State of the Room- IUFB Linebackers

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Image: Amanda Pevelka Hoosier Huddle

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The Indiana Hoosiers will have to replace the heart and soul of their linebacker room and defense as Micah McFadden is off to chase his NFL dreams. The Hoosiers will also be under the new direction of defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Chad Wilt. While Wilt has not exclusively coached linebackers, he has been a coach for over 20 years and will have Tom Allen calling the plays on defense.

IU did receive great news as Cam Jones, the Hoosiers’ third leading tackler, is back for another season. They also return Aaron Casey and add two potential impact transfers in Bradley Jennings (Miami FL) and Jared Casey (Kentucky). The departures from the room via the transfer portal could give some incoming freshmen a chance to earn important playing time.

Departures

As stated above, the biggest departure for the Hoosiers is Micah McFadden who was the heart and soul of the IU defense for two seasons. His tenacity and grit will be tough to replace. The Hoosiers also lost many depth pieces who had shown flashes of potential during their time at IU. James Miller and D.K. Bonhomme figured to be key reserves in 2021 behind Jones and McFadden, but seemed to be used sparingly. Ty Wise and Cameron Williams were both highly-regarded in-state recruits who never really found their way into the rotation. IU will also lose Thomas Allen to graduation. Allen, who dealt with plenty of major injuries, was a good depth piece.

Returnees

The Hoosiers received their best piece of news for this room when Allen announced that Cam Jones was back for 2022. He’s a key to a successful transition to the next generation of IU linebackers. He made 64 tackles with two coming for loss. Aaron Casey is another returning linebacker who has played quite a bit. He made 25 tackles in 2021 and should be a bigger factor in 2022. Maurice Freeman is also a player who can slide into the linebacker or husky position. He is listed at linebacker, but can be versatile.Freeman is a big hitter who could move closer to the line of scrimmage should the situation dictate it. The 

Newcomers

There will be plenty of new faces in the IU linebacker room made up of both incoming freshmen and veterans from the transfer portal. The Hoosiers picked up Brady Jennings from Miami, a talented player, and should fit nicely into the rotation. IU’s other transfer is Jared Casey, from Kentucky, who will be a redshirt junior this season.

The player that fans, and maybe coaches, are most excited about is Dasan McCullough. He is the gem of the 2022 IU recruiting class and should see the field somewhere this season. He will most likely start the year at the stinger position behind Cam Jones. McCullough should have an instant impact on depth and allow Allen to plug a very talented player in when Jones needs a break. Along with McCullough the Hoosiers bring in freshmen Kaiden Turner, who reminds a lot of people of McFadden and Isaiah Jones. Turner and Jones should have time to develop and play in four games should the players in front produce and stay healthy.

8 Scholarship Linebackers

  • Cam Jones- RS Senior

  • Aaron Casey- RS Junior

  • Bradley Jennings- Graduate

  • Jared Casey- RS Sophomore

  • Maurice Freeman- RS Freshman

  • Dasan McCullough- Freshman

  • Kaiden Turner- Freshman

  • Isaiah Jones- Freshman

Walk-ons with Experience

  • Matt Hohlt

  • Xavier Trueblood