Countdown to 2019 IUFB Kickoff: 19 Days (Noah Pierre and Luke Shayotovich)

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Only 19 days separate us from the start of the Indiana football regular season. As we hit the teens, we take a look at two potential contributors for the Hoosiers in 2019, Noah Pierre and Luke Shayotovich.

2019 Countdown - #19

Name – Noah Pierre

Position – Defensive Back (Redshirt Freshman)

Hometown – Hialeah, Florida (Champagnat Catholic)

Height – 5’11”

Weight – 182

Noah Pierre is looking to make more of an impact in 2019 after playing in the season-finale in 2018 against Purdue. Pierre had a great spring practice session that saw him take home the most improved defender award. In the spring game Pierre came up with a big fumble recovery.

Pierre will have to earn his way into the rotation and could be an important depth piece in 2019. He has put on nine pounds since last season and looks ready to be a contributor.

During the spring Indiana head coach Tom Allen said that Pierre “is another guy that really has impressed me. You come into the spring time. It's his first spring here after redshirting and you never know. Some guys really take to it and take off, and he's just played with a lot of confidence. He plays really fast and I'm really anxious to see him. He's one of those guys that we took in that class that we felt was very deep in the secondary. He's proven to be another guy that continues to get better.”

Name – Luke Shayotovich

Position – Wide Receiver (Redshirt Freshman)

Hometown – Avon, Indiana (Avon)

Height – 5’8”

Weight – 178

If a small, in-state, walk-on wide receiver who put up monster numbers in high school reminds Hoosier fans of Mitchell Paige, well you’re not wrong. Luke Shayotovich was a two-time all-state player for high school power Avon. He posted 1,669 all-purpose yards and 28 touchdowns in high school.

Shayotovich decided to join the Hoosier football program last fall and immediately made an impact on scout team. He was a two-time Scout Team Offensive Player of the Week and took home a Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Week as well. Coaches love players like Shayotovich, who work their tails off on the practice field and hopefully get rewarded on game days.

Indiana has some big name wide outs back this year, but Shayatovich is a candidate to find some time on the field, whether that be in the slot or on special teams. As former Hoosier Mitchell Paige became the heart and soul of the 2015 and 2016 IU bowl teams, Shaytovich has a chance to begin his journey to being a player like that.