Countdown to Kickoff: 79 Days (Mackenzie Nworah)

Written by: Alex Compton (@alexncompton)

#79

There are now 79 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! Next up at #79, Mackenzie Nworah!

Mackenzie Nworah (@mackenzie_71)

-Height: 6’3”
-Weight: 306 pounds
-Hometown: Manvel, Texas
-Position: Offensive Guard

In what should turn out to be a class full of great players, Mackenzie Nworah may just end up being the biggest “get” out of them all. A one-time Missouri commit, Nworah was one of IU’s most sought after signees in recent memory, and has a good shot at seeing snaps as early as this fall. Let’s take a look at exactly how Nworah ended up in the cream and crimson, and what fans should be expecting in year one and beyond. 

Coming out of high school, the Manvel product was rated as a three-star prospect, and as the 44th best offensive guard in the country, according to 247sport.com. His rankings as well as the exposure he received in the football mad state of Texas led him to receive over a dozen offers, many of which have had very, very good success on the field in recent seasons.

Nworah ended up with 16 offers counting Indiana’s, including some as prestigious as Oklahoma State and Missouri. He was actually committed to the latter of the two for most of the winter, until he took a visit to Bloomington during December. One week later, he rescinded his pledge to the Tigers, so IU clearly left a strong impression. Nworah then pledged to IU later on in the year, and then left coaches on the edge of their seats as he visit Illinois just two days after committing. He ended up signing a week after that U of I visit, and that brings us to where we are today.  

Last season, the strength of our Indiana team was the offensive line. Led by two All-Americans in Jason Spriggs and rising senior Dan Feeney, the line paved the way for the Hoosiers to have one of the best offenses in the entire country. This should be the case again this year, as there are a whole mess of large men up front that will make life easier for Richard Lagow and co. While this is great news as far as the team goes, it may mean Nworah will have to be patient in year one before he can play a large amount of snaps up front. 

The aforementioned senior Dan Feeney is back, and he may just be the best guard in the entire country. So that spot at right guard is locked up. On the left side of the ball, 5th year Senior Jacob Bailey started the last seven games of 2015, and performed very well. Barring a strong camp from someone (Nworah included), Bailey likely starts the season as the #1 LG again. With both of the starting spots then likely locked up by talented, experienced players, Nworah will likely be used in relief situations, jumbo packages, and or special teams. This is not a knock on Mackenzie at all, this just goes to show how deep and talented Indiana is up front nowadays. 

If Nworah doesn’t redshirt, expect him to battle for one of the #2 spots at each guard position. Wes Martin is likely the next best option at a guard spot due to his experience (6 starts at LG in 2015), and other players in the mix include Hunter Littlejohn, Simon Stepaniak, and Delroy Baker. The line this season is stacked, so Nworah will have to make a strong impression right away to avoid a redshirt. 

If he does end up redshirting, opposing teams should be really worried about him in 2017. With all of the tools to develop into a First Team All-B1G player (seriously, he’s that good), a year spent learning the playbook, getting stronger, and learning from one of the best players to ever come through Indiana may end up being the best thing that could happen. 

No matter what does happen, the bottom line here is that Kevin Wilson and his staff have an absolute stud in the making in Mackenzie Nworah. Whether it is this year or the next, Indiana fans should be very excited about the potential that Nworah has.

Share any memories or expectations you have of Mackenzie Nworah 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!