The #CrimsonArmy15 Loses Its Leader When Stevens De-Committed
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With Tommy Stevens committed to Penn State Kevin Wilson must keep the 2015 recruiting class intact.
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
When Decatur Central quarterback Tommy Stevens committed to play football at Indiana University on June fourth, he and several other Indiana recruits, especially Joey Beldon, Simon Stepaniak, and Jacob Robinson, dubbed this class #CrimsonArmy15. Well that army has lost its general and it could mean big trouble in Hoosier land. Not only was Stevens the headliner of the class, he was a vocal leader on twitter and it seemed as if these prospects we already teammates and part of the Indiana football family.
Tommy Stevens announced via Twitter Monday night that he was flipping his commitment from the Hoosiers to play for the Nittany Lions. Stevens stated that “after carefully weighing out my options, my family and I have decided that it is in my best interest to commit to Penn State. I want to thank all of the coaches that have recruited me throughout the whole process. I especially want to thank the Indiana staff.” Stevens added that he “believes that are moving in the right direction and I wish them nothing but the best in the future.” Stevens seemed to be the glue that kept everyone together and losing him to Penn State could be the first of a series of dominos to fall. As of Tuesday afternoon the Hoosier class has 11 hard commits according to 247 Sports. The class is now rated 69th nationally and last in the Big Ten. Coach Kevin Wilson has to be concerned that Stevens leaving could open the floodgates to other recruits de-committing in the near future. The Hoosiers have been snake bit in a year where they have gone 3-6 and lost their top two quarterbacks to injury. Both Nate Sudfeld and back up Chris Covington went down for the year in the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Also playing a factor could be the lack of atmosphere on game days in Memorial Stadium. In five home games in 2014 the Hoosiers are averaging an announced crowd of 41,972, but to anyone who has been to or has watched the games this year can see that the real number is indeed much lower. Stevens was offered by Penn State early this season after they lost a quarterback commit to Notre Dame. He made his official visit to Happy Valley for the Ohio State game in late October.
If one includes the transfers of Tre Roberson and Cam Coffman, the Hoosiers have lost the services of five quarterbacks in the 2014 calendar year. The Hoosiers and their fan base were banking on Stevens to be the guy to bridge from Nate Sudfeld to the future. Stevens will be in blue and white for the next four or five years while Kevin Wilson and his staff are left shuffling for plan B.
