Countdown to Kickoff: 47 Days (Robert McCray III)

Robert McCray III and Bernard Taylor leave the field after the Hoosiers heartbreaking loss to Bowling Green last season. Photo Credit IDS

Written By: Nick Holmes (@HoosierHolmes)

Unfortunately the weekend has passed, however, on the plus side, we are that much closer to the Hoosiers first contest of the 2015 season against Southern Illinois. When the clocks strikes 4 P.M. on September 5, the Hoosiers will be looking to exact a little revenge on the Salukis. During 2006 Indiana lost the week three match up between the two teams and when the season came to a close, the Hoosiers found themselves just one victory short of being bowl eligible. Coach Wilson and his team want to ensure they avoid the same fate, so they will need to snuff out the Salukis hopes of pulling off another upset early on. Today, we continue our countdown by looking at number 47, Robert McCray III.

The Rockford, Ga. native made his way to Bloomington last summer as a member of the Hoosiers 2014 recruiting class. The talented athlete saw action in the team's final 10 games of the season, primarily lining up in the defense's bandit position. This spring Coach Wilson and his staff decided to move both he and Senior Nick Mangieri to defensive end in hopes of improving the pass rush and replacing some of the production lost after the graduation of Bobby Richardson.

McCray put on a strong showing during the team's spring game, recording a Cream leading four tackles and two sacks.

Future Outlook

As noted above, the Hoosiers will have to replace their starting defensive end and sack leader from last fall, Bobby Richardson, who is currently with the New Orleans Saints. Mangieri looks to have the inside track at the position, however with the team's propensity to rotate in multiple players across the defensive line, the 6'2" 272-pound McCray will have plenty of opportunities to get a hand on opposing quarterbacks. Junior Shawn Heffern also looks to factor into at the position, so the team looks to have plenty of options at the spot this fall.