Countdown to 2019 IUFB Kickoff: 69 Days (Gavin Everett)

Written by T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

2019 Countdown - #69

Name – Gavin Everett

Position – Defensive Lineman (Redshirt Senior)

Hometown – Center Grove, IN. (Center Grove HS/Western Illinois University)

Height – 6’3”

Weight – 265 pounds

The 2019 Hoosier Huddle Countdown is now more than a quarter complete! There are less than 70 days until the Indiana Hoosiers kick-off the season at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Ball State Cardinals. Today’s player of focus is a small school transfer that walked-on at Indiana and has made a big difference prior to his fifth-year of eligibility. We are taking a look at number 69, former Center Grove Trojan Gavin Everett.

Gavin Everett was a star for powerhouse Center Grove High School, helping his team to four straight regional championships and three straight conference titles in the loaded Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC). As a senior during the 2014 season, Everett was named a team captain and he racked up 41 tackles, ten sacks, 12 tackles for loss and a pair of fumble recoveries. He earned all-state honors but was unable to garner much D1 interest and ended up enrolling at Western Illinois University for the 2015 season. Deciding he wanted to take his chances at playing at Indiana, the defensive end transferred to Bloomington and joined the football team as a walk-on prior to the 2016 season. He was required to sit out the season as a transfer but he did earn scout-team player of the week on two occasions. As a sophomore in 2017, he worked his way on the field and made seven tackles.

Everett was very impressive in the offseason prior to his junior season. His leadership, progression and talent earned him a scholarship for the 2018 season. As a redshirt junior, Everett was a surprising breakout player, starting 11 games at defensive end and tying for third on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss. Now entering his redshirt senior season, Everett is a leader on the defensive line. There is a depth issue on the interior of the defensive line but Everett’s size keeps him from being a viable option to move inside. His best fit remains on the end. I don’t see him as a regular starter thanks to IU’s continued improving recruiting of the position. The hope would be that Everett can give Indiana terrific depth and be a valuable part of the defensive end rotation while improving his sack/quarterback pressure numbers a bit. Expecting a jump up to six or seven sacks seems unrealistic but it’s very realistic to think he could grab a few of them. Everett is a great story about believing in yourself and knowing you have the ability to compete at a level higher than what many thought you could. He took a chance, came to Indiana as a walk-on and has rewarded the Hoosiers with some great play. Targeting smaller school transfers to build a walk-on program is a strategy Tom Allen believes in and it is making the overall depth of the Indiana roster much stronger than it has been in the past. Players like fellow lineman Connor Schneider, Jacob Limbach, Jake Ostrowski and Cam Wilson are all guys that can hopefully follow in Everett’s footsteps.

The Hoosier Huddle Countdown continues each day so check back daily!

 Hutch’s Trivia Question

In honor of the late Terry Hutchens, we are including a daily IUFB trivia question from his book So You Think You Know Indiana University Football. Hutch is dearly missed and this is our way of keeping his memory with us this season. Please leave your answers in the comments section.

How long was Austin Starr’s field goal to beat Purdue in the 2007 Bucket Game?

Yesterday’s Answer: Six

 (check back tomorrow for the answer)