Countdown to Kickoff: 72 Days (Simon Stepaniak)

Written by: Alex Compton (@alexncompton)

#72 (@simon72FTR)

There are now 72 days remaining until the Indiana Hoosiers kick-off the 2016 season in Miami against the Florida International Golden Panthers. Join us each day for each part of our 100-day countdown to the opener! This time around, it is Simon Stepaniak’s turn!

Simon Stepaniak

-Height: 6’4”
-Weight: 305 pounds
-Hometown: Hamilton, Ohio
-Position: Offensive Line

As we have stressed over and over again throughout this offseason, the strength of the 2016 Indiana Hoosiers will likely be the offensive line yet again. With experience and talent at every position, there is no reason that IU should not finish first in sacks allowed for a second consecutive season. This grouping will also look to lead the Hoosier offense to the top of nearly every other notable offensive statistic in 2016, as they did in 2015. While the starters may be locked in at this point, depth is crucial up front, and IU is incredibly lucky to have a player like Stepaniak to call on when the time comes. 

Last season as a freshman, Stepaniak took a redshirt in order to strengthen up during a year that he likely would not have seen any time. Coming out of Ross High School in Ohio, Stepaniak was rated as a three-star prospect, and as the #61 offensive guard in the nation by Scout.com. He racked up all sorts of honors during his career, including being named to the All-State team after the 2014 season. Those familiar with the program were really impressed with Stepaniak’s performance and preparation throughout this past season, and he was rewarded by being named the scout team player of the week for the games against Florida International and Michigan State.

As far as playing time goes this year, the summer will ultimately end up deciding who starts at center. With a large amount of solid help at both guard spots, the coaching staff spent last season transitioning Stepaniak to the center position, where he can make a bigger impact. In order to end up as the starter come opening kick, he will likely need to beat out 5th year senior Wes Rogers. Rogers came on late in the season and appeared in 5 games, and performed solidly. With a new quarterback taking control of the offense this year, it may be more likely that Rogers starts anyways due to his experience, which is something that Stepaniak simply doesn’t have at this point. If he doesn’t beat out Rogers at center, he could also find himself as one of the top subs at the right tackle, left guard, and right guard positons. 

The nice thing about having such a deep offensive line nowadays in Bloomington is the fact that the coaching staff can let talented players like Simon develop instead of rushing them into action when they may not be fully prepared. At this point in time, I am expecting Rogers to win the center spot, but that doesn’t mean Stepaniak won’t be useful to the team in 2016. He will see a good amount of snaps at a few different positions on the line, in addition to help on special teams. This year will be great for Stepaniak to really learn from some experienced players so that he can be ready to start in 2017. No matter what ends up happening, IU has a really nice player here, and fans shouldn’t be surprised to hear some positive things about him this summer and beyond.  

Share any memories or expectations you have of Simon Stepaniak as a player in the comments section (or on the message boards) and be sure to come back to Hoosier Huddle each day during our countdown!