Countdown to Kickoff: 30 Days (Chase Dutra)
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Chase Dutra looks to build upon his outstanding freshman season in 2015 Image: HoosierScoop
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Thirty days. An average month. That is all that is left until the Hoosiers sprint past Hep's Rock and on to the green turf at Memorial Stadium. Oh and by the way, we are 70 percent of the way through our Countdown to Kickoff series. How about that? To mark this milestone we will take a look at the newly appointed elder statesman of the Indiana secondary. Number 30, safety Chase Dutra.
#30
Chase Dutra
- Ht/Wt: 6-1/205
- Position: Safety
- Year: RS Sophomore
- Hometown: Brownsburg, Ind.
Dutra has one of the most interesting paths to Bloomington. Born in Turkey and raised in Alaska, Dutra ended up playing his high school ball for Brownsburg. He lettered all four years in football and is a three-year letter winner in basketball. He played both safety and wide receiver and ended up being ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the state by Rivals.com.
Dutra redshirted his first season at IU in 2013 and was earned scout team player of the week once. He really burst onto the scene in 2014 during his redshirt freshman season. He played in all 12 games including one start. He finished the season tied for the team lead in interceptions with three. He also recorded 34 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. His efforts earned him a BTN.com honorable mention All-Big Ten Freshman Team.
In 2015 Dutra will be penciled in at one of the starting safety positions and has been praised by head coach Kevin Wilson for his efforts. He should be able to improve upon his tackles playing full time and if he can replicate his success in the pass game the back end of the Hoosier defense should be a little bit less of a concern.