Spearheaded by an All-American, Indiana's Linebackers Should be Great Again in 2017
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Written By Alex Compton (@Alexncompton)
Last season was marked by the incredible defensive turnaround under then defensive coordinator Tom Allen. The switch to a 4-2-5 scheme with an aggressive mentality paid off in the biggest possible way for the Hoosiers, as they were able to see the defense climb all the way to 31st best in the nation according to S&P+. Many of the players have talked about the desire to end the year in the top 25 this season, and that is a very attainable goal. Indiana returns just over 96% of its defensive production from last season this year, and that is tops in the nation. Just about every starter is back, but one of the few holes to plug is at linebacker, the unit we will look at today.
After an extremely productive redshirt junior season, Marcus Oliver opted to leave early for the NFL draft. He signed with the Colts for camp after being waived by the Eagles, and was one of Indiana’s most vital players. He was always around the ball, and holds the record for most fumbles forced at Indiana. Oliver was the captain of the defense, and was a major reason why Tegray Scales had such a big season. Scales is top dog now, but the hole left by Oliver is sizable, and must be patched if Indiana wants to end up as one of the best 25 defenses in America come season’s end.
POTENTIAL STARTERS
Tegray Scales
Tegray Scales is Indiana’s best player, and he is one of the best players in the entire conference. The 6 foot senior enters play this year with high expectations after turning heads across college football last year. Scales led the nation with 23.5 tackles for loss and 93 solo tackles. He was named a second team All-American, and is the first Indiana linebacker since 1987 to receive that honor. I could go on an on, but just read the rest of his bio from last year from IUHoosiers.com: "topped the Big Ten and finished 10th nationally with 126 stops, which shares ninth in program history ... tied for ninth in the conference and led the Hoosiers with seven sacks (44 yards) ... added a 16-yard pick-6, one forced fumble and two pass breakups ... paced the B1G and sat third in the country with nine double-digit tackle games (10 in his career) ... strung together six straight, 10-plus stop contests, the longest streak in the nation, the longest streak in the Big Ten since 2012 and the longest at Indiana since at least 1990 ... posted two multi-sack (3 in his career) and eight multi-TFL (10 in his career) games ... led the team in tackles nine times (6 with game-high honors) ... started all 13 games ... set career-highs with 13 stops in the win over No. 17 Michigan State (1 TFL), the Maryland victory (career-high 11 solos) and vs. Wake Forest (2 sacks, 3 TFLs) ... collected 12 tackles against No. 10 Nebraska (2 TFLs) and at No. 3 Michigan (1.5 TFLs) ... tallied four tackles for loss, which share fifth on IU’s single-season chart, in the Purdue win (10 tackles, 1 sack) and vs. No. 10 Penn State (9 tackles, 1 sack) ... corralled 10 stops, three for loss, with two sacks in the Foster Farms Bowl vs. No. 19 Utah ... dished out 10 tackles at No. 2 Ohio State (1 PBU) and at Northwestern (9 solos, 2.5 TFLs) ... forced his first career fumble and made 1.5 TFLs in the Ball State victory ... picked off the pass and recorded one PBU in the season-opening Florida International win ... three-time IU defensive player of the week (Florida International, Michigan State and Northwestern) ... five-time game captain."
All eyes will be on Tegray Scales this year as he looks to reach the incredibly high bar that people across the country and within the program have been setting for him.
Chris Covington
Well, a former quarterback is going to start next to an All-American at linebacker at Indiana this season, and I can’t wait. Chris Covington is the perfect compliment to everything that Tegray Scales does so well, and he has some solid game experience from last year to guide him as he takes on a much bigger role. He appeared in all 13 games for the Hoosiers last season, and played his best games against the better opponents on the schedule. FromIUHoosiers.com: "earned his first career start at No. 3 Michigan ... made 29 tackles, 19 solo, two sacks, three tackles for loss and one forced fumble ... recorded a career-high six stops, all solo, with his first career sack and first career forced fumble against the Wolverines ... posted four tackles with one sack in the Foster Farms Bowl vs. No. 19 Utah ... collected five stops at No. 2 Ohio State ... tallied four tackles with one TFL in the win over No. 17 Michigan State ... IU special teams player of the week (Michigan State) ... Ohio State game captain."
Key Depth
Mike McGinnis
McGinnis comes to IU from ASA College in Brooklyn, and he’ll get two years left in Bloomington. He caught the eye of Tom Allen last year, and he is expected to rotate as one of the top two guys off the bench this season. McGinnis is a big, strong linebacker that will likely be a big asset in the run game for Allen’s defense. At 6’2” and 230 pounds, McGinnis should be a force in time, and learning from Scales and company isn’t so bad either. Expect #55 to take a bunch of snaps this season. Here’s his bio from IUHoosiers.com: "Linebacker for head coach Joe Osovet at ASA College in Brooklyn, N.Y. ... 2016 All-American ... two-time captain, all-conference selection and Academic All-American ... collected 91 tackles, 18 for loss, 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception and one fumble recovery as a sophomore ... made 74 stops, 15 for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception his freshman campaign."
Dameon Willis
Willis started the Foster Farms Bowl against Utah last year, and played well by all accounts. The redshirt junior from Ohio was in the mix for a starting spot alongside Scales, but Covington has been very, very impressive in camp according to those close to the program. Willis is a guy that has been through the ringer, and has a really good amount of game experience to help him fill the void that Oliver has left behind. Willis will probably fill in more for Scales, while McGinnis is likely to back up Covington more often. Check out his IUHoosiers.com bio from last season: "Made his first career start in the Foster Farms Bowl vs. No. 19 Utah ... played in 12 games ... collected 22 tackles, 13 solo, with one tackle for loss ... posted career-highs in stops (5) and solos (4) in the Ball State win ... closed the season with back-to-back four-tackle games in the Purdue victory and vs. the Utes."
Kiante Walton
Walton made the switch to linebacker from safety in the spring and looks every bit the part of a regular contributor. He has bulked up a little, but still has the speed of a safety and can make plays both in the run and passing game. He only played in two games in 2016, mainly on special teams, after missing 11 games with an injury in 2015. Walton will likely again be a main contributor on special teams and spell one of the linebacker spots behind the second-team defense.
SLEEPER
Reakwon Jones
With Oliver’s departure coming a year earlier than expected, Indiana is somewhat thin at linebacker for this year. There are some opportunities to play in a support role this year (especially if these four don’t stay healthy), and the one I think could make some plays is redshirt sophomore Reakwon Jones. The special teams standout is likely the most athletic of the linebackers, and he is going to be a prime candidate to start next year following the graduation of Scales and Covington. He has been working hard behind the scenes, and he has apparently turned a lot of heads following his work in the summer and fall camp. Look for Jones to play some this year.
Outlook
Replacing Marcus Oliver will be tough, but Tegray Scales is one of the best linebacker in the entire country. He is poised to go down as one of Indiana’s best defenders ever, and he has really stepped up as a leader this year according to just about everyone in and around the program. With Scales as an anchor, three other guys should be able to fill in nicely and replace that production with no problem. Chris Covington is ready to have a breakout season, and Mike McGinnis, Dameon Willis and Raekwon Jones will be pushing those two for snaps all year long.
The defense is going to be loaded this year, and the secondary is undoubtedly the best unit on that defense. The linebackers, while not stocked with proven talent, do have the best player on the team and some guys that have been preparing to step up over the last few years. With options to back up Scales and Covington off the bench, replacing the production left by Marcus Oliver should be no problem for Tom Allen. Watch for the linebackers to step up and have a really, really big year.