Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Spring practice is right around the corner and the Indiana Hoosiers have several early enrollees that are already on campus and have begun their IU football careers. The first member of the 2020 recruiting class, linebacker Ty Wise, is one of those players. The 6’2” freshman made the short journey south from Carmel to Bloomington and is enjoying the acclimation process and transition to college.

“It’s really benefitting me to get used to the strength training now versus over the summer,” Wise told reporters on Thursday. “It’s very different than high school but I love it and I love to work out.”

Wise is one of eight signees that are now enrolled at Indiana and they are working through the winter strength and conditioning workouts with coach Dave Ballou and the strength training staff. All of the newcomers have impressed and are responding well to the workload put in front of them.

“At this point, it’s all based on talking to our strength staff. I’ve had a chance here this week to be on campus with them,” head coach Tom Allen said. “All of them have done a great job. I’m really encouraged by the nine guys that have been here already, the nine mid-year enrollees that are working very, very hard in the weight room and excited about their growth and their attitude, mindset, that it takes to be a Big Ten football player.”

Attitude and mindset are certainly important but you must have talent and athleticism as well and Ty Wise showcased plenty of that in high school. He had 112 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and five sacks during his senior season. He was also a leader for the Carmel Greyhounds and helped them win the 6A State Championship. He was named the best linebacker in the state of Indiana and chose IU over several other power conference programs. No matter where he went, there was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to enroll early to get ahead of the curve.

“I knew around halfway through Junior year, that is what I wanted to do, no matter where I played. The more I talked to the coaches they weren’t going to make or tell me to do it but they were saying if I wanted to, that they wanted me to come in early. As we got closer and closer, coach was just stressing how excited he was. Like, how far I was going to get ahead so it just really seems amazing to me.”

Now that he is on campus, he is excited to immerse himself and give his all to play for Kane Wommack. “Coach Wommack is one of the best defensive coordinators in the country. He’s passionate. I mean, just in the recruiting process I knew from the moment I talked to him, I wanted to play for him.”

It will be difficult for the freshman linebacker to break into the rotation at a position loaded with returning players. However, Wise is ready to contribute in any way that he can. “I came in early because I want play as soon as I can. Whether that’s as a linebacker, on special teams, whatever.”

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