Countdown to Kickoff: 1 Day (Simmie Cobbs)

Written by: Alex Compton (@alexncompton)

#1

There is only ONE DAY remaining until the Indiana Hoosiers kick-off the 2016 season in Miami against the Florida International Golden Panthers. Last man up, Simmie Cobbs!

Simmie Cobbs

-Height: 6’4”
-Weight: 224 pounds
-Hometown: Oak Park, Illinois
-Position: Wide Receiver

When you look back on the 2015 Indiana Hoosiers years from now, you will then realize just how special that offense was. They torched great defenses, and led the conference in total offense, scoring offense and passing offense. Nate Sudfeld had a remarkable season, and his favorite target was none other than Simmie Cobbs, the player who will end (finally) our 100-day countdown.

Simmie Cobbs came to IU as the 27th best prospect out of Illinois, but it was clear he would become much better than that as soon as he stepped on campus. His numbers were hurt in his freshman season due to the injury to Nate Sudfeld, but he burst on to the national scene last year as a true sophomore. He caught 60 balls, which got him just over the 1,000 yard mark, and had 4 touchdowns to go along with those numbers. 

He went from a big body to a big receiver, and the difference there is huge. You could easily see his improvement in the little things, which goes a really long way if you are trying to become elite. He is blessed with great size and athleticism, but last season he was much better at running routes, blocking, and using his body to box out defenders. Every quarterback is different, but I can’t imagine Richard Lagow not falling in love with the target that Cobbs is. 

Simmie is big, strong, fast and smart. He has all of the tools to be dominant, and Hoosier fans should expect to see Cobbs play that way this season. 

As great as he was and will be, the knock on Cobbs has been the frequency with which he drops passes. He always seems to have a couple bad possessions in a row where he just can’t seem to find the handle on the ball, and IU can’t do that this season if it wants to take that next jump into becoming a 7-8 win team and program. One drop in the end zone of Yankee Stadium still haunts me to this day, so Cobbs will have to prove early on that the drops were a thing of the past to prove he really is an elite wide out. 

Cobbs is the leader of the three-headed monster at WR that returns for Indiana this season, and getting the ball into his hands will be key for new quarterback Richard Lagow to gain confidence early on in the 2016 campaign.

Well, we finally made it! From 100 down to 1, game day is finally upon us. Thank you for your support of Hoosier Huddle, and we hope that you will enjoy our in-depth coverage of every game, matchup and storyline that this new season will present to us. It has been a pleasure Hoosier fans, see you next summer when we start back at 100!

Share any memories or expectations you have of Simmie Cobbs as a player in the comments section (or on the message boards).