Gavin McCabe Officially Signs With the Hoosiers
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Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Gavin McCabe, 6’3”, 250 pounds, Chicago, IL (Marist), DE, 247 Composite Ranking: 3-star (85.05 rating), former IU player comparison: Nick Mangieri
One of the major areas of emphasis for Tom Allen and defensive line coach Mark Hagen during the past two recruiting classes has been increasing IU’s talent and depth on the defensive front. Gavin McCabe, a defensive end from Illinois, chose the Hoosiers over offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Arkansas, Washington State and several others. He's a strong three-star prospect that committed to IU back in June and helped IU build a strong group of Illinois natives in the 2018 class.
McCabe has a good frame that will remind fans of former Hoosier Nick Mangieri. He has a good burst off the line of scrimmage and has a good frame that appears very capable of adding some weight and size to be a presence against both the run and the pass. He probably has a little bit more potential to play early than some of IU’s other defensive end commits because he looks physically able to contend for playing time and contribute by setting the edge right away while most of the other incoming ends are longer, quicker and leaner and may take a bit of time to build up enough strength to have an impact.
After a 2017 class that featured multiple pass-rushers, IU has backed that up with four defensive end commits. The Hoosiers know they need a long list of bodies to maintain competitiveness and finish off some of the close games they’ve been losing against top competition in recent years. The hope is that the deeper this roster gets, the less drop-off there will be as the game wears on and fatigue and injuries become a factor. Gavin McCabe is another piece to that puzzle and he could be relied upon to be a rotation piece early in his Hoosier career.
Former Hoosier Comparison: Nick Mangieri