Spring Practice 2018 Position Preview: Tight End

Ryan Watercutter proved he has great hands in 2017 Image: Getty Images

Written By Rylie Kyhn

With the new offensive coordinator and tight end coach Mike DeBord’s system being put in
place in 2017, the tight end position saw more action last season than in previous years. Going
into the Hoosiers 2017 season there was a big name everyone was talking about to watch for
on the offensive side of the ball, Ian Thomas. At 6’5’’ 250 pounds, they looked for him to be an
incredible weapon at the tight end position. Thomas added an important element to the
Hoosiers offense last season, leading the team in average yards per reception and scoring 5
touchdowns during his senior season. Thomas graduates in May and will look to pursue a
career in the NFL, and the Hoosiers will look to fill the starting tight end position.

The Hoosiers will need to replace the 376 receiving yards Thomas accumulated last season but
there are players that have shown they have what it takes to step up and fill the shoes. Ryan
Watercutter will enter the 2018 season a redshirt senior. He made two starts at tight
end last season and he saw almost all of the snaps while Thomas was out with an injury. Along
with Watercutter, the Hoosiers return redshirt sophomore Shaun Bonner who started at tight end
for the cream team in the 2016 spring game and showed he has the ability to consistently catch
the ball and compete for the starting spot. Also returning will be redshirt junior Austin Dorris and
redshirt freshman Peyton Hendershot.

Ryan Watercutter

Watercutter, a redshirt senior entering the 2018 season, played in all 12 games last year and
started in the Charleston Southern and Michigan State games. Watercutter is a walk-on that
joined that had switched from linebacker to tight end and earned himself a scholarship for the 2017 season during camp due to his work ethic and his ability to catch the ball. As head coach Tom Allen stated after announcing he was put on scholarship,

“It was so consistent. He worked so hard. He did everything we asked him to do.” Not only did he earn himself a scholarship, but he earned the backup tight end position as well. At 6’2”, 230 pounds, Watercutter has a very similar build to Thomas and the potential to be a powerful weapon for Indiana next season. In 2017, he showed in just a few appearances that he is reliable.

He caught 12 passes for 69 yards and he has the ability to compete, demonstrating his abilities early in the season opener against Ohio State with a career-high 23 yards on the first two receptions of his career. We will get to see more of him during spring ball and going into the 2018 season.

Shaun Bonner

Bonner will enter the 2018 season a redshirt sophomore, seeing action in 11 games last season
primarily on special teams. He played the starting tight end position for the cream team in the
spring game last April.

Quarterback Richard Lagow connected with Bonner on a few crucial plays during the Cream and Crimson game showing that he is capable of catching the ball consistently and make plays as well as strong blocks.

At 6’3’’, 250 pounds he has the size and strength to be a powerhouse at tight end. As a senior, his final high school season he made 30 catches for 314 yards and 5 touchdowns and was an all-region selection. He appeared in a few games behind Watercutter at tight end last season and we have gotten glimpses of his abilities.

Peyton Hendershot

Hendershot is a redshirt freshman that has incredible athletic ability and at 6’4”, 240 pounds he
has the size and build any coach looks for at the tight end position. He dominated in both
football and basketball in high school which just shows how athletic and tough he is. As a junior
he was selected to the 2016 Indianapolis Star Super Team as well as earned all-county and
all-conference honors. During the 2016 season he caught 51 passes for 685 yards and 8
touchdowns.

As a senior, Hendershot was all-state and named Mr. Football at the tight end
position by the Indiana Football Coaches Association and ranked the number 10 prospect in
Indiana by 247Sports. He had offers from from a number of other schools including Cincinnati,
Syracuse, Ball State, Bowling Green and Wake Forest just to name a few. As a senior,
Hendershot was named the state’s top tight end with 67 catches for 896 yards and nine
touchdowns.

Although we haven’t gotten the chance to see him in extended action yet as he missed most of the 2017 season with injury, we can anticipate that spring ball will give us a preview of his abilities going into the 2018 season.

Austin Dorris

The 6’5’’, 255 pound redshirt junior saw action in all 12 games last season but primarily on
special teams. Dorris has a strong build similar to Thomas but we have only seen his abilities
through play on special teams rather than at tight end. He has the size and strength to be a
strong tight end for Indiana and we can look for him to see more field time in the upcoming
season. Spring ball will give us a preview of his abilities and how he can contribute to both the
offense and on special teams.

We can expect that after the amount of action the tight end spot saw last season, this will be a
position that will continue to add aspects to the Indiana offense. Throughout winter workouts
and spring ball we will get a further look at the candidates that will compete for snaps at the tight end spot as the Hoosiers are in need of someone to step up and replace the numbers that
Thomas produced last season.

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