Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The Indiana Hoosiers entered the 2019 season expecting to be without left tackle Coy Cronk when they took the field in 2020. The senior had started more than 30 games for the Hoosiers and was hoping to wrap up his career by helping the Hoosiers to a bowl berth. However, Cronk was lost for the season to injury during the UConn game. He was able to medically redshirt but instead of returning to Bloomington for his senior season, Cronk is transferring to Iowa. While there was a period of time when it appeared IU would have the luxury of moving Coy Cronk to guard and starting him on the interior of the line, the staff will now need to piece together a unit that still has some returning talent and lots of intriguing pieces to plug into place.

One of the bright spots of losing Cronk to injury was that freshman left tackle Matthew Bedford was able to establish himself as a future star. IU had high hopes for Bedford and he played very well filling in for Cronk. If you can avoid sticking out as a problem as a freshman left tackle in the Big Ten East, you have a very bright outlook. Bedford returns to man the left tackle spot and he’ll be joined by returning starting right tackle Caleb Jones. Jones is 6’8” and more than 350 pounds and he has established himself as an anchor along the line. With two years of eligibility left, Jones still has time to work himself into an All-Big Ten player.

The starting center spot appears to be set for Harry Crider. The 6’4” Columbus native started 12 games at left guard and one at center. He could start at left guard again or he could slide over to center. Crider has a lot of experience and is a solid, if unspectacular, piece of the line. The sureties end there. IU has a depth of options but there are no sure things after those three.

The most likely option for one of the starting guard positions is graduate transfer Dylan Powell. Originally from Missouri, Powell is with the team now as an early-enrollee transfer from Stanford. At just shy of 300 pounds, Powell is an interior lineman that appeared in 19 games at guard and center for the Cardinal before missing the 2019 season due to injury. He is expected to have two years of eligibility remaining. If the Hoosiers were playing a game tomorrow, redshirt senior Mackenzie Nworah is probably the starting right guard with Powell at left guard and Crider at center. Nworah has appeared in 19 games for the Hoosiers and has started nine times, all at right guard. The Texan is 6’4” and 316 pounds and IU can feel good about his experience if he’s on the field.

As we know, IU does not play a game tomorrow and a lot of work is going to be done between the last week of January and the first Friday of September when IU plays at Wisconsin. In addition, the coaching staff is not done recruiting and they would love to add at least one more offensive lineman. Two options appear to be serious candidates (Kahlil Benson from Mississippi and Devery Hamilton from Stanford). Hamilton was Powell’s roommate at Stanford and he has started at guard and tackle and has great size. Hamilton would likely step in and start at guard right away for IU and would be a great addition.

The Hoosiers have lots of talented, but untested, pieces behind the likely starters and a couple of these guys could end up breaking into the starting five. Mike Katic will be a redshirt freshman and he seems like the most likely candidate to start at center if it is not Crider. He is basically identical in size to Crider and was a two-time scout player of the week in 2019. Aidan Rafferty and Nick Marozas are both going to be redshirt sophomores and could be ready to be a part of the rotation. Charlie O’Connor is a walk-on that impressed the coaches and earned snaps in four games, all at center, in 2019. Britt Beery is a converted defensive lineman from Carmel that will be a redshirt junior and at 6’6”, he has the size to help in the rotation at tackle.

IU has a number of newcomers along the line as well. Junior College transfer Luke Haggard will have three years of eligibility to play two seasons after he starred at Santa Rosa Junior College. He is 6’7” and long, making him ideal for a tackle. However, he is also only 265 pounds. It seems likely he will redshirt and look to add 30-40 pounds before being a part of the rotation in 2021 and a potential starter in 2022. Luke Wiginton, Cameron Knight, Brady Feeney and Randy Holtz are all joining the program for the 2020 season. They are all expected to redshirt and it would be a surprise if any of them saw game action this coming season.

In short, there a lot of puzzle pieces for the staff to work with. Coy Cronk returning and moving to guard would have been a very nice bonus for the Hoosiers but the lack of that happening is not a deathblow for IU’s coming season. If Indiana adds Devery Hamilton, the answers become much clearer. As it is, offensive line coach Darren Hiller has a mix of returning veterans, unproven but talented young players and a transfer that looks likely to play right away that he can work with and try to mold into a deep and hopefully effective unit for an IU offense that returns a bounty of weapons.

The Huddle

Where Indiana's Offensive Line Stands After the Departure of Coy Cronk

Hoosier Huddle