Hoosiers Offer Two Prospects from The Heart of Dixie
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Tyus Flakes (left) and Zo Bridges (right) were both offered by the Hoosiers today.
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
hile most of Hoosier Nation is either finishing up the school year or gearing up for the summer months, the IU football coaches are putting in the work down south to bring some of that vaunted “SEC Speed” to the Big Ten. Hoosier coaches were working the state of Alabama on Tuesday looking for some prospects who would make the trek north. Indiana has offered two prospects from the football rich state, Zo Bridges, an outside linebacker from Opelika, and Tyus Flakes from Auburn. Bridges, as well as his school, tweeted out Tuesday afternoon that they have received an offer from IU. Flakes also tweeted out his offer.
Bridges is a three-star prospect according to 247 Sports’ Composite rankings. He is also listed as the 55th best outside linebacker prospect in the nation and the 30th best player in the state of Alabama. The 6’2” 210 lbs. linebacker has 11 offers, not including IU, headlined by Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Southern Mississippi. Bridges would be a terrific fit at the Bandit position in Brian Knorr’s 34 defense. He possesses enough speed to chase down quarterbacks off the edge and was big enough, in high school, to play with his hand on the ground. In his junior season in 2014, Bridges recorded 63 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and 19 quarterback hurries. If the Hoosiers can get him on campus for an official visit they could very well land a potential monster at the Bandit position. You can watch Bridges's highlight tape here.
The other player to grab an offer from the Hoosiers is running back Tyus Flakes, a three-star prospect according to 247 Sports’ Composite rankings. He is also listed as the 15th best player in Alabama and the 31st best running back in the nation. At 5’11” 190lbs. Flakes has plenty of size to make it as a running back at the next level. He also ran a 4.5 40-yard dash so he possesses the speed to break away from defenders as well as great balance so he can stay on his feet after absorbing a few hits. As a junior Flakes played in 10 games, running the ball 197 times for 1,391 yards and 10 touchdowns. His sophomore season was even bigger, but he also played in five more games, rushing the ball 240 times for 1,411 yards and 12 more scores. He is also a receiving threat out of the backfield catching 28 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns in his high school career. He holds offers from 11 other schools including Cincinnati, Marshall, and North Texas. Watch what Flakes can bring to the Hoosier backfield in his highlight film here.
The Hoosiers have their work cut out for them with these two prospects in terms of competition, but if this coaching staff can get these players up to Bloomington in the fall IU has a chance to land two big fish from the south.