We’re talking deep sleepers today…
These are guys not currently on my two deep (well most of them) that I have a good feeling about. These are guys who may not contribute all that much on the field this year unless there are injuries but who I think could step in in a pinch.
Many of these guys will be younger. My guess is that some of the true freshman I list below won’t see the field until games are in blowout territory or on special teams.
HC Curt Cignetti brought in 23 freshman in his initial class, including more than 10 that made it on campus for spring practice. I say “initial class” because I count his ’24 class as just trying to salvage players they wanted from the previous staff and rushing to get new guys in. That wasn’t a fully put together machine like the one they had to work on in ’25.
As someone who did orientation at IU just before the school year started as a 17 year old (late August birthday), it actually felt better being on campus and learning the ropes before classes started in earnest. I got to get into a routine and got to learn where I was going and what I was doing.
In a football context, that puts a lot of these guys ahead of the game. They got to practice. They got to get a taste of classes. They got to see what the preparation looks like for guys who are proven college football players (and soon to be NFLers) like Mikail Kamara, Pat Coogan, Elijah Sarratt and D’Angelo Ponds.
TE Andrew Barker (Fr.)
These are deep sleepers, people, and I’m going deep with my first guy.
Barker is a true freshman TE from Kokomo, IN. He’s a very unique player for IU to target. He was clearly the most athletic guy on his team (and on the field in basically every game).
In high school, he was listed at 6’4, 220 while play exclusively TE…for an team who ran the option. All the way up to 240 (per IU), Barker caught only 14 passes for 111 yards his senior year after catching 23 for 324 as a junior with 6 TD’s combined between the two seasons. Barker didn’t really get a chance to show off his talent much given the offense and that was probably a good thing for IU and the staff.
The reason I’m so high on him (and his fellow freshman TE and track athlete Blake Thiry), is that he’s basically spent his entire HS career as a blocker dominating the end of the line while occasionally slipping out to catch passes. Obviously, he’s going to learn a lot more nuances of his position but he wasn’t tasked with using his athleticism in HS. He’s going to be able to do that now in a system that isn’t running on 80% of their plays.
Typically freshman don’t play, especially at TE, but both Barker and Thiry are both superb athletes. If one of the three TE’s ahead of them (James Bomba, Riley Nowakowski and Holden Staes) go down, then one (or both) of these true freshman are going to not only be dressed, but forced into being an emergency option.
RB Khobie Martin (RS Fr.)
Martin was a holdover from the Tom Allen ’24 class that Cignetti and co. inherited. They had to decide who they wanted and who they didn’t. They decided to keep Khobie Martin and in his limited playing time as a true freshman last year, he showed why.
The former 3 star RB from Fishers, IN ran for 2700+ yards and 38 TD’s in his three years as the starter, including nearly 1400 in just 9 games as a senior. Last year, Martin played in just two games but that was highlighted by his 8 carries for 57 yard effort in the blowout of Western Illinois. Martin showed great vision to get to the outside and good burst once he found a hole. He also hunted contact and wasn’t going to go out of bounds on his own. With another spring and summer in the weight room, the 6’0, 207 has all the physical tools to play this year.
I have Martin behind the big three (Roman Hemby, Kaelon Black and Lee Beebe Jr.) but if there is an injury, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get on the field in ’25.
OL Baylor Wilkin (Fr.)
Freshman OL typically never see the field unless they’re 4 or 5 stars or there are major injuries. I don’t think Wilkin will see the field this season. I’m highlighting Wilkin more because I believe in the player. Calling my shot, if you will…
I think Wilkin came into IU with some of the least amount of hype in the ’25 class. Wilkin was a consensus top 10 player in Ohio and a top 90 OL nationally by the services.
Wilkin played mostly LT in HS and many thought he would move inside at the next level. This is another kid who might be a bit undersized to play OT in college but the kid is an athlete that plays with a mean streak. Playing through the whistle and finishing blocks are a must for a HS OL and Wilkin does that on every snap. Listed at 6’5, 268 for IU…If he’s actually 6’5, with the athleticism he showed in his HUDL videos, he definitely can stick at OT.
It would take a lot to get to see him on the field in anything but mop up in ’25, but I see a bright future for Wilkin and wanted to show him some love.
EDGE Triston Abram (Fr.)
Abram was a kid that wasn’t on campus during the spring but was the guy I was the most excited about in the entire class. I even wrote a secondary tweet about his commitment under the HUDL video I clipped about just how excited I was about adding him to the class.
IU had to fight off a late visit to Michigan to keep him in the class but they were able to do so and you can see why when you watch his HUDL vidoes. Abram came into IU as the 583 recruit nationally by the 247 composite. These are the types of guys you need to get to win games in the B1G.
Abram’s get off is insane. At 6’3, 230, he’s off the edge in the blink of an eye and once he has you on your heals as an OL, it’s already game over. This is not just a one trick pony pass rusher type either. He has long arms to hold OL off to see plays develop and shows relentless pursuit.
I really think if we’re looking at deep sleepers and guys who aren’t on the two deep to make an impact in ’25, Abram as a pass rush specialist fits that bill.
DB Dontrae Henderson (RS Fr.)
The National Honors Society member in high school and cousin of Green Bay Packer CB Jaire Alexander, Henderson comes from a long line of athletes. Two of his older brothers played college football as well.
We haven’t seen much of anything from Henderson in his short time at IU but he was a kid that the staff went out and recruited hard despite his 2-3 star ratings on the services, but the family pedigree is undeniable. He also tallied 32 pass break ups and 5 INT’s as a junior so it’s not just the family name that got him a scholarship at IU. The kid is a ball hawk.
IU is loaded at CB but Henderson already has a full year plus in the program and I think we’ll see a lot of him in the first few games against the non conference teams at the beginning of IU’s schedule.
Since he’s already used his redshirt, I would guess he’s going to play on special teams at the very least. Could he carve out some kind of role if he plays well in those games? Possibly.
DB Jah Jah Boyd (RS Fr.)
I’m cheating a bit here because I have Boyd on my two deep but he didn’t see the field last year partially because he was a true freshman and because he was banged up.
Boyd was one of the highest rated commits ever to Cignetti and co. when he committed to James Madison. Once the staff moved over to Indiana, they quickly reached out to Boyd and he committed.
The recruiting services were all over the place with Boyd’s ranking. He was 1297 nationally by the 247 composite but ESPN had him as the 9th best player in PA, which is one of the most talented football states in the country. Boyd reported offers from Virginia Tech, Boston College, Penn State and Pitt, among others.
This was another big recruiting win for IU. Boyd played on both sides of the ball as a WR and DB. He’s a super athlete that looks like a prototypical slot corner type but also a guy who isn’t afraid to come up and hit people despite being just 5’11, 173.
I think we’re going to see Boyd this year as a back up regardless, but I’m excited to see what IU has in him.
DE’s William (RS Fr.) and Andrew DePaepe (RS So.)
In the final picks for deep sleepers, I’m going with the two DePaepe brothers.
First Andrew…The elder DePaepe brother initially committed and matriculated at Michigan State. The 6’5, 260 DE was a consensus top 130 player *nationally*…like, not just in a state or whatever. This was a high 4 star prospect who got on the field as a true freshman at MSU.
I’m not going to speculate on what happened at MSU. He transferred out, one year removed from being a high 4 star, and became a walk on at IU. I’m sure having his brother at IU helped but there was clearly something that happened that caused him to leave when Johnathan Smith and his staff came in but we’re not getting into it here.
Regardless, the talent is there for Andrew to get on the field. He had an ACL injury during fall camp last season and spent the year getting healthy. I don’t have any walk on’s on my roster page or two deep but I wouldn’t be surprised that if he was healthy, he could play this year. The talent is undeniable…It’s the other stuff that he needed to fix and the fact that he’s still on the roster means they clearly see something in him both on and off the field.
The 6’6, 244 younger brother William wasn’t nearly as highly touted (1150 overall by 247 composite). He seems like a prototypical strong side DE in IU’s system and with a year under his belt getting bigger and stronger, I wouldn’t be surprised if we at least saw him in the non conference games.
Both of these guys have prototypical size. Can they convert those measurables to the work ethic and grind of being a B1G DL? I think so and will be rooting for both of them.