lucel15

Man I am excited to see this class grow and develop. I’m excited for the speed and strength to start to showcase for the guys who have been under it for over a year now since ballou and rhea took over. Man Bedford is something else, 40lbs since January is amazing and it’s not just fat Its muscle, look at that football body. I’m also excited to see how Katic has developed as well as Aidan Rafferty who is in his second year I believe. Lots of young kids with legit size, speed and talent. Is it football season yet? I’m ready for games and tailgates

Yes per interviews being released I did see Cam at the facilities yesterday. Figured it was him. He has an amazing head of hair. I wish I wasn’t going bald at the age of 26......fun stuff. Hopefully he keeps that hair for the season. That’s legendary stuff. Sorta like hockey mullets.

I’m down in Btown today and was at the football facilities with my cousin.....I believe I saw Cam Williams on campus. Looks like he is here. So that leaves Whitner and Brown (I thought he was on campus) looks like he’s not yet. Hopefully they can join as well soon.

Here’s the deboer picture Sampson is in the red cutoff middle.

Just look at this duo. Sampson is probably 190 in this picture.....he’s supposedly around 220 right now.

I actually think those 4 will be happy including Ivory winters will have a big role as well. I will just list the players and what I see from them all.....because I truly believe that most of them will see the field plenty during the games.....touches idk how many...but to some people’s thoughts yes it will be hard to keep everyone happy, but if you look at great teams in today’s game....for example OSU and Georgia (I’m choosing them because they’ve been doing it for awhile and I think more and more teams have adopted a running back by committee type playbook and it’s not just 1 Star and the other 2-3 are blah players, these teams have legit 2-4 stars in their back field). Almost every team has a RB who can motion out to slot and for me that will be gest or even winters (need to see if he can catch first, because I’m not sure on that point), but anyways deboer will rotate and play as many guys just like his tight ends. We will see multiple back formations if he stays true to who he is as a coach. Now to the players in now particular order. Stevie Scott- I believe he will be starter come season and most of the season, offers power with deceptive speed and plays with great Patience...we all saw that develop relatively fast during his freshman season....he will lose touches, but I expect him to still put up great stats, will probably get most touches around the goal line if I put money on it. Sampson James- to start off being an Avon alum, I wish and hope nothing but the best for him and knowing what his family life is....on to the season outlook, he’s rehabbed nicely from his knee surgery this off season, just had to do some repair to a bone I believe, if I remember correctly (hurt it mid season last year....reason why stats were dropped off). If you look at what he’s done since enrolling early, adding almost 30lbs of good weight up to 220 and btw his upper body looks like a body builders peep coach deboers pool party pic. I think he plays in 4 games and it will be interesting to see if they hold him to that and RS given our depth, technically you could play him in 4 and then rest and then throw ivory in 4. He is very similar to Stevie in the aspect to size and speed, he might have Stevie beat when it comes to his lateral moves or Xbox juke moves, not afraid of contact. Overall, he is what he was advertised as coming into his senior year before injury hurt his stats. Cole Gest- first off I’m glad he’s healthy and I hope he can stay healthy. His upside is he is lighting fast and can catch the ball out of the backfield or from a wide position. Only thing he needs to work on is waiting for the hole to be there and then turn the jets on, he hasn’t been able to really work on that when it comes to actual playing time, potential is there, he just needs to stay healthy. Overall if healthy he will have a productive season and my prediction is he provides multiple big play or explosive plays of over 20+ yds for us. Ivory Winters- huge dark horse in my eyes. Played in a small division in Missouri and dominated. Not only in football, he dominated in track as well. The kid ran for almost 3000 yards and had 59 TDS as a senior.....he’s also got size but is breakaway fast. That’s why I believe he will be a dark horse entering the season and might even for arguments sake and topic sake, crack top 2 or 3 in depth chart. I’m not sure on his catching ability, but if it matches his overall athleticism then let’s go, also I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s retiring kicks or punts by end of the season, let alone the start of it. Ronnie Walker- kid showed us glimpses of why he was a 4* kid. Besides his youth and some decision making he knew when to hit holes and when to cutback, and showed he is shifty and fast. From my understanding is he had a hard time with the playbook and just overall adjusting to the speed of the college game which is understandable. I look forward to seeing him take a step forward in development and becoming what we all saw from his senior film. gosh darn are we deep with depth and talent at RB. Not to mention everyone is so young. That goes for a lot of positions on this team as well another sleeper on offense is David Ellis, he will play everywhere and anywhere in this offense his explosiveness is already being demonstrated in the weight room....ivory winters and him could make for a very very dangerous return game

Yeah I can see some changes and depth changes already.....starters on defense if I had to put money on it Thomas Allen will not be starting most of the season.....first two games....I think there will be a heavy rotation between James Miller and Thomas, I wouldn’t be surprised if DK plays as a true freshman, just because of his sideline to sideline speed and his build already. Cam Jones will literally play everywhere besides the line. Khalil Bryant is a consistent player, but I think he gets beat out by a younger guy. DL, I am very excited to see Juan play again....sounds like independence was a reality check and he’s bought in to the hard work pays off and is a completely different kid and mindset....and then the CC transfer we got from garden city his name is blanking......but he is another big body that moves so well and plays hard and fast for a guy his size...helps with interior depth. Sio I think can get early playing time as well just because of his size and strength....technique probably needs some work, but if you need someone to plug up some gaps and holes in short distance situations....throw him and Juan in there and get the job done. OL I think we will be better than what many think, from what I’ve heard is the young guys have developed well over the spring and summer so far with individual workouts. As for true freshmen linemen.....I think Katic and Bedford play in 4 games maybe more.....Bedford might even be number 2 at either tackle....most likely left tackle....but can fill right if needed. Heard Katic is what we saw in film...a mean dude who is already built for the big ten size wise....just needs to get in playbook and make better reads...still an 18 year old...kid is a MAULER with a mean streak though, reminds me of Quentin Nelson of the colts. Brit beery and Raferty have blossomed this offseason as well from what I’ve heard.

And he doesn’t play WR on H.S. sometimes he is in slot for mismatch situations in his film, but he does come off the line quite a bit so he’s a TE and being recruited by most colleges as a TE

No I don’t think he has WR speed needed and I don’t think he cuts well enough to run routes like a college WR needs to have nowadays. I mean with what deboer runs....he typically has two TEs. One is a larger TE and another tall seam runner while the other blocks/shorter routes. Sometimes they will lineup outside or motion to slot. I don’t think he needs to be 6’7” 260. I think a good weight for him to be a top player and let’s just say draft prospect after wherever he decides to play college ball.....I think 225-240 range isn’t out of the question. Many upon many kids have enrolled at IU and put on healthy weight. He gets on the right plan and eating plan during end of season/off season wherever he enrolls he could be 220 by next spring or fall. The outlier in the whole adding weight to a nice frame is madison Norris. I don’t know this kids make up maybe metabolism is out of this world.....wish I still had his like I did when I ran track and played football in college lol....adult life is rough on the body. Lol.

Took an official this past weekend. 6’7” and looks to be every bit of 6’7”. Needs to add weight as he’s listed at 200 I believe, but man he moves well. https://247sports.com/Player/Jalen-Williams-46081808/

I believe he is good to go and there if I remember correctly

I haven’t asked a lot about that. Last I heard is Williams is expected to show up soon and Whitner still has things to do and isn’t expected until August

https://247sports.com/Player/JeJuan-Sparks-46041416/ verbal today. Big DL kid. Got in the weight room and lost 40lbs I believe. Same hs as current Hoosiers DK and Sio. Look for his teammate Geri Theodore to possibly pull the trigger as well. Several people believe that should happen.

And I respect your opinion, but nowadays given how aggressive this staff has been with going after kids we are seeing more and more kids coming to us with power 5 offers. There are always going to be kids that we offer that might not have the best offer list, and so far with some of those cases this staff has been a great judge of talent and what they are capable of.

But I guess to please the ratings people so it’s not a huge disappointment........here’s people I know we are in the running for and who we have a great chance at landing per what my cousins told me. These rankings and ratings are all from 247 and can be found there....I find them to be more accurate than Rivals over the past few years Joe Moore DE out of MO- 89, 4* 247 comp jonathan Denis OG or C from FL- 89, 4* “””” Josh Fryar OL from IN- 88 high 3* Westley Neal DL from Miami, FL, kid is high on us, even with home school knocking Deontae Craig from IN..... actually i I don’t know why I’m doing this because the people who have negative outlooks for football recruiting given.....the facts and what this staff has done to land, flip, or keep a verbal until signing day is amazing. I’m just speaking facts I’m not drinking lemonade. Or the kool aid. I’m fine with top 40. I don’t need top 25 to consider it an amazing year in recruiting. I’m looking at the actual talent pool and athletes this staff is going after and actually getting to come on campus......we had 3, 4-5* kids on campus this past weekend for unofficial or official visits. That is a regular occurrence in our current program.....it’s not fighting off MAC schools or non power 5 schools for commits. We are going after kids with impressive offers.....yeah dexter Williams doesn’t have any offers from huge places, but he also didnt go to his first camp until this Saturday and Sunday.....just like Dekkers who will probably continue to see offers even tho he committed to Iowa state. The fact is this staff went and got Sampson James to flip, they held on to a kid who was being courted by South Carolina and Mississippi State, and they are still dumbfounded on how they didn’t flip him, btw I believe Matthew Bedford started the year as like an 81......and he was bumped to a mid 3*. Tiwan Mullen who has footballs floating in his blood stream, his cousin is Lamar Jackson, brother just went to the raiders........who else oh keys from this current verbal list....was unranked......scouts looked and were like oh crap we looked him over.....high 3* don’t be surprised if he’s a 4* by the end of the year for those wanting stars.....this staff knows how to find and evaluate talent plain and simple......I’m just worrying about signing time and we only have a class of about 18 Kids maybe 20 and everyone worrying about ratings is crying because we don’t have a full class.....well I believe we have 15 seniors on the team this year.....I forget the exact count but it’s a small senior class.....anyways I’ve had two long posts today....this is fun :) anymore questions I can address

In what way? The rankings or in player talent? Because despite the ratings not being high 80s, this is a talented class that has multiple kids already who can play multiple positions especially on defense. They don’t need to be contributors right away in the way that We have needed in the past.....so is it a disappointment in overall ratings or players? Just a little confused.

Lol from what I’ve been told by my cousin the visits this weekend went really well.....and we are trending well with some others who haven’t made officials yet. One to keep an eye on is Jonathan Denis high 3 low 4* OL prospect. Won’t be in the next few weeks, but maybe in next month to two months. We impressed.

Watched his film last night and there’s a lot to love. Two way athlete. Played last season with Rashawn Williams. A Michigan newspaper did a write up and basically Rashawn said they were going to be a package deal and looks like that paid off. Kid can play offense and defense, but looks like he will get looks at CB for us.

I don’t think anyone is making excuses. You’re talking about recruiting and people are talking about rankings? If you expect freshmen to win games at IU then this convo isn’t for you. It’s been stated by people who support Tom Allen on here and people who still don’t care for him....you have to have depth on all facets of the game.... when Allen was given the reigns do you realize how many recruiting holes there were? And to the men’s point above and on other threads the past two recruiting cycles have been the best in decades. Going back to 2018 class Tom Allen has signed and I’ll add verbals since there’s I think 2 from the 2020 class right now, 17 of the top 40 all time recruits in IU football history since the modern era of rankings began......by the end of this week or next I will say we will add 3-5 more verbals for this class not to mention we are in the running for several highly ranked recruits which will bump our ranking and make you happier. We aren’t going to have 5-10 4* or higher kids in our recruiting class. We’ve never had that. Last year we finished top 40 and if you were able to add transfer rankings...Tuttle you are looking at possibly a top 30 class. To win in college football you have to have depth and not only depth but depth of talented players, just because they aren’t 88s or higher doesn’t mean they can’t compete or help us out. Micah mcfadden spelling is off maybe, was a .79 with a crappy offer list and I’d say he was one of the better surprises out of the last recruiting class to play for IU. The coaches have a good handle on things and the strength staff is regarded as one of the best in the nation....lucky to have kept them as I know coach ballou, he had offers to head to the pros and even the big boys from the SEC came knocking for him.....the pieces are in place to start building on this foundation. Yeah 5-7 the past two season sucks, but after watching interviews and listening to successful coaches and how they recruit... you must find kids that fit your system, recruit depth at those positions and then you create a competition mindset within your team. Nothing against kdub because he did get us to bowl games, but he had no depth and couldn’t at a consistent level. Yes he hit some home runs with several players, but the low to mid 3*s we have been getting would probably be high 3*-4* ranking level if they weren’t from Florida the pipelines this whole staff is building is impressive if you look at where these kids are coming from. Sorry for the long post men, but the whole rankings thing is fun to look at and what not, but you’re upset that we are at the bottom Right now? We were at the bottom technically after this past signing period and we were top 40.....in this class we have one of the highest rated players ever to verbal to IU and he’s basically the Tiwan Mullen of this class in terms of getting on kids and starting group chats trying to get kids to come to IU and start something special. Cheers men, should see more commits soon from what I’m told.

This kid can play anywhere in the defensive backfield. He fits well with what coaches want on this team versatile DBs. Will play safety most of the time but offers the ability to go cover a slot or even rush fill. Physical. Reads QB eyes very well. High points/attacks ball in the air. Comes up on runs and fills tremendously fast. Great athlete.

I mean like you said offer list wasn’t amazing, but staff brought him in and worked him out. Deboers saw him throw in April I want to say...couldn’t talk with him then, told his coach some items to work on. We offered Dekkers first then Dexter the next day was 1a and 1b priority. He came in to throw and what he said about his relationship with deboer.....pretty high things. He looks a lot like what deboer had at Fresno. Passing numbers aren’t great 1,000 yards but he can sling it. Not as fast of a release as Penix, but his release is up there. His film shows he can extend plays and he can throw on the run and place it in a WR basket. His WRs don’t seem that great and his line is eh....he ran for over 1500 yards last season. I’d say go watch his film. Yes it’s highlights....but he shows potential and if developed can grow into something special.

247 gave him an 88 rating today it looks like.

He camped this past weekend. Asked my buddy who was at the camp and he was supposedly one of the fastest timed kids there in most drills. Ran a 4.4 forty. Seems to be a hidden gem. Looks to have great length. Shows he’s not afraid to hit in his film or at least get into contact situations. If Shelby believes he is worthy of an offer. Then let’s go boys. #6 on the board with officials coming up the next three weekends get the cannons ready.

Would be a great get. Hoosiers seem to be hot on the trail as of late

We offered him. Great athlete. Extends plays. Looks to be backup plan behind Dekkers. Could be Dekkers 1A and Dexter 1aa. https://247sports.com/Player/Dexter-Williams-46084717/