Written By Alex Compton

The postseason is just 19 days away, but the coaching staff is still in midseason form. With Tom Allen now in control of Indiana Football, some of his top targets now come to Bloomington for official visits about two months away from signing day. After landing his first recruit as head coach in Australian punter Hayden Whitehead, Allen now shifts his attention to the impressive group of players visiting this weekend to round out the 2017 class. Big thanks to Matt Weaver at Peegs.com (Scout) for the list of visitors. Follow him on Twitter (@MB_Weaver) for all the latest IUFB recruiting information.

Offense

WR- Beau Corrales

6’4” / 203 pounds
Georgetown, Texas
#152 Wide Receiver (3-Star)

A one-time Iowa commit, Corrales has seen his recruitment pick up of late after decommitting due to Iowa’s policy of not allowing committed players to visit other schools. Strong interest from new head coach Tom Allen in addition to a spread style has Corrales high on the Hoosiers, and he will be in town this weekend. At 6’4”, he has Simmie Cobbs type size, and has the explosiveness to make plays down the field as well. With IU backing off some other receiver prospects of late, it seems like Corrales is the top target at receiver at this point in time. IU returns a large number of skill players next year, but there would be an opportunity for playing time next year as he would be the only WR commit, and would have the chance to beat out some guys currently redshirting for snaps as well.

Defense

LB- De’Morreal Burnam

6’2” / 215 pounds
Conyers, Georgia
#52 OLB (3-Star)

Indiana is in Burnam’s top four, although he is currently committed to Tennessee. Indiana and Tennessee are joined by Louisville and West Virginia at the top of Burnam’s list, and these four have gained Burnam’s attention from a list of over 15 schools. Ratings for football recruits can be deceiving, and that appears to be the case with Burnam. He may have fooled some of the recruiting services, but elite programs have taken notice of Burnam’s physical presence the moment he steps on the field. A hard-hitter at 6’2”, adding some more muscle could make Burnam a dominant outside linebacker in the Big Ten. Expect Tom Allen to show Burnam what he did with All-American Tegray Scales, and how he could do the same things in his career. Depending on what Marcus Oliver and the aforementioned Tegray Scales decide to do with their final years of eligibility, there could be playing time available right away at linebacker. Tom Allen proved he isn’t afraid to play and start true freshmen, so that will likely be another part of his pitch this weekend.

DB- Meshael Custis

6’2” / 180 pounds
Lovejoy, Georgia
#69 CB (3-Star)

Tom Allen loves long, rangy corners, and Custis fits the bill. He’s 6’2” and incredibly long, and pairs that with good ball skills and a quick first step. This combination makes him very comparable to A’Shon Riggins, who has been a starter for Indiana as a freshman since the Ohio State game. Riggins will be back next year, and will likely start again. Junior Rashard Fant is the nation’s active leader in pass breakups, but elected to walk on senior day. His playing status for next year is up in the air, as he was just accepted into a master’s program at IU. The Hoosiers will get a few corners back from injury next year, but playing time at cornerback figures to be wide open. Playing time and quick development would be the major draws for a corner looking at IU right now, so count on Allen to push those two things.

DB/LB- Bryant Fitzgerald

6’0” / 200 pounds
Avon, Indiana
#54 ATH (3-Star)

After Tyler Knight, Bryant Fitzgerald has been one of Indiana’s longest and most loyal commits. He has never wavered on his pledge to the Hoosiers, and appears to still be all-in despite the coaching change. Fitzgerald had great success playing both offense and defense this season, but was named the Indiana Mr. Football for defensive backs to recognize his tremendous play. He racked up 107 tackles, 11 TFL’s, 3 interceptions (took 2 to the house), 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery and 1 sack. He appears to be exactly the type of player Tom Allen wants for his “Husky” position due to his athleticism and physicality, and he will likely do a fair bit of recruiting himself this weekend to try and help round out Hoosier Army ’17.

DB- Randall Haynie

6’0” / 175 pounds
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
#124 CB (3-Star)

Haynie has let a strong senior season make him a fast riser among Power Five programs, and Indiana is hoping they aren’t too late to the party. Haynie is currently committed to Vanderbilt, but wanted to get this Indiana official visit in before ultimately deciding whether or not that is where he wants to end up for good. Brandon Shelby went down to Florida to see him last weekend, and was able to set up the official this weekend. He has always had Indiana near the top of his list, so this visit really could end up flipping him to the Hoosiers. Haynie has advanced ball and play recognition skills for a high school senior, but needs to become more physical on the outside to lock up opposing receivers consistently. Indiana’s player development regiment has shown real results in the past few seasons, so Haynie is a guy that would benefit tremendously from something like this. If it isn’t Indiana or Vanderbilt, keep an eye on Maryland.

LB- Jaquan Henderson

6’0” / 193 pounds
Covington, Georgia
#27 OLB (4-Star)

Jaquan Henderson is going to be a beast. He has the size, strength and explosiveness to hold the edge of a defense at a Power Five level, and that is why he is currently pledged to Tennessee along with De’Morreal Burnam. Henderson has the tools to play the role that Tegray Scales did effectively as a true freshman, then tremendously later in his career. Henderson is best out in space where he can use his speed, and that is what Tom Allen’s defense is built around. He gives players the freedom to play off of their instincts and just go out there and make plays. That has to be appealing to a guy like Henderson, who has the chance to be a star if he can fly around on every snap. Plus coverage and blitzing abilities also make give him the ability to play Husky at times, and this overall versatility is what Allen wants in all of his defenders. It will be tough to swing Henderson, but hopefully Tom Allen can convince him that the fit within the scheme would make him the best player he could be.

LB- Mike McGinnis

6’2” / 235 pounds
ASA College, New York
(JuCo 3-Star)

With the statuses of Tegray Scales and Marcus Oliver uncertain for next year due to their potential NFL opportunities, IU may need to fill some holes at linebacker. Mike McGinnis has popped on the radar lately, and appears to have serious interest in Indiana. He is much more of a run stopper, and shows off his athleticism coming down into the hole to make plays on ballcarriers. It is tough to get a read on players’ ceilings from junior college play, but it does seem like McGinnis could play spot snaps next year as a run-stopper. Indiana is his only Power Five offer, so he would be the one to watch if you had to guess on a commit following this weekend. He would have two years to play two seasons.

DL- Leshaun Minor

6’4” / 290 pounds
Indianapolis, Indiana
#29 DT (3-Star)

Leshaun Minor was just honored as the Indiana Mr. Football for defensive lineman. He dominated competition at Ben Davis, totaling 87 tackles, 21 TFL’s, 5 sacks, and 4 pass breakups. He figures to have a shot at playing right away next season, and joins a talented class of defensive linemen that comes in at 7 strong. He is a really mobile 6’4” near 300 pounder, and will cause matchup problems for just about every team IU will play next season. Look for Minor, Bryant and Ziemba (more coming on him) to try and recruit some more talented prospects to Bloomington this weekend.

DL- Michael Ziemba

6’3” / 230 pounds
Lake Mary, Florida
#55 TE (3-Star)

While Ziemba is listed across most recruiting services as a tight end, he will actually come to Bloomington to play defensive end. He committed to Indiana before his high school season started, and it ended up being a really short season for him. He played just one game before it was discovered his ankle was fractured, and the injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. He is a good comparison to Jacob Robinson due to his size at defensive end, but Ziemba is still really raw at this stage in his career. It will be good to get him campus this weekend to get him ready to roll by the time he is 100%, which he should be with no problems by the time he arrives on campus in the fall.

The Huddle

Big Recruiting Weekend Coming Up For IU as Bowl Preparations Continue