2023 Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 88 Days (Sam West)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The 2023 edition of the Hoosier Huddle Countdown is officially underway! We are counting down from 100 to the beginning of the 2023 Indiana University football season. Each day, we will take a look at one (or two) players on the current Indiana football roster and highlight the player’s role in the upcoming season. Today’s countdown focus is on Ryan West, a freshman tight end from Greensburg, Indiana.

Name: Sam West

Hometown: Greensburg, Indiana (Greensburg Community High School)

Position: Tight End

Year: Freshman

Height/Weight: 6’5”/233 pounds

Many times in high school football, the best athlete on the team ends up playing quarterback. Coaches find this is the best, and sometimes only, way to get the ball consistently into that players hands. Greensburg Community High School head coach Scott Moore let that scenario unfold when he put Sam West, a 6’5” athlete, at quarterback. West was a top 30 tight end prospect but he played his final two seasons in high school as a quarterback, finishing his high school career with nearly 3,500 yards of total offense and 39 career touchdowns. In addition to playing quarterback, West played on defense, with 64 tackles as a senior. Sam West was a do-it-all football player that will now be focusing exclusively on transitioning from small-class high school football to Big Ten football as a tight end.

West joins a position group that is extremely young and inexperienced. Trey Walker and new transfer Bradley Archer are redshirt seniors. Beyond that, the position group has redshirt sophomores James Bomba and Aaron Steinfeldt along with redshirt freshmen Brody Foley and Ryan Miller. Bradley Archer was almost exclusively used as a blocker in his time at Stanford and that likely won’t change much in Bloomington. The presumed starter is Aaron Steinfeldt with Bomba, Foley and Miller capable of giving good snaps. This is viewed as a deep tight end room with no standouts, at least entering the season. Indiana’s offense, particularly with young quarterbacks, could definitely use one of the tight ends stepping up and becoming a go-to target. Sam West faces a big transition as he will be asked to block players that are bigger and more athletic than most any he faced previously. However, he is physically gifted and has a chance to assert himself into the rotation if he can quickly pick up the transition. The most likely scenario for the 2023 season is that Sam West appears in four games and redshirts the season with an eye on being a contributor in 2024 and beyond.

The countdown continues with a new profile each and every day so come back to hoosierhuddle.com daily!