2021 Countdown to Kickoff: 87 Days (Michael Ziemba)

Written by Amanda Pavelka (@amandapavelka3) 

We have made it 158 days without Hoosier football, and there are only 87 more to go. In his 5th year as head coach of IU football, Tom Allen and the Hoosiers will hit the road to Iowa where they go head-to-head with the Hawkeyes on September 4th. Today we feature none other than the guy who will wear the No. 87 jersey this season— Michael Ziemba.

Name: Michael Ziemba

Position: Outside Linebacker

Hometown: Sanford, Florida (Lake Mary)

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 254 pounds

Of the veteran players returning for an extra season thanks to COVID-19, Indiana football is very lucky to have Michael Ziemba back for 2021. He will return to Bloomington after graduating with a criminal justice degree in May, and is a huge boost for Hoosier defense and the locker room in 2021.

At Lake Mary High School, Ziemba was the No. 23 tight end in the nation when he committed to Indiana football. His time at tight end in high school helped mold him into the speedy, explosive linebacker he is today. In his four seasons at Indiana, Ziemba has only sat out of 2 games. His quiet freshman and sophomore seasons paired with dedication to the weight room led to his breakout junior year when he racked up 33 tackles, 20 solo, 13 assist, and 6.5 tackles for a loss of 17 total yards, three quarterback hurries, and a team-leading two fumble recoveries in 13 games. In the shortened 2020 season, he started against Penn State and played in all eight games, totaling 11 tackles, nine solo, one for loss and one quarterback hurry. Ziemba helped hold Ohio State within 7 with his four stops, which was a season-high for him.

Ziemba joins D.K. Bonhomme and Lance Bryant at the bull position, which is the weak-side hybrid/outside linebacker type position which that be coached by Kasey Teegardin.

As Indiana’s 2020 Big Ten Sportmanship Award Honoree, Ziemba is the epitome of a LEO culture and will lead by example for the as a fifth-year player, you can count on him leaving his all on the field in his final year of eligibility in 2021.