The Huddle is Hoosier Huddle’s home base for all of the latest Indiana Football News.
Written by Nathan Comp
The Hoosiers were back at it, outside this time in Memorial Stadium, for practice number 12 of the spring. It was perfect weather for the Hoosiers to get ready for the annual spring game, which is under a week away.
Read MoreWritten by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
The tight end position has been talked about a lot over the past few seasons with the Hoosiers. Kevin Wilson’s offense under-utilized the position to the point of non-existence on the stat sheet and Mike DeBord’s offense used the position more, but still left a lot to be desired. So can the new offensive coordinator figure out how to utilize a position that the Hoosiers have both depth and talent? We’ll see soon enough. The Hoosiers do lose Ryan Watercutter to graduation as well as Austin Dorris who transferred to Bowling Green. The Hoosiers do have two young tight ends who project to be very good in TJ Ivy and Matt Bjorson, then Gary Cooper will join the team over the summer as a true freshman.
Read MoreWritten By Rylie Kyhn
Height: 6’3’’
Weight: 256 pounds
Hometown: Moultrie, Georgia
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Position: Tight End
A a late add to Indiana’s 2016 recruiting class under Coach Kevin Wilson but a good one no
doubt. Shaun Bonner, a tight end out of Georgia with good hands and a strong build. Bonner
was originally committed to Georgia Southern but then flipped his commitment to Indiana the
final Sunday before National Signing Day.
Written By Evan McShane (@veryreasonable)
Indiana head coach Tom Allen and offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Mike DeBord will have their hands full in trying to replace the production from former tight end Ian Thomas. As alluded to in our positional preview, Thomas will graduate in May and pursue an NFL career. Analysts project him to be selected anywhere between the third and fifth round of the NFL Draft in April. Ian Thomas’ size and athleticism make him an intriguing pro prospect, as well as a difficult player for Indiana to replace.
After seeing former IU tight end Danny Friend catch just seven passes during Kevin Wilson’s final year as coach, Hoosier football fans rejoiced upon learning Mike DeBord took more advantage of the position in the passing game. The results spoke for themselves as Thomas compiled 25 catches for 276 yards and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, former walk-on Ryan Wattercutter added 12 catches for 69 yards. Indiana will continue to utilize their tight ends in the passing game and especially in the red zone. Wattercutter will return to IU as a redshirt senior this season. He will be joined by redshirt sophomore Shaun Bonner, redshirt junior Austin Dorris, and redhirt freshman Peyton Hendershot. Which Hoosier tight end will step and deliver in 2018?
Read MoreWritten 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.
Written By Alex Compton (@Alexncompton)
Kevin Wilson had some dynamic offenses at Indiana, there’s no other way of putting that. Wilson featured a pass-happy offense at first that slowly developed into a balanced attack capable of putting every team in the Big Ten on watch for a given weekend. The offense was not as successful last year due to a lackluster running game, but the passing game was still solid, checking in at 23rd in the country according to the S&P+. Despite the decent numbers on offense last season and the insane numbers that Wilson put up on O during his tenure, there was one gripe that was legitimate from year to year. What was it? Throw the ball to the tight ends!
Read More
Written by David Sugarman (David_Sugarman2)
There are now 88 days left until Indiana squares off with Ohio State on August 31st. In today’s countdown we take a look at a pair of players who both wear a pair of eight’s on their backs as we talk about Drew Conrad and Shaun Bonner.
Height: 6’2’’
Weight: 195 pounds
Hometown: Greenwood, Indiana
Position: Punter
There’s no doubt the Hoosiers struggled with consistency on special teams last season and a lot of that had to due with the inconsistency from punter Joseph Gedeon. Now as I sit here on June fourth I still believe Gedeon will be the starting punter and and if that isn’t the case then it will likely be the Aussie, Haydon Whitehead. Having said that, there isn’t a clear number one on the depth chart and the Hoosiers would be foolish not to look at all their options which includes Drew Conrad.
A walk-on who joined the team during 2016 preseason camp, Conrad came to IU with some solid accolades. The Center Grove High School product was a two-time second team all-state and two-time all-county punter of the year. Averaging just a shade under 40 yards a punt as a senior, Conrad set a MIC Conference yardage record, totaling 1,492 yards on the year. He would go on to help the program win a state championship and complete an undefeated season (14-0) in 2015.
Given that Gedeon has more experience and Whitehead has garnered a fair amount of buzz within the program despite never having played American football, Conrad’s name is likely going to be further down on depth chart when the season rolls around. Though it is his birthday today so we leave this piece wishing Conrad a little bit more luck than usual. If his wish is to work hard and climb up the depth chart, then we hope that wish comes true.
Please share any comments or thoughts in the comments section or in our message board. The countdown continues tomorrow so make sure to check Hoosier Huddle daily as we churn towards the 2017 season!
Height: 6’3’’
Weight: 255 pounds
Hometown: Moultrie, Georgia
Position: Tight End
The tight end position was not a bright spot for Indiana in 2016. While Danny Friend did a solid job in run blocking, first year starter Richard Lagow could’ve used a security blanket in the receiving game and didn’t get it from the tight end position. Although Bonner lacks experience, he brings good size at 6’3’’ and could be a solid fill in if need be.
After winning back-to-back state championships in 2014 and 2015 at Colquitt County High School, the Hoosiers opted to redshirt Bonner his freshman year. Bonner was still able to impress in spots despite not seeing the field, earning scout team player of the week versus Rutgers.
With Danny Friend being the presumed starter and people being high on his backup Ian Thomas, it’s unlikely Bonner will see too much of the field this year. Although given Friend’s injury issues and Thomas being unproven, an opportunity could arise.
Please share any comments or thoughts in the comments section or in our message board. The countdown continues tomorrow so make sure to check Hoosier Huddle daily as we churn towards the 2017 season!
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
The tight ends at Indiana caught 10 total passes and their usage, or lack there of, drove Hoosier fans insane. The good news is that Tom Allen brought in Mike DeBord whose tight ends caught a combined 45 passes at Tennessee last season. The talent at the position is not the problem. IU will have five good ones entering spring practice and another joining the squad when the freshmen arrive on campus. Could this deep, but under utilized group be the answer to some of IU’s offensive woes that flared in 2016?
Read MoreOur position previews continue today as we take a look at an often overlooked but critical group for IU’s offense: tight end. IU’s tight end coach James Patton knows what good linemen and tight ends look like. He coached with Kevin Johns at Northwestern and worked with Kevin Wilson at Oklahoma. Patton oversaw a line that featured a total of five All-Americans and future NFL draft picks. He’s been at IU for four seasons and works as the tight end, fullbacks and offensive recruiting coordinator. While they may not have been stars in college, recent IU tight ends like Ted Bolser, Anthony Corsaro and Michael Cooper have been valuable members of some of the Big Ten’s best offenses. Tight ends aren’t just responsible for receiving and they aren’t used only as extra run blockers. Rather, the position requires flexibility and versatility. It requires strength along with quickness. Or toughness mixed with great hands. The Hoosiers have to replace the underrated Michael Cooper but the six guys that remain hope to form a strong group that can help IU’s attack remain at the top of the Big Ten.
Read MoreThere are now 64 days remaining until the Indiana Hoosiers kick-off the 2016 season in Miami against the Florida International Golden Panthers. Join us each day for each part of our 100-day countdown to the opener! This time around, it is Shaun Bonner’s
-Height: 6’3”
-Weight: 240 pounds
-Hometown: Moultrie, Georgia
-Position: Tight End
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