Countdown to Kickoff: 52 Days (DaVondre Love)

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Written by: Lydia Knoll (@lydddknoll)

 

#52

 

There are now 52 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! Current IU player, DaVondre Love is wearing #52.

 

DaVondre Love (Redshirt Freshman)

 

-Height: 6’7”

-Weight: 310 pounds

-Hometown: St. Louis, MO

-Position: Offensive Line

 

A three-star tackle out of St. Louis, MO, Love is one of the talented redshirted freshmen who could prove to be a huge asset to the Hoosier’s team further down the road. In high school, Love was an offensive and defensive lineman at Affton High School. He was named to the first team of Missouri Class 4 All-State and was recognized as first team all-district, all-metro, and all conference. Love was named the conference’s Lineman of the year in 2014 when his team rushed for 3,700 yards and 57 touchdowns and passed for over 1,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. He posted 69 tackles and three sacks. Love was ranked the number 22 prospect of Missouri by 247sports.

 

Coming into the 2016 season, the offensive line is stacked deep. With returning starters Dan Feeney, Dimitric Camiel, Brandon Knight, Jacob Bailey, and others, the line has enough experienced players and talent to do without redshirted freshmen and incoming freshmen. Alongside Love, talented redshirt freshmen that will be competing to join the offensive line are Hunter Littlejohn and Simon Stepaniak. Of the three, Love is the only one that plays tackle but unfortunately the tackle positions are already pretty solidified with returning players. This will make it hard for Love to gain playing time, but with the departure of Tim Gardner in the offseason, Love's chances to see the field increase immensely. His size could be his advantage and if we don’t see him this season, we will certainly see him in the upcoming seasons as the upperclassmen move on. This season he will serve as tremendous competition for the guys above him, reassuring that the offensive line will be the best it can be.

 

Share any comments or memories about DaVondre Love in the comments section (or on the message boards) and be sure to come back to Hoosier Huddle each day during our countdown!