Indiana lands 2023 in-state TE prospect Sam West
/After taking a series of official visits in March, 2023 tight end prospect Sam West made the call and committed to Indiana. A standout baseball player as well at Greensburg Community School in Greensburg, West fits the mold that Tom Allen and Kevin Wright have been looking for in the past three recruiting cycles.
Listed as a wideout on some recruiting services, our understanding is that he will look to add some weight to his 6’5” 205lb frame and play tight end for Tom Allen, Walt Bell, and Kevin Wright. West has athletic traits and exceptional hands already, and the hope for him in Bloomington is to emerge as a tight end that can be split out into the slot or even used in the backfield, much like Peyton Hendershot was during his time as a Hoosier. He frequently lined up as a Quarterback(!!) at Greensburg, and that athleticism and change of direction really stands out on his tape already. This is a commit that may fly under the radar when the class is finished later this year, but has the potential to be a really, really strong add to the program.
When he arrives on campus, Sam West will likely join a room full of athletic pass-catching tight ends led by AJ Barner, and rounded out with younger players with loads of potential in Aaron Steinfeldt, Ryan Miller, Brody Foley. Kevin Wright was the primary recruiter on this commitment for Indiana, as he helps add another Big Ten body type that will have to hit the weight room and learn the playbook to be successful. One thing has been abundantly clear with Tom Allen’s recruitment of skill position players since taking over as HC, and it is that IUFB commits at these positions have to have bodies or traits that are clearly projectable to be successful at the Big Ten level. Versatile playmakers with Big Ten physical traits are now the expectation for a recruit in Tom Allen’s tight end room, and hopefully balancing the classes like he has been doing allows for steady production and development over the next several seasons.
While currently listed as a three-star prospect on 27Sports, he has the potential to be a late-riser in this class with a productive senior season. Tom Allen and co. prioritized this one early, and now with West the fold, the staff can turn to other positions of need. Sam West joins four-star safety Daeh McCullough in the 2023 recruiting class, which could see some more action in the coming weeks as prospects wrap up visits surrounding spring ball. With a large amount of older transfers in the 2022 class, we expect this to be a larger class of high school prospects for Indiana Football in 2023.