Replacing Micah McFadden is All About Numbers and Competing With Each Other

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Former Indiana Hoosier linebacker Micah McFadden leaves a hole worthy of being on an Indianapolis roadway on and off the field as he chases his NFL dreams, but unlike Indianapolis, IU defensive coordinator Chad Wilt has a solution on how to fill the hole well. It begins and ends with numbers.

Replacing McFadden’s 77 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks will not be easy, but Wilt will try to replicate them with depth and sticking to Indiana’s defensive DNA. “It's not one person ever that makes a defense.” Wilt emphatically said Thursday. “It's not, you know whether you're the number one defense in the country in the last 130th in the country, right? It's the players plural, right? And our strength has to be in our numbers.”

The Hoosiers will be helped with the return of Cam Jones who was third on the team in tackles playing next to McFadden, and Aaron Casey, but they also bring in transfers Jared Casey and Bradley Jennings Jr..

“Our strength is in our numbers. In it must be then you look again and linebackers and that next line of guys right? mentioned Aaron Casey. Aaron Casey is developing and making progress, right, gaining confidence, right, allowing his mind to slow down to his body can play faster and working to simplify some things for him. But then, he said adding in you know the Bradley Jennings of the world and adding in Jared Casey bringing in Kaiden Turner early right excited about Isaiah Jones getting here.”

Everyone knows IU is coming off a disastrous 2-10 campaign in 2021 which has led to turnover on both the coaching staff and on the field, but it’s how IU will grow which will determine how 2022 goes. Most people will think that IU needs to compete against themselves, but Wilt has put his on spin on that.

“We are going to go compete with each other. Not competing against each other competing, with each other. Right? That's where we're all gonna grow. That's where we're all gonna improve.” Wilt explained.

Wilt will continue to focus on Allen’s vision for the DNA of the defense, which is tackling, takeaways and effort. Wilt would like to add strength in numbers to that DNA.

“We talked about the our DNA we talked about tackling takeaways and effort, right? Okay, we got to tack the ball and get the takeaways we got to pursue to the ball right and tackle. But it's the effort, the effort, the effort, effort, right? When you ask the guys just do that over and over and over. You've got to continue to provide the waves right, provide the depth, and that's really going to be hopefully their calling card for our defense. It's that effort and just keep sending the waves and the strength and the numbers.” Wilt explained.

McFadden is an all-time great for IU, but the Hoosiers will throw wave after wave of players in to help fill the hole left by the former heart and soul of the defense.