Countdown to 2019 IUFB Kickoff: 76 Days (Matthew Bedford)

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

 2019 Countdown - #76

Name – Matthew Bedford

Position – Offensive Line (Freshman)

Hometown – Cordova, Tennessee (Cordova)

Height – 6’6”

Weight – 284

The Hoosier Huddle Countdown to Kickoff is rolling as we hit the mid-70s to highlight one of the most talked about true freshmen in the 2019 class, Matthew Bedford. After a stand out high school career, Bedford played in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl at AT&T Stadium and the 2018 East-West All-Star Classic.

Bedford was one of Tom Allen and his staff’s most important signees in the 2019 class. The Hoosiers needed to start building young, quality depth along the offensive line and Bedford is a great pillar to build around.

Bedford has a leg up on some of the other lineman as he enrolled early to participate in spring practice. Even as a young freshman, Bedford impressed.

“(Bedford is) going to be a really good football player, Allen said during spring practice. “He’s just so athletic. He’s got the things you can’t coach and he’s a great kid. He’s so locked in. His head’s spinning for sure, but that’s part of it. The things that he can control, his effort, his toughness.”

When Hoosier Huddle talked to Bedford after a spring practice, he doesn’t act like a freshman or a student who should have been finishing up his senior year of high school. He was mature beyond his years. However, there were still moments during the spring when Allen and the staff were reminded how young Bedford actually is.

During one team activity this spring, Bedford couldn’t participate because of his age. Allen told reporters, “we did an activity where you were not allowed to do it if you were not 18 years old. He was the only guy on the team who couldn’t do it. It’s something we did with compliance, so you realize real quickly how young he is.”

Age of players is something that is becoming less and less relevant, but to play as a true freshman in the trenches in the Big Ten as an 18-year old freshman will be difficult, but Allen believes Bedford is up to the task. He should be able to crack the rotation on talent and work ethic alone, the size and mass will catch up with work in the weight room.

“He’s got to get bigger and stronger,” Allen said, “and the good news is that we have the whole month of May, the rest of April here and get into June and July. So we still have several months before we get into Fall Camp and then another month in Fall Camp before his first game. He’s a guy we are going to push extremely hard all those times of the year and getting bigger and stronger.”

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.

Who was the only quarterback in IU history to wear the number one?

 (check back tomorrow for the answer)

 Yesterday’s Answer: Second Round