to develop into another IU lineman that reaches the NFL.

Please share any comments or thoughts in the comments section or in our message board. The countdown continues each and every day so make sure to check Hoosier Huddle daily as we roll towards the 2017 season!