Countdown to Kickoff: 21 Days (Richard Lagow and Leon Thornton)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

#21

We are a mere 21 days away from the Hoosiers 2016 season opener in Miami against Florida International! Today’s Hoosier Huddle Countdown provides you with a double-dose of information as we help you get to know a Hoosier on each side of the ball. The offensive player is quarterback Richard Lagow and the defensive player is former wide receiver turned cornerback, Leon Thornton III!

Richard Lagow

-Height: 6’6”
-Weight: 240 pounds
-Hometown: Plano, Texas (Cisco Community College)
-Position: Quarterback

After rewriting some of the record book during his IU career, Nate Sudfeld is now in the NFL and for the first time in a few seasons, the Indiana Hoosiers will have a largely untested leader at quarterback. 6’6” redshirt junior Richard Lagow is one of the chief competitors for the right to take the reins of Kevin Wilson’s offense. Lagow took an unconventional and winding road to Bloomington. He threw for nearly 2,000 yards and compiled 20 total touchdowns as a senior at Plano High School in Plano, Texas before spending limited time at both UConn and Oklahoma State. Lagow never felt comfortable at either school and he transferred to Cisco College, a JUCO in Texas.

The 240-pound Lagow helped lead Cisco to success during the 2015 season and he was ranked as the number one pro-style passer in the JUCO ranks by multiple recruiting services. Last season, he threw for 2,285 yards and 21 touchdowns for Cisco and his highlight-tape was incredibly impressive. It’s clear that Lagow is physically capable of completing the passes that will be required of him if he is to lead the offense. There’s some mystery because Hoosier fans have yet to see him in any actual game action and there’s no telling how well he’ll be able to learn the offense and execute it at the quick-tempo that is required by Kevin Wilson and OC Kevin Johns. However, Lagow’s size, skill and surprising mobility make him seem like a tremendous fit for this system.

There are competitors for the job and he’ll need to perform well to beat out junior Zander Diamont, and veteran Danny Cameron. Of those options, Lagow seems to have the highest ceiling and he’s the presumptive favorite to be the starter when the Hoosiers take the field on September 1. 

Leon Thornton III

Height: 6’1”
Weight: 200 pounds
Hometown: Lombard, Illinois (Montini Catholic)
Position: Defensive Back

We shift over to the other side of the ball for part two of today’s countdown coverage and get to know defensive back Leon Thornton III. Thornton came to Indiana as a wide receiver but injuries in the secondary during his freshman season forced the 6’1” Illinois-native to move to cornerback. Thornton did have experience at cornerback as he played on both sides of the ball at Montini Catholic High School in Illinois. He was a two-time all-state and all-conference selection and was rated as the number seven prospect in the state by ESPN. Thornton set Montini’s single-game record for catches with 14 receptions. He was a team captain and hauled in 66 passes for 949 yards and 13 touchdowns during his senior season. A tremendous athlete, Thornton lettered in football (four years) as well as basketball and track. 

Despite the Hoosiers being well-stocked at wide receiver, Thornton appeared in nine games at the position during his 2015 freshman season. Before the eleventh game, against Maryland, Thornton made the move to defensive back. He performed well against the lackluster passing attack of the Terrapins and then earned his first start of the season in the Old Oaken Bucket game against Purdue. In total, he garnered ten tackles, seven solo, with one for tackle for loss. 

Thornton has good size and length, something the Hoosiers definitely could use in the secondary. He also possesses pretty solid speed and athleticism that will put him into the mix at defensive back. That being said, there are a number of corners he’ll have to battle with to see the field in 2016. Rashard Fant is a near-lock as one of the corners and the list of players jostling for the other snaps is extensive: Tyler Green, Ben Bach, Andre Brown, Noel Padmore, Tony Fields, Jameel Cook, Wesley Green, Mario Swann, Arthur Jones and possibly more all join Thornton as contenders. I’m guessing he’ll fall somewhere behind the top four corners but that he still sees snaps as a part of the rotation and as a player on the coverage units of special teams.

Share your thoughts on both Richard Lagow and Leon Thornton in our comments section (or on the message boards) and be sure to come back to Hoosier Huddle each day as the 2016 season inches ever closer!