Linebacker Micah McFadden Signs With the Hoosiers
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Written By Alex Compton (@Alexncompton)
Micah McFadden, 6'1" 220 pounds, LB, Tampa, FL (Plant), 247 Composite 3-Star (81.14)
Tom Allen loves Florida. Tom Allen loves Plant in Tampa. After getting three commitments from the 2017 class from Plant in Whop Philyor, four-star athlete Juwan Burgess, and his son Thomas Allen, he went back in 2018 for some depth at linebacker. IU will be thin at linebacker this year, and honestly it is probably the biggest question mark on the entire team. Quarterback will be interesting again, yes, but losing Chris Covington, Tegray Scales, and Dameon Willis is a huge, huge deal for this Indiana defense. You can never have too much good depth at linebacker, and the hope is that McFadden grows into one of those quality contributors in time.
He actually played a bunch of D-Line at Plant, in addition to his duties as a fullback on offense. Because of his play making him somewhat of a “tweener” position-wise, McFadden was very lightly recruited. IU moved really fast on him over the summer and landed his commitment, which was a surprise to many. He was unranked at the time, but is now a low three-star, which is good to see. Again, the hope is that he takes a few years and really develops into a solid linebacker in Allen’s system. His athleticism and nose for the ball are great traits to start with, and some strength training and good coaching by William Inge should pay dividends in time. Tom Allen knows Plant as well as anyone, and likely had his eye on McFadden for a while, so I would just give it some time and let the coaching staff develop him.
IU Comparison: Dameon Willis Jr.