Indiana Football Positional Preview: Defensive Line's Depth Will be Tested in 2018
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Written By Lauralys Shallow
The defensive unit as a whole has already made great strides the past few seasons under Tom Allen, current head coach and defensive coordinator. In 2015, IU was 121st nationally in yards per game allowed, and in 2017 IU improved to 27th. Any successful defense starts from dominating the line of scrimmage. Today, we preview the defensive line.
Potential Starters
Jacob Robinson-Senior-6’4/291 pounds
The senior from Westfield, Indiana had 26 tackles, 15 solos, four sacks, seven tackles for loss, one forced fumble, two quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and one blocked field goal last season. Robinson was tied for first among defensive linemen in stops, second in TFLs and third in sacks.
Robinson’s size and speed makes him one of the most versatile linemen on the field in any given game. Last season, he had career highs in tackles, solo tackles, sacks and TFLs. I expect Robinson to continue to improve as he has every season in his collegiate career, and he will be a core piece of this unit because of his talent and leadership.
Allen Stallings- Junior-6’2/242 pounds
Stallings exploded last season, especially compared to his freshman year. The Illinois native had 25 tackles, 15 solo, three sacks, 5.5 TFLs, one forced fumble and two quarterback hurries in his sophomore season. Stallings made one appearance his freshman year in the first game of the season against Florida International.
Between freshman and sophomore year, Stallings got his weight up and became more comfortable on the collegiate level. He already had great speed and toughness, and last season showed he has a high ceiling. I expect Stallings to make more sacks and TFLS this season. This is guaranteed: Stallings will create quarterback pressure for IU.
Kayton Samuels-Graduate Student-6’0/320
Samuels graduated from Syracuse, and he brings a lot of experience to this position. Samuels played in 34 games (24 starts) with Syracuse. He had 44 tackles, 4.5 for loss, with one sack and one fumble recovery for the Orange. Samuels has had 15 career multi-tackle games. I expect Samuels to be utilized in the rotation, and I am interested to see how he transitions from the ACC to the Big Ten. I believe that Samuels was a good get for IU.
Nile Sykes-Redshirt Senior-6’2/252 pounds
Sykes suffered a season-ending injury in the offseason, and he was sidelined his junior year. His sophomore year, he made 18 solo tackles, five sacks, seven TFLs, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups. He was second on the team in sacks and fourth in TFLs in 2016. Sykes will be back this season, and IU will need his pass rushing ability and his help stopping the run.
Rotational Players
Mike Barwick Jr.- Redshirt Senior-6’0/305 pounds
The Cincinnati Ohio native appeared in all 12 games last season, garnering 24 tackles, 11 solo, with two sacks, three TFLs and one quarterback hurry. Barwick put up pretty similar numbers compared to the previous season when he made 22 tackles, 15 solo, with two sacks, 2.5 TFLS and two pass breakups in 2016.
Barwick is a crucial part of this rotation because of his experience and consistency. His fifth year with the program, Barwick redshirted his freshman year and saw no game time in 2015. The past two seasons, he has appeared in every game, and he has proved he is a reliable rotational player. I expect Barwick to have career highs in sacks and TFLs in his final season as a Hoosier.
Jerome Johnson-Redshirt sophomore-6’3/293 pounds
After redshirting the 2016 season, Johnson collected 18 tackles, 10 solo, with one sack and 3.5 TFLs last season. Johnson played in every game, and he was honorable mention BTN.com Big Ten All-Freshman. In his first season of eligibility Johnson showed he is a core part of this rotation. I expect Johnson to reach the 20 tackle mark this season and have a career high in sacks.
Gavin Everett-Redshirt Junior-6’3/260 pounds
The walk-on from Center Grove high school recently earned a scholarship.
Everett transferred to IU after seeing no game action at Western Illinois University in 2015. Due to the NCAA transfer rules, Everett sat out the 2016 season. Everett made seven tackles, four solo, with a half-sack and one forced fumble in the nine games he played in last season. Everett’s work ethic and commitment to the program earned him a scholarship. Everett takes his role seriously, and I expect him to see more game time this season.
Brandon Wilson-Redshirt Junior-6’3/282 pounds
Wilson made five appearances in the 2016 season, with two tackles. Last year, he made nine tackles, a half for loss and started against No. 2 Ohio State in the home opener. The Florida native will definitely get his opportunities to see game time this season.
Ja’merez Bowen-Redshirt Senior-6’4/313 pounds
Bowen played in nine games last year, recording 10 tackles, five solo. I expect to see him utilized in most games this season, similar to his role last year.
James Head Jr.-Freshman-6’5/251 pounds
Head enrolled in 2018 spring classes, and he was eligible to participate in spring practice. Head was ranked the No. 25 strong-side defensive end nationally by 247Sports. He finished his career with 250 tackles, 47 TFLs, 45 sacks, seven forced fumbles, nine pass breakups and three blocked field goals. Head picked IU over Michigan State, Mississippi State and Oregon, and I am excited to see what he does in his first season with IU.
Michael Ziemba-Sophomore-6'3/262 pounds
Ziemba got his taste of college football playing in 10 games as a true freshman. While it was mainly on special teams, Ziemba did appear on the defensive line. He collected four total tackles. He should again be a contributor on special teams and defense. With an emphasis on rotating players, Ziemba could have his number called more often.
Alfred Bryant- RS Freshman- 6'2/252 pounds
Bryant was brought in to be a quarterback wrecker. He has the speed to do so, but needed a year to bulk up for the Big Ten. With the return of Nile Sykes and the emergence of Allen Stallings, Bryant will need to play his way onto the field. The tools are there, it's time to use them.
Tramar Reece- RS Freshman- 6'4/250 pounds
Reece is another intriguing redshirt freshman. A little undersized at 250 pounds, Reece can use his speed off the edge to get in to the opposing back fields.
Shamar Jones- Freshman- 6'1/265 pounds
With the attrition in the middle of the line that took place between the 2017 and 2018 seasons, IU has lost the services of Juan Harris and LeShaun Minor, Jones could be a guy who needs to step up. He has made some plays this fall in camp, but at 265 pounds is a little on the light side to be more than an occasional rotation piece. However, he still has a few weeks to add some bulk and if he can get into the 270's he could become a major depth piece in the middle.
Prediction
Strength has been a huge focus for the defensive line, and I expect to see results this season. On Big Ten media day IU head coach Tom Allen said, “We’re really focused on our defensive and our offensive line, and just knew that we had to grow in our strength in both of those areas to be able to be the kind of defense we wanted to be, and the kind of offense we wanted to be. Because it all starts up front.”
It’s also time to see what second year players Michael Ziemba, Alfred Bryant and Tramar Reece can do. Ziemba played mainly on special teams last year while Bryant and Reece redshirted. They were talented recruits and if they can step into action the Hoosier line will be as deep as it has been in years.
While we get to see in a few weeks if IU’s defensive line made improvements in strength, IU does have depth in this position. Depth creates an element of competition in the defensive line because there are so many linemen in the mix working for playing time. The defensive line will have to on stop the run and limit big ground gains on first and second downs to pin opponents in long third-down situations, especially in conference play. I think the defensive line has solid depth, and most importantly a lot of talented guys that are hungry to play.