Haggard Dedicated to His Commitment on the Indiana Offensive Line

Image: sammy jaCobs/hoosier huddle

Image: sammy jaCobs/hoosier huddle

Written by Evan McShane (@very_reasonable)

Luke Haggard arrived in Bloomington this winter after enrolling early. The 6-foot-7 offensive lineman from California spent two seasons at Santa Rosa Junior College where he was an all-conference selection. Haggard was rated as one of the top 25 JUCO prospects in his class, and he ultimately chose the Hoosiers over Oregon State, Fresno State, Nevada and others. 

Haggard is ready to hit the ground running at Indiana. With his size, Haggard will have a chance to make a big impact in the trenches. When Haggard made the decision to attend a Big Ten school, it was a given he'd need to bulk up his frame. In an interview with Peegs.com, Haggard told reporters he's already gained 15 pounds to get to 265. 

Haggard was recruited out of high school to play defensive end, but they moved him over to the offensive line. He explains, "So I really have only been playing tackle for two years. My first year it was learning how to play tackle, everything, the form and all that, and then really I just practiced it. By my second year I was pretty good at tackle at that point, and I started to get recruited for tackle."

Haggard is raw, but his talent and potential are obvious. "The biggest thing at the J.C. (junior college), besides the form, was putting on the weight, but I didn’t have a nutrition plan there. And the weight room was not like this, so it was really hard for me. It was all on my own to do it, but here they help you so much." 

Haggard believes the coaches and resources at Indiana will help him unlock his potential. Like any Big Ten program, the Hoosiers are always in need of offensive line depth. Luke Haggard is focused on making the most of his opportunity at IU. 

His one word for 2020 is commitment. “I chose commitment because I’m committed to this team,” Haggard told Hoosier Huddle, “No matter how great things are or how hard things may get, I’m always going to be here for the team and I’m always going to give it my all.”

Coy Cronk Still Finding Ways to Help Hoosiers Win

Coy Cronk Still Finding Ways to Help Hoosiers Win

Written by Amanda Pavelka (@amandapavelka3)

It has been seven long weeks since Indiana’s offensive line has seen Coy Cronk assume position to the left of the quarterback. With his season-ending ankle injury suffered in week four, he’s taken on his chosen role as team captain, assistant offensive line coach, and traveling cheerleader— a contributor to the Hoosiers’ success from the sidelines, making his team a priority by choice. 

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Veteran Hoosiers Prepare to Execute Against Ohio State Saturday

Written by Amanda Pavelka (@AmandaPavelka3)

The competition has ramped up for Indiana football quicker than usual going into week three. The Hoosiers will go from facing the lowest-ranked opponent on the 2019 season to the most difficult—the No. 6 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

While producing a massive 52-0 victory over Eastern Illinois last Saturday, Indiana displayed a promising offense, and improved defense—talented enough to shutout the Panthers completely. 

“Overall it was a confidence booster to go out there, clean up stuff, and produce a shutout which is very hard to do, no matter who you’re playing,” senior linebacker Reakwon Jones told the media Monday. 

Saturday’s true test is against an elite defensive line that unlike Eastern Illinois, boasts guys more than qualified for the job— seven of 11 top defensive linemen returning from 2018’s Big Ten and Rose Bowl Champion squad. 

“Going into this game, we always know they have a stout defensive line of athletic guys, big guys,” senior offensive lineman Simon Stepaniak said, “so just preparing this week at practice and taking everything seriously and making sure our craft is in tip-top shape for this game is crucial.”

In his third game as quarterback one, there’s a heavy weight placed on redshirt freshman Michael Penix’s shoulders to be the difference-maker in IU’s 26-game losing streak to the Buckeyes. Ohio State is known for their pass rushing game, and for Penix, it’s not the main focus going into Saturday’s game. 

“I trust my offensive line, believe in everything with the offense, that Coach DeBoer’s going to put us in the right situations,” Penix told the media on Monday, “I feel like that’s not something we’re worried about right now, we’re just worried about what we need to execute on the offensive side of the ball.”

Ohio State’s stacked depth won their battle last year. IU ran out of steam on both sides of the ball and fell out of the game after halftime, succumbing to the Buckeyes 49-26. 

Penix prepares for the biggest game of his college career so far with the 1-0 mentality:

“Every single day we work hard, not because of who it is, but because it’s our next game, our next opportunity to get better and show the world that Indiana is on the rise.”

For Brady Feeney, Indiana was “Right up His Alley”

For Brady Feeney, Indiana was “Right up His Alley”

Written by Amanda Pavelka

Both Brady Feeney and the Indiana offense line won big last Sunday when Feeney flipped from Rice University and verbally committed to carry his football career to Indiana. Feeney received his first offer to play power five football and immediately decided Bloomington would be home following his senior year at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Missouri.

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