Black Thursday: Hoosiers Lose Starting CB and Two Recruits

Written by Lloyd Ribner III (@Ribner3)

Thursday was a tumultuous day for coach Kevin Wilson and the
Hoosier football program to say the very least. It wasn’t just one problem that
the program encountered, as bad news seemingly came in all day.

In the afternoon the program announced that cornerback
Antonio Marshall had been dismissed from the team for an “undisclosed violation
of team rules.” Marshall was one of the few experienced bright spots returning
for Indiana on the defensive side of the football in 2013. The corner started
the last seven games of last season, while hauling in two interceptions. He was
an obvious starter heading into his senior season. While the program has
promising talent waiting in the wings in the secondary, they are losing a
player who brings experience off a defense that was the worst in the Big Ten
last year. This was not what defensive coordinator Doug Mallory had in mind as
an exciting start to camp.

In further news, Indiana revealed officially that 2013
commits Maurice Swain and Taj Williams would not be enrolling at the university
or be a part of the football team due to academics. It was already a widely
held belief that Swain, a three-star, 330-pound, defensive tackle out of the
peach state would be heading to junior college.

The news about Williams on the other hand had been a bit
more of a surprise. The Florida native committed to the Hoosiers late in the
process after favoring Auburn through much of his recruitment. The four-star
recruit also had offers from programs such as Clemson, Alabama, and Florida. The
wide out was a part of the top-247 nationally as he checked in as the 243rd
best player according to the 247Composite.

While all three of these departures hurt, they are to
varying degrees. The biggest hit is obviously the dismissal of Marshall. He was
supposed to be a senior starting cornerback for a defense that needs all the
help it can get. To lose a tent pole in the secondary as camp opens is a major
blow.

As far as the two signees go, I have to believe that Swain
is the bigger loss for Indiana. While Williams was the more highly regarded
recruit coming in, he played a position in which there is both talent and depth
on the Hoosier roster. It is the exact opposite at defensive tackle where Swain
will not be able to add to the rotation. While it is unsure whether or not
Swain would have received playing time this coming season, he would have been an
additional massive body added to the mix.

In related news, Indiana also revealed that signee Daryl
Chestnut will be a part of the 105-man roster, but will not be reporting for
camp, as he must complete his academic requirements. Chestnut is a three-star
running back out of Miami, Florida.
While this does not seem to be as serious as the situations with the
other incoming players, the fact remains that it’s another player entering the
program having academic issues.

While it is understandable that a program struggling to
bring in top-level talent will go after some questionable type players, you
have to wonder where the tipping point is. Sure it great in theory to bring in
more and more three and four-star type talent, but if you have to weight the
negatives. You are effectively losing a year of experience no matter if the
player you originally signed actually comes to campus or you roll that scholarship
over to the next class. In addition those recruiting man-hours have been wasted
on multiple recruits that did not qualify that instead, could have been used
towards bringing a different player into the fold.

Thursday was an ugly day for Indiana football, even a black eye for the program.
How the team and coaches respond to the adversity will tell us more about this
team than the news of the day.