Countdown to Kickoff: 35 Days (Nile Sykes)

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Written by: Alex Compton (@alexncompton)

 

#35

 

There are now 40 days remaining until the Indiana Hoosiers kick-off the 2016 season in Miami against the Florida International Golden Panthers. Join us each day for each part of our 100-day countdown to the opener!Next up,Nile Sykes!

 

Nile Sykes

 

-Height: 6’2”

-Weight: 250 pounds

-Hometown: Oak Park, Illinois

-Position: Defensive End

 

Indiana doesn’t “steal” guys from Notre Dame often, but they stole Nile Sykes.

 

Nile Sykes signed his letter of intent and was set to enroll at Notre Dame before a last minute change of heart ultimately led him to Bloomington. Coach Wilson and his staff told the Chicago Tribune that “we recruited Nile very hard and he was a guy we really wanted” when Sykes eventually commit to the Hoosiers back in July of 2014 after signing to ND in February. He was slated to play linebacker in South Bend, but has so far primarily been used at end/bandit during his time at IU. Most fans would expect a Notre Dame “transfer” to step in and play right away, but that hasn’t necessarily been the case so far. So what exactly does Sykes bring to the field, and what should fans be expecting of him in 2016?

 

Sykes came to IU the same year that I did, which means he was in high school the same time that I was. I grew up relatively close to Sykes, and didn’t consider myself a very big high school football fan at all. However, it seemed like whenever I read the paper or watched TV for scores, this guy Nile Sykes was always popping up. He attended Montini Catholic in Oak Park and played linebacker and running back. He lost in the championship game once. He won it three times. Emphasis on the “he” here. The team wasn’t that great, but Sykes was absolutely the most dominant high school player in the area. Nobody could tackle him with the ball, and he never missed a tackle when he didn’t have the ball. Nile Sykes was going to be big I thought, so I started following his recruitment.

 

Coaches came daily, offers came in, and the visits started. He visit Iowa, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Purdue, Iowa State, Missouri, Illinois, and Alabama. He “only” ended up as a four-star ILB/OLB, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be great. Once I saw he chose Notre Dame, I was certain they got a great player and that all of the other schools missed out on him. When I found out that IU snagged him in July and became a part of the 2014 class, I was ecstatic. I figured he would step in and contribute right away, but he didn’t. He didn’t understand the scheme because he was behind the other incomers. So he redshirt. Fine, I thought. No problem.

 

Last season, he didn’t play much either after the first game against Southern Illinois. Although he appeared in 11 games, it mostly came on special teams. His lack of playing time was strange to me, as I thought he would be a breakout player in his redshirt freshman season. It was his first action of college football however, so it is understandable.

 

Since I saw this guy destroying high school kids on offense and defense, I have been waiting for him to break out on the collegiate level. I believe that in 2016, under the leadership of Tom Allen and Mark Hagen, he will finally do just that. He has all the talent in the world, and should finally feel comfortable at DE after playing LB his whole career. He is listed as Robert McCray’s backup at one of the end spots, and I bet he’ll make a huge impact this season. His size will allow him to be an effective bull-rusher, and his quick first step should allow for him to rush the edge effectively as well. He has it all, and I think Indiana fans will finally see him start to put it together this season.

 

To me, it won’t be surprising when he starts to turn some heads. I’ll just be surprised that nobody else saw it coming.

 

Share any memories or expectations you have of Nile Sykes as a player in the comments section (or on the message boards) and be sure to come back to Hoosier Huddle each day during our countdown!