Officially Official: Richard Lagow to Start in IUFB’s Opener

Written by: Alex Compton

Without ever officially saying it throughout the offseason, Coach Wilson did hint at Richard Lagow being the guy to ultimately open IU’s season as the starting quarterback in Miami. On Friday, he stopped hinting, and gave Hoosier fans the information they had been dying for all offseason. We have a starting quarterback. And it’s Richard Lagow.

The JUCO transfer has been watched closely since he has arrived in Bloomington, because many immediately pegged him as the quarterback to replace Sudfeld in 2016. Wilson and Lagow alike kept deflecting questions about the QB battle because they both believed it wasn’t fair to the team and the other quarterbacks. After a strong spring and summer, Lagow finally earned the starting job. Wilson stated that Lagow was statistically the best QB in camp, and that he was the “QB1” as early as the 7th practice this preseason.

The depth of the position group as a whole seems to be much better this season, and Coach Wilson definitely agreed with that, saying that the depth is “better than it has been” and that this is the best group of QB’s since 2013. Zander Diamont seems to be in line for some spot playing time this season, as KW called him a nice “changeup”. Wilson will continue to push Lagow in practice until he really starts to separate himself from the rest of the group, as it is important to keep in mind that Lagow has not taken a snap at the D1 level so far in his career. This may mean it could take a few weeks for Lagow to really establish himself and begin to play with some confidence, but this was a necessary first step. Hoosier Huddle was right! Indiana will indeed give Lagow his first Division One start in the season opener against Florida International on September 1 st . If Indiana wants to come close to the offensive success it had last season, it will need consistent quarterback play. We finally know who “the” guy is, and now the focus shifts to FIU, who will certainly provide a stiff test. Check back on the site leading up to game day, as Hoosier Huddle will be pumping out the best Indiana Football coverage leading up to kickoff.

Other Notes

Six Walk-Ons Awarded Scholarships for 2016:

WR- Mitchell Paige

WR/RB- Ricky Brookins

DB- Ben Bach

LS- Dan Godsil

RB- Alex Rodriguez

K- Griffin Oakes

(Oakes, Godsil, Paige, and Bach are all listed as #1’s on the depth chart released today)