Vinny Fiacable Continues Family Legacy as Hoosier
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Image: Indiana University Athletics
Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Tom Allen’s roll on the recruiting trail continued as offensive lineman Vinny Fiacable pledged his commitment to the Indiana Hoosiers. The class of 2021 prospect from Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger is the fourth member of the 2021 class and the third commit for the Hoosiers in five days.
This recruitment was a little different from that of a couple of other recent in-state commitments as Fiacable has a long list of ties to the IU football program. Fiacable’s father played at IU in the 1990s, his brothers Steve and Mike played at IU recently and his brother Nick is currently a student assistant in the program. In addition to the family ties, Bishop Dwenger teammates Luke Wiginton and Patrick Finley and fellow Fort Wayne native Randy Holtz are in the program as well. Once the Hoosiers made their interest known, Tom Allen’s program was going to be tough to beat. Still, Vinny is his own man and IU had to beat out offers from Louisville, Cincinnati, a host of MAC schools and some Ivy League programs.
Fiacable spoke to Hoosier Huddle after his commitment and although his family history played a big factor, the honesty of the IU coaching staff stood out to him. “From the beginning, IU has always been honest with me about where I stand with them recruiting wise. They said that they love taking in-state guys and I with that because it means so much more to represent your state and play for them. They really like the work I have been putting in this offseason and like the way I have developed as a player,” the junior said.
Part of that work has been putting on weight to help him prepare for the rigors of line play in the Big Ten. Having to do this in the middle of a statewide shutdown has been difficult but Fiacable has continued to put in the work. “With the virus shutting down everything, I have been staying active and finding creative ways in working out,” Fiacable said. “Luckily, I have already got to my goal of getting to 300 pounds when I was playing the season at 275-285. All I have to do now is maintain that weight. Working out has been what is keeping me sane throughout the quarantine.”
Fiacable is currently only a 2-star on 247Sports but their analysts have opined that he is due for a ratings increase when the next rankings are released. He has played tackle recently at Bishop Dwenger but he projects as an interior lineman in Bloomington. Fiacable is unbothered by any projection or position talk.
“I can play every position on the offensive line. I’ve been playing it all my life and the transition from tackle to guard wouldn’t affect me much at all. It would be a little weird at first getting back into playing guard but after a couple of days, it would be normal.”
IU’s 2021 recruiting class is off to a tremendous start and constantly adding talent and depth to the offensive line is a must in college football. The Fiacable family has a long history at Indiana but the newest addition in that IU lineage will be looking to make a mark all of his own.