(2027) OL Caleb Pugh to Indiana

[HoosierReb01]

247

ON3

HUDL

[Pagoda]

Woah.  Outta nowhere.

[HoosierReb01]

2 minutes ago, Pagoda said:

Woah.  Outta nowhere.

Yeah, this seems like classic Bob Bostad work here. 

[skhoosier2]

They are good at identifying talent and jumping on them. We need some more OL in the class. Bostad doing good work. 

[Demo]

 

[Pagoda]

12 hours ago, skhoosier2 said:

They are good at identifying talent and jumping on them. We need some more OL in the class. Bostad doing good work. 

Yep.  He went to one of IU's camps.  Then he had a follow-up official visit this weekend.  And here we are.

The ratings services haven't even evaluated him yet.

[Home Jersey]

3 minutes ago, Pagoda said:

Yep.  He went to one of IU's camps.  Then he had an official this weekend.  And here we are.

The ratings services haven't even evaluated him yet.

Awesome. I'm a fan of his already. 

This kid must be on cloud 9. To be unranked, going to camps, and actually come away with your first offer and it's from the defending national champs... really cool for him. 

[Pagoda]

2 minutes ago, Home Jersey said:

Awesome. I'm a fan of his already. 

This kid must be on cloud 9. To be unranked, going to camps, and actually come away with your first offer and it's from the defending national champs... really cool for him. 

He's an all-state wrestler.  I'm no OL coach but I'd guess a lot of those skills and abilities translate.  He also does track & field and lacrosse... quite the athlete.

We'll see, but he feels like a great find.  Recruiting is more than just being high bid for blue chippers.

[Stuhoo]

1 hour ago, Pagoda said:

He's an all-state wrestler.  I'm no OL coach but I'd guess a lot of those skills and abilities translate.  He also does track & field and lacrosse... quite the athlete.

We'll see, but he feels like a great find.  Recruiting is more than just being high bid for blue chippers.

Track and field? Okay - he likely shot puts - not a big deal.

But lacrosse? That's a speed/quickness/movement sport, and wrestling? That's a balance and quick hands sport. 

All of this is good.

[Lebowski]

@Stuhoo, this is Moneyball work right here. LOL!

[Stuhoo]

22 minutes ago, Lebowski said:

@Stuhoo, this is Moneyball work right here. LOL!

Do any freshman OLinemen get any notable NIL? Not sure about that. 

To me Kurtis Rourke was the ultimate moneyball Cignetti play. A culture-setting top ten Heisman QB for a MAC star price.

[Pagoda]

I’m gonna regret this post, but do we use an advanced stats?  Or is this just Bostad’s scouting eye?  Kinda has to be advanced stats to be moneyball?  I think IU is just great conventional scouting.

Regardless, I just want players who end up being a good deal.  Could be Lou Moore for $400K or Fernando for $2M… good value is good value.

[Hovadipo]

9 minutes ago, Pagoda said:

I’m gonna regret this post, but do we use an advanced stats?  Or is this just Bostad’s scouting eye?  Kinda has to be advanced stats to be moneyball?  I think IU is just great conventional scouting.

Regardless, I just want players who end up being a good deal.  Could be Lou Moore for $400K or Fernando for $2M… a good deal is a good deal.

Bostad made his name turning kids like this into absolute maulers on those road grading Wisconsin teams before his NFL stint. He is elite at spotting traits.

I imagine he wipes with analytics print-outs.

[Lebowski]

13 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Do any freshman OLinemen get any notable NIL? Not sure about that. 

To me Kurtis Rourke was the ultimate moneyball Cignetti play. A culture-setting top ten Heisman QB for a MAC star price.

Yes, to the OL question. From what I understand any 4* signing to a P4 school is getting a substantial amount of cash. 

I see Rourke equivalent to Johnny Damon playing for the As and then signing with Red Sox. I think IUFB paid Rourke pretty well. 

[go iu bb]

On 6/22/2026 at 4:13 AM, Pagoda said:

Yep.  He went to one of IU's camps.  Then he had a follow-up official visit this weekend.  And here we are.

The ratings services haven't even evaluated him yet.

I was eating at Little Zagreb's Saturday evening and saw the IU coaching staff and one guy who definitely looked like a recruit and another who may have been or was possibly a player. This kid is the one who looked like a recruit. Glad he committed.

[go iu bb]

On 6/22/2026 at 7:58 AM, Pagoda said:

I’m gonna regret this post, but do we use an advanced stats?  Or is this just Bostad’s scouting eye?  Kinda has to be advanced stats to be moneyball?  I think IU is just great conventional scouting.

Regardless, I just want players who end up being a good deal.  Could be Lou Moore for $400K or Fernando for $2M… good value is good value.

I'm not sure how well advanced stats would work with HS recruits. tbh. I think that just has to be conventional scouting.

[Brass Cannon]

15 minutes ago, go iu bb said:

I'm not sure how well advanced stats would work with HS recruits. tbh. I think that just has to be conventional scouting.

Yeah advanced stats don’t work across different levels of competition and even different styles of officiating. 
 

[CSP]

On 6/22/2026 at 10:58 AM, Pagoda said:

I’m gonna regret this post, but do we use an advanced stats?  Or is this just Bostad’s scouting eye?  Kinda has to be advanced stats to be moneyball?  I think IU is just great conventional scouting.

Regardless, I just want players who end up being a good deal.  Could be Lou Moore for $400K or Fernando for $2M… good value is good value.

We test them when they come visit/camp with us.