2021 Indiana Hoosiers Tight End Position Spring Practice Preview
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Written by Andrew Walker
The Indiana Hoosiers are about to fire up the football program once more, and with the new season, comes a whole new slate of position previews from Hoosier Huddle. With the success that Indiana had last season and the talent being retained on the team, there’s good reason to be very excited about this upcoming season. Today, I’m going to take a look at the Tight Ends for the Hoosiers. With Kevin Wright coming into his second season as TE coach, the excitement for this year’s TE group is off the charts.
Tight Ends
AJ Barner
Barner played in all eight games in 2020, primarily on special teams. He garnered the special teams player of the week award for the Michigan State game. The young freshman stands 6’6, 230 pounds out of Aurora, Ohio, and is a great prospect for the future.
Ryan Barnes
Barnes is a redshirt sophomore out of Noblesville, IN. After redshirting the 2018 season, Barnes played in five games as a freshman, earning the scout team player of the week against Eastern Illinois and Rutgers. For the 2020 season he only appeared in two games, but Barnes is another big guy with a lot of upside.
Matt Bjorson
Bjorson, a perennial reliable TE, is a junior for this upcoming season. Last season, his production dropped off a little bit with only one reception for 11 yards, but his talent has been proven in the past. In 2019, he played in all 13 games and caught seven passes for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Sam Daugstrup
Daugstrup, who joined the team as a walk on during fall camp last season, didn’t see any game action for the 2020 season. Standing 6’5 and weighing in at 240 pounds, Daugstrup might not have an attempt to make an impact last season, but that should change in the future.
Peyton Hendershot
Hendershot at this point is a household name. Ranking second on Indiana’s TE touchdown list with 10, and third on the same list with 90 receptions and 936 yards. Currently a redshirt junior, Hendershot has been making a mark on the program since he was a freshman. The 2021 season should be a high point for the 6’4, 250 pound TE with Mike Penix making his return.
Turon Ivy
Ivy has always been a player that I’ve wanted to see do well. He has a ton of upside but unfortunately was injured in the 2020 season. Ivy, now a redshirt sophomore, played in 11 games during the 2019 season as a freshman. He caught three passes for 24 yards, all in the Eastern Illinois win.
Caleb Murphy
Murphy is a freshman this season out of Campbellsburg, IN. He didn’t see any action in 2020, but the young TE stands 6’4, 260 pounds, so eventually he will probably be one of our senior leaders on the Hoosier squad.
Khameron Taylor
Taylor is the lone graduate student on the TE squad for the Hoosiers. The veteran TE came from the University of South Alabama, where he made his impact known. Now on the Hoosiers, he didn’t see any game time in 2020 due to injury, but this coming season, he’ll be looking for some good snaps.
Trey Walker
Walker, a redshirt freshman, didn’t see any action in 2020. The young TE joined the team as a walk on during the 2020 season. An interesting fact about Walker, he actually didn’t play football in high school. He was a three year hockey letter winner at New Trier high school in Winnetka, IL.
After going through the tight end roundup for the 2021 season, the Hoosier faithful should have everything to look forward to in terms of confidence. The level at which the offence played last season should have a good indication of how well the tight ends among the rest of the offense should play this coming season. Current offensive coordinator and previous TE coach, Nick Sheridan, should have a great idea of how the tight ends can fit into this high powered offense, so look for the tight end squad to have a great season coming up.