2024 IU Football Early Signing Period: Offensive Profiles

Written By: TJ Inman 

Wednesday marks the beginning of the early signing period for the 2024 class and the Hoosiers have been active in signing both high school players and players from the transfer portal. Below is a breakdown of each offensive signee:

High School Commitments

Evan Lawrence – Offensive Tackle – 6’7”/250 pounds – Danville, IN – 88 (247) 

One of the highest rated prospects in the 2024 class for Indiana, Evan Lawrence committed to the previous staff and then was reoffered by offensive line coach Bob Bostad and Curt Cignetti. Lawrence stayed locked in with his commitment and he has a very bright future. At only 250 pounds, he will need some time to put weight on his frame but the tools are there to make a great offensive tackle in the not too distant future. Lawrence is raw as an offensive lineman but he played basketball and threw the shot put in high school in addition to his play on the offensive line and as a tight end at Danville High School. Lawrence has good length at 6’7” and moves his feet extremely well for a man of his size. This is really good clay for Bob Bostad to mold into a starting offensive tackle.

Adedamola Ajani – Offensive Line – 6’4”/270 pounds – Speedway, IN – 87 (247)

Keeping Bob Bostad on staff, the lone holdover from the previous regime, clearly played a big role in keeping the offensive line class together. Adedamola Ajani committed to the Hoosiers over offers from West Virginia, Duke and Louisville. Ajani is a massive man, already at 6’4” and more than 270 pounds and he was recruited by the Hoosiers to play on the interior of the line. Ajani starred at Speedway High School and was a fringe top ten recruit in the state of Indiana. 

Austin Leibfried – Offensive Tackle – 6’6”/265 pounds – Mount Horeb, WI - 86 (247)

Shortly after Bob Bostad was hired by Indiana, he began recruiting offensive line prospects from the state of Wisconsin. The former Badgers offensive line coach knows exactly how to work with players from that state and what good offensive linemen look like. Leibfried visited IU in June and quickly committed to the Hoosiers. He is rated as the tenth-best prospect from Wisconsin in this class and comes to IU as an offensive tackle prospect. He starred at Mount Horeb High School and chose Indiana over Air Force, Coastal Carolina, Syracuse and several Group of Five schools. Leibfried is 6’6” and moves well. He’s another tackle prospect that could develop into a starter with a bit of time and work in the weight room.

Mitch Verstegen – Offensive Line – 6’4”/300 pounds – Kaukauna, WI - 83 (247)

The second offensive line commit from the state of Wisconsin in the high school class to commit to Bostad was Mitch Verstegen. He rounds out the group of four high school commits in the offensive line room with Lawrence and Leibfried to play on the outside and Ajani and Verstegen to play on the interior. Verstegen is from Kaukauna, Wisconsin.

Khobie Martin – Running Back – 6’0”/200 pounds – Fishers, IN – 87 (247)

The only high school running back prospect in this class, Khobie Martin ran for 1,379 yards with 19 touchdowns during his senior season (nine games) in the highest-class of Indiana high school football. He was a late addition to the class and then was reoffered by Curt Cignetti and running backs coach John Miller. After a recent official visit to Bloomington, he professed his excitement for the future of IU football and again pledged his commitment to Indiana University. 

Charlie Becker – Wide Receiver – 6’3”/185 pounds – Nashville, TN – 87 (247)

The lone wide receiver in the 2024 high school class for Indiana is 6’3” Charlie Becker from Nashville. He chose IU over offers from Ole Miss, Iowa, Northwestern and Vanderbilt and is a very exciting prospect for the Hoosiers to add. He was rated the 26th prospect in Tennessee and the most intriguing part of his game is the way he moves at 6’3”. He has a long stride and actually ran hurdles at Father Ryan High School to improve his speed for football. He’s a true outside wideout that could develop into a vertical threat in Mike Shanahan’s offense.

Alberto Mendoza – Quarterback – 6’2”/185 pounds – Miami, FL – 82 (247)

The younger brother of the current starting quarterback for Cal-Berkley, Alberto Mendoza flipped his commitment from James Madison to Indiana after Curt Cignetti was hired. Mendoza mentioned that quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri loved his ability to process the game and make the correct read. Mendoza has an odd throwing motion that will likely need to be tweaked by Sunseri but he is a proven winner, leading powerhouse Miami Columbus High School to back-to-back state titles as a starter. He is very accurate and completed more than 70% of his passes in high school. 

Tyler Cherry – Quarterback – 6’5”/205 pounds – Greenwood, IN – 90 (247)

Tyler Cherry committed to IU the night before Signing Day after decommitting from Duke. He visited IU and Michigan State before choosing to play for Tino Sunseri, Curt Cignetti and Mike Shanahan in Bloomington. The 4-star recruit was outstanding as a senior, throwing for more than 3,000 yards with 34 touchdowns and only six interceptions. That came one season after leading Center Grove High School to a state championship. He will be expected to redshirt this season as Kurtis Rourke takes over as IU’s starting quarterback. Entering 2025, he could battle Tayven Jackson, Broc Lowry and Alberto Mendoza for the starting quarterback role (or IU could go portal shopping again, a year in college football is a LONG time). Cherry was not interested in playing for IU before the coaching change so this is another sign of how different things could be under Curt Cignetti.

Brody Kosin – Tight End – 6’6”/225 pounds – Clarkston, MI – 85 (247)

Kosin is a mid-level three-star by the ratings but his offer list suggests that he is a vastly underrated prospect. The 6’6” tight end from Michigan was offered by Wake Forest, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Duke and Texas. The Longhorns swooped in with an offer on November 29 but Kosin stayed true to his commitment and pledged to play for Curt Cignetti at Indiana. Kosin is the kind of athletic receiving tight end the Hoosiers really need to find and he could carve out a role in Bloomington quickly in Mike Shanahan’s offense.

Transfer Commitments

Kurtis Rourke – Quarterback – 6’5”/231 pounds – Ohio University

The 2022 MAC Player of the Year is going to play his final season of college football in Bloomington. Hoosier Huddle has written about Rourke extensively and we won’t belabor the point here but the native of Canada was a major get for Curt Cignetti and his staff. Rourke tore his ACL before the MAC Championship Game in 2022 and returned for the season opener in 2023 before an injury in the first half of that game sidelined him for the next couple of games. Rourke returned but was not quite himself plus the Bobcat defense was quite strong and changed what Rourke was asked to do on offense. He has a strong arm and has proven to be quite accurate on intermediate and deep passes. The 6’5” quarterback is not known as a scrambler but he can pick up yards with his legs if defenses forget about him. Rourke is a nearly ideal one-year fit in Mike Shanahan’s system and he provides a great option at the position for tutelage under Tino Sunseri.

Trey Wedig – Offensive Line – 6’7”/318 pounds – Wisconsin

Matthew Bedford and Khalil Benson entered the transfer portal and will be playing for Colorado next season. IU has likely upgraded at right tackle with the addition of former Wisconsin Badger Trey Wedig. Wedig is a mountain of a man at 6’7” and nearly 320 pounds but he moves well and has experience playing three different positions on the offensive line. That versatility is an asset but it seems likely he’ll take over as the starting right tackle and form a nice bookend to Carter Smith on the left. Wedig said he was eager for the chance to work with Bob Bostad again and he wants to prove he is an NFL-caliber offensive lineman. 

Justice Ellison – Running Back – 5’10”/209 pounds – Wake Forest

Indiana’s running back room appeared to headed for a complete overhaul a couple of weeks ago but recent developments have stabilized the position and things now look extremely promising. Josh Henderson is returning and hopefully ready for a healthy season after a frustrating injury-plagued 2023 campaign. Trent Howland entered the transfer portal, committed to Minnesota and then changed his mind and is staying in Bloomington after a late season emergence. Khobie Martin recommitted and will begin his collegiate career next season and David Holloman is still on the squad as a depth piece. Curt Cignetti replaced one departed former Wake Forest player (Christian Turner) with another former Demon Deacon as Justice Ellison committed to Indiana early in the portal window. Ellison is originally from Virginia and knew the former James Madison staff. He ran for 541 yards in 2021, 707 yards in 2022 and 548 yards last season in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest’s offense was not good at all but Ellison managed to get 4.6 yards per carry and had five games of 60 yards or more. 

Miles Cross – Wide Receiver – 6’1”/195 pounds – Ohio University

New IU quarterback Kurtis Rourke’s number one target at Ohio is coming with him to Bloomington. The former Bobcat put his name in the transfer portal on December 4 and committed to IU on Monday, December 18 after an official visit. Cross primarily plays on the outside and has one season of eligibility remaining. He had 617 yards and five touchdowns in 2023 and 560 yards in 2022. IU beat out Florida Atlantic, South Florida and Pittsburgh for Cross. He joins a group of outside receivers that includes Donaven McCulley, Omar Cooper and EJ Williams. 

Myles Price – Wide Receiver – 5’10”/190 pounds – Texas Tech

December 18 was a big day for the IU receiving room. After Miles Cross committed, IU picked up two more wideouts: Myles Price and Ke’Shawn Williams. Price has one season of eligibility remaining after starring at Texas Tech for the past four seasons. He led the Red Raiders in receptions (43) in 2023 and had seven touchdowns over the past two seasons. He also offers the ability to return punts, something we could see him do in Bloomington. Price primarily played in the slot, something the Hoosiers needed. He has sure hands and does a great job of finding the chains and picking up first downs on catches over the middle of the field. If Price and Cross score in the same game next season, the headline “I Can See For Miles and Myles” (a song by The Who, look it up!) is definitely being used. 

Ke’Shawn Williams – Wide Receiver – 5’10”/170 pounds – Wake Forest

The third of the December 18 wide receiver commits was Ke’Shawn Williams from Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons had dreadful quarterback play in 2023 but Williams still managed to grab 38 receptions in 11 games. His best season was in 2022 as he had 553 yards with 14.2 yards per catch. Williams is very quick and handled kick return duties for the Demon Deacons for the past three seasons. He joins Kam Perry and Myles Price as slot wideouts for IU and new offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan. 

Ty Son Lawton – Running Back – 5’9”/205 pounds – James Madison

Lawton’s inclusion in this class was a Signing Day surprise. Justus Savage, a running back commit from Georgia, is now not expected to be a member of the class so Curt Cignetti added a player he knows well from James Madison to fill the spot in the running back room. Lawton ran for 568 yards with five touchdowns in 2023 and added 19 receptions with another touchdown. He ran for 1,088 yards in 2021 at Stony Brook. 

Hoosier Huddle will have ongoing coverage as Curt Cignetti and his staff continue to round out the 2024 recruiting class.