2022 Indiana Football Position Preview: Defensive Line

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The Hoosier Huddle position preview series continues as the season creeps ever closer. Today, we take a look at the defensive line. This unit has a new position coach in Paul Randolph and a good mix of returning veterans and exciting newcomers. We’ll split this preview into two sections: interior line and the edge.

Interior Line

-The Starters-

The defensive line is one position that requires a lot of rotation. It would not be surprising to see ten or more linemen see playing time during the course of a normal game. These guys are really big and each play involves a violent collision with at least one other very large individual. It is draining and the opposing offense often moves at a quick tempo. In short, depth is crucial along the defensive line so the players that “start” are just pieces of the puzzle. That being written, the two players we are expecting to see the field to begin the game on the interior of the line in IU’s 4-2-5 base defense are returning seniors Sio Nofoagatoto’a and Demarcus Elliott.

Sio Nofoagatoto’a – Senior

Sio has played in 30 games at defensive tackle for the Hoosiers. He has not been terribly productive but he takes up a lot of space in the middle of the line. The American Samoa native is a steady player in the middle of the line and should be a consistent part of the rotation.

Demarcus Elliott – Redshirt Senior

The one player you can probably write into the lineup along the defensive line in pen is super senior Demarcus Elliott. The JUCO transfer has started 30 games at tackle for IU and had 29 tackles a season ago. Elliott was consistently Indiana’s best interior lineman in 2021 and is the proverbial anchor for this line when defending against the run.

-Rotation-

Patrick Lucas Jr. – Redshirt Junior (transfer from Ole Miss)

Indiana dipped into the transfer portal and brought in three potentially high-impact players along the line. Lucas is one of those individuals. He played in 11 games at tackle for the Rebels of Ole Miss and participated in practice in the spring. Weighing in north of 320 pounds, Lucas the mass to clog the “A gap”/interior of the line and should play a role, specifically in obvious running situations.

LeDarrius Cox – Redshirt Junior (transfer from Ole Miss)

Another transfer from Ole Miss, Cox is a mountain of a man. He played in ten games at tackle for the Rebels before being moved to offensive line for the 2021 season. He was clearly not a huge fan of that move and entered the portal seeking a role back on the defensive line. His role will likely be similar to Patrick Lucas’.

J’Mari Monette – Freshman

Monette is a true freshman from Louisiana that was a member of the Hoosiers most recent recruiting class. He played end for Alexandria High School but has the body to move inside and IU already lists him at 280 pounds. Monette won’t be the space eater the previous four players are but he could work his way into some action at the back end of the rotation with an eye towards developing for the future.

Caleb Murphy – Redshirt Sophomore

Caleb Murphy played both offensive and defensive line at West Washington High School before moving to tight end during his freshman season. He went back to the line in 2021 and is now a full-time defensive lineman for Coach Randolph. Murphy has the athleticism to play on the edge and at 292 pounds, the frame to be on the interior in passing situations. He saw game time in 11 contests in 2021, primarily on special teams.

Nick James – Freshman

The third freshman defensive lineman from Florida, James hails from Bradenton. He was also a four-star prospect and weighs nearly 300 pounds. James could line up on the edge, particularly against the run, or on the interior. He’s a versatile defender with a very bright future.

Edge Rushers/Bull

-The Starters-

IU desperately needs a few edge rushers to emerge as players that can consistently put pressure on the quarterback. Tom Allen is undoubtedly going to be more aggressive with blitz packages than Charlton Warren was but ideally, IU can also get pressure in the opposing backfield without having to use exotic packages and without bringing pressure from all over the field. Several of the players listed in this section will see time on the interior of the line in some packages as well. After all, any good defense has some versatility and can use personnel in different ways in order to matchup with whatever the opposing offense throws at them. Listing someone on the interior or on the edge isn’t static but it does serve as some level of identification. The two players I’d anticipate as getting the nod to begin the game on the outside of the line are James Head and Alfred Bryant.

Alfred Bryant – Redshirt Senior

A veteran at the Bull position (a hybrid, defensive end/outside linebacker role), Bryant has played a lot of football for the Hoosiers. He started all 12 games at the Bull in 2021 with 26 tackles. I think he holds off Myles Jackson, at least at the beginning of the season.

James Head – Super Senior

A veteran from Florida, Head played in 11 games at end in 2018, started all 13 in 2019, started seven of eight games in 2020 and appeared in the final seven games of 2021 after an injury kept him from the first five. James Head is rock-solid and a leader along the line that Allen has lauded during the offseason for stepping up. He does need to increase his production in disruptive plays. Those are plays like sacks or tackles for loss that greatly increase the defense’s ability to force a punt.

-Rotation-

JH Tevis – Redshirt Senior

The third defensive line transfer addition, JH Tevis is entering his final year of eligibility after totaling 60 tackles with 8.5 stops for loss while playing at the University of California in Berkeley. His performance in 2021 earned him honorable-mention All-Pac-12. He started all 12 games in 2021 and was a leader for the Golden Bears. It would be a surprise if he does not have a significant role this season.

Dasan McCullough – Freshman

Is he a linebacker? Is he an edge rusher? Where will the Hoosiers line up the 5-star freshman? I don’t have those answers but in the search for a difference making pass rusher, I believe one of his roles will be to line up on the edge in pass-specific situations. Think about an opponent like Illinois facing a third and long situation against IU’s defense in the season-opener. I could absolutely see McCullough positioned on one end with instructions to get into the opposing backfield and try and sack Tommy DeVito. He won’t play on the line very often but I do think he’ll be part of the rotation.

Myles Jackson – Redshirt Sophomore

The transfer from UCLA will definitely see some playing time and the hope is that his athleticism will allow him to apply pressure to the quarterback. He was a defensive end as a recruit in high school and he weighs more than 250 pounds. He enters the season as a primary backup at Bull behind starter Alfred Bryant.

Cooper Jones – Redshirt Freshman

Jones was a standout at Valparaiso High School. He redshirted the 2021 season and was a two-time scout team player of the week.

Beau Robbins – Redshirt Junior

Robbins has had a long road so far. A four-star recruit from Carmel High School in the Indianapolis area, expectations were high. However, he redshirted the 2019 season and did not see any game time in 2020. In 2021, he appeared in every game but his playing time was sparse and he only had four tackles. Robbins has put some weight on his frame and he has good length at 6’5” so this could be the year he sees a role as a depth defensive end.

Venson Sneed – Freshman

Sneed is an exciting four-star recruit from Winter Park, Florida. He is a terrific athlete that is already nearly 260 pounds. It’s not likely a true freshman will see a lot of playing time on the defensive line but he could be used in pass-specific situations.

Richard Thomas – Freshman

Another freshman from Florida, Thomas starred at American Heritage High School. He had 28 sacks and a staggering 232 tackles in his high school career.

Final Analysis

Indiana has a number of really intriguing options on the defensive line. They need a few of those options to develop as pass rushers and they need the interior linemen to be more disruptive in the middle of the line. The players we know will be very involved in the rotation are Alfred Bryant and Myles Jackson at Bull, Demarcus Elliott and Sio Nofoagatoto’a on the interior and James Head and JH Tevis on the edge. Dasan McCullough will play in multiple spots (Bull, edge, linebacker) and should feature often. The rotation players and depth pieces are a good mix of returning players that need to show they have developed and well-regarded incoming freshmen. The defensive line is unlikely to be a strength of the IU defense. That distinction will go to the secondary. However, there are pieces in place to allow it to be a solid group that is not a liability either.