Position Battles to Keep an Eye on as IU Football Opens Fall Camp This Week
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Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times
Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
The Indiana Hoosiers open fall camp on July 31st in Bloomington under new head coach Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers turned over more than half of their roster from a 3-9 campaign in 2023 and there are important position battles to keep an eye on before the opener against FIU.
1. Who Takes the Lead at Running Back?
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times
IU’s running back room is completely new with four players coming in from the transfer portal. All four players were productive at their former schools and will battle for carries in the Hoosier offense. Two backs, Kaelon Black and Ty Son Lawton, come in from James Madison, while the other two, Elijah Green (UNC) and Justice Ellison (Wake Forest) come from Power Four programs.
The two JMU transfers have a leg up since they know the offense and the staff is familiar with their style of play. Ellison has stepped up in a leadership role so much as he represented IU at Big Ten Media Days. Green is experienced and shown flashes of what he could do with the Tar Heels, but only played in four games in 2023.
We will have more on the running backs in our position previews, however this looks like a ‘by committee’ position group as each back brings a different strength to the table.
2. Radicic vs. McCormick for Field Goal Duties
This is the battle that probably is the most difficult to pick at the moment. The Hoosiers have a wide open battle for placekicker and it was not close to being settled in the spring. Derrick McCormick comes in from ULM after a 2023 season that saw him go 10-12 on field goals. McCormick kicked in the spring, but missed his only field goal attempt in the spring game.
Nicolas Radicic was supposed to be the heir apparent to Charles Campbell. However, the former five-star kicker has struggled to win the job. Radicic kicked in just one game in 2023 and failed to beat out the inconsistent Chris Freeman. This year, Radicic did not kick in IU’s spring game. He has the leg talent, but he needs to put it all together and stay on the field to win the job.
3. Battle at Right Tackle
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times
IU can pencil in the rest of the starting offensive line and the right tackle spot is probably Trey Wedig’s to lose. However, redshirt freshman Austin Barrett is coming off a solid spring and could possibly wrestle the position away. Either way, competition here can only help IU as Wedig can play all over the offensive line and Barrett could step in if Wedig has to be moved to fill in elsewhere.
4. D.J. Warnell vs. Josh Sanguinetti at Strong Safety
Warnell was a late transfer portal addition after spring practice concluded and shores up a safety position that sorely lacked depth. Sanguinetti is entering his sixth season with the Hoosiers and has a head start on learning the new IU defense. Even though he has played in 39 games with IU, Sanguinetti has just six starts. This will be a battle to watch throughout camp.
5. Lots of Options at Wide Receiver
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times
This may not be a position battle per say, but it’ll be fun to watch how a loaded receiver room shakes out. IU brought in three new receivers, including 1,000-yard wideout Elijah Surratt from James Madison. Donaven McCulley returns after a breakout season in 2023 and a flirtation with the transfer portal. E.J. WIlliams who came on strong at the end of the year needs to stay healthy and that’s three pretty good options on the outside and we haven’t mentioned Omar Cooper Jr. or Miles Cross yet. Andison Coby had a tremendous spring game, but needs to be more consistent catching the ball, as his speed makes him a legitimate deep threat. The Hoosiers also brought in some speed for the slot position in Myles Price (Texas Tech) and Ke’Shawn Williams (Wake Forest). Price will probably get the first shot in the slot, but both guys can play fast. The group is loaded and should be fun to watch what combinations Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shannahan come up with.