The Man Behind Center

Ben Chappel- Last spring when Kellen was suspended indefinitely, Chappel had the opportunity to get a whole spring worth of reps. Not only did he use that time to get better but he won the team over as well. This spring he was the starter before Kellen was dismissed. Although he doesn't posses extreme speed he has just enough to scramble if he needs to. He is a very accurate thrower and has shown to have a better touch and more zip this spring than last year. What I liked about him last year was that when he was in he distributed the ball between the receivers. At times I felt like Kellen threw mostly to Fisher and Means. Ben seemed to get everyone more involved. He seems to have a good grasp of the offense and I'm excited to see his performance next year now that the coaching staff has put full faith in him.

Adam Follett- He red shirted this past season and will be the primary back up this upcoming season. He has good size and is a rangy kid. He's a bit taller than Ben and made some good strides this spring. At times he seemed hesitant in the pocket which led to some poor throws. He's a young kid with upside and can sling the ball down field.

In addition to these two we also have Teddy Schell. Teddy had a big spring game while completing a deep bomb to Chris Banks for a touchdown. He showed some great touch this spring and will battle Adam for the back up spot. We also have two incoming freshman (Dusty Kiel, Ed-Wright Baker). Dusty has a powerful arm and can run when needed. Ed is more of an athletic QB with great speed.

The Running Backs

Next year their figures to be 4-5 players who may see some time throughout the year at running back. They all bring something a little bit different to the table.

Bryan Payton- Payton is a little bit on the shorter side but has good strength. He doesn't have blazing breakaway speed but he did show us at times how difficult it is to take him down. Do not try to arm tackle him or you will get embarrassed. Just ask the gophers last year when he managed to break 4-5 tackles on the same play. Some of his greatest assets are his leadership and blocking ability. He is a solid pass blocker because of his strength.

Demetrius Mccray- Mccray is more of a shifty elusive back. He isn't as strong as Payton but he has a little bit more speed to him. He excels when he gets into the open field and can juke right and left on defenders.

Darius Willis- Darius was our most heralded recruit last year but ended up red shirting. He brings a combination of speed, size, and quickness to the table. Coach Lynch has said many times that he is the real deal and most likely the future of the hoosiers at the running back position. It will be interesting to see how he fits into the rotation next year but I think he has a very good shot and making a big contribution.

Trea Burgess- Trea shined in the spring game running for two touchdowns. He is a bigger player who almost got moved to linebacker this spring. He doesn't have great open field moves but can cut just enough to get by a defender. Not as fast as Darius or Demetrius but likely will be able to contribute next year after having one of the most impressive springs out of all the running backs.

Zach Davis-Walker- the smallest of the running backs. A Florida native who is listed approximately at 5'8.5-5'9. He is very quick but might be difficult to get a lot of playing time due to the depth and the position.

All of the running backs seemed to benefit from the new "Pistol" offense (made famous by the university of Nevada) this past spring. The pistol allows for more of a downhill running attack than the spread. It also allows the running backs to hit the hole's earlier and isn't as predictable in which direction the running back will go compared to the spread offense. The key will be the offensive line but I think our running game will me much improved from last year and watch out for Darius Willis because he will most likely be our running back for the future.

A look at the receiving core

Our 2009 receiving core has a good deal of potential but will be very young none the less. We lose our top two receivers (fisher, means) due to Ray's position switch and Means playing for the Cincinnati Reds minor league team. Here is a brief look at our returning receivers.

Terrence Turner- Last year he had 29 catches for 289 yards. He's a good looking receiver with good size. He had a big 90+yd TD catch that got called back due to a holding penalty.

Demarlo Belcher- finished his freshman year with 25 catches for 337 yards and 2 TD's. He has had a good off-season and the potential to be a red zone threat because of his 6'5 210lb frame. He showed good running after the catch ability in the spring game and had good hands.

Tandon Doss- had 14 catches for 186 yards and a score. He possesses good speed and return abilities. He has great hands and can run over the middle. Once he catches the ball he has the ability to get by the defender.

Mitchell Evans- He's a good slot receiver. He's athletic enough to be used on gadget plays like last year's Northwestern game. He's a physical kid who can take a hit and deliver one.

Other receivers who will likely have an opportunity to contribute are Matt Ernest (2006 Gatorade player of the year in Indiana), Tyler Adetona(red shirted), Charles Love (red shirted), Max Dedmond (big, athletic TE), Duwyce Wilson and Jamonne Chester (incoming freshman).

Our receiving core will be very young but have a lot of potential. Doss and Belcher are probably are biggest weapons but we have many other young receivers that can significantly contribute.

1st COMMIT OF THE 2010 CLASS

Before I dove into my outlook at our 2009 offense I wanted to quickly write about our first commit of the 2010 class..... Andre Kates.

If you have never heard of him before... don't worry I had no idea when I first saw his name who he was. This committment really came out of left field and I, nor many others, saw this one coming.

A brief look:

Andre Kates is a CB from Erie Community College

His senior year in high school he committed to the university of Florida. (No typo)

Due to grades he didn't qualify to play the next year. Then his family was having financial troubles and he decided to get a job and help them out. His mother eventually wanted him to go back and get his education he enrolled at Erie Community College in New York.

After watching his tape I was extremely impressed. This guy had offers from Florida, Miami (FL), Illinois, BYU, Baylor, Maryland and others.

The key selling point was two fold with his committment. First, Jerimy Finch played a huge role in getting him to commit to the hoosiers. Jerimy is very good friends with Andre's best friend from high school Joe Haden who currently playes for the gators. 2nd, Kates talks about how he really wants to go to a program that doesn't already have a ton of tradition so he can come in and help bring the program up. Here is one of his quotes when talking with scout.com “When I come in there, I’m going to bring a whole new attitude about the game,” Kates said. “I want it to be fun, but I want to win, too. I hate to lose. I want to bring intensity, hitting people in practice, intercepting balls and and taking it to the house. That’s what I’m going to do, and I plan on starting.”

Anyways he is listed as 6'0 193lbs with a 4.41 in the forty yard dash. After watching his tape he is a fantastic athlete and brings the attitude and swagger that is needed at the CB position much like what Tracy Porter brought to the program.

Overall, Andre is a huge pick up for the program and caught everyone off guard. The hoosier nation should be extremely excited about this pick up. I will try to keep my posts shorter than usual and make them more frequent for everyone.

2009 Defense

Personally I think the starters will be as follows:

Lineman- Greg Middleton, Jarrod Smith, Deonte Mack, Jammie Kirlew

Linebackers- Will Patterson, Matt Mayberry, Tyler Replogle

Secondary, Nick Polk, Austin Thomas, Ray Fisher, Chris Adkins

Let's start with the lineman:

Greg Middleton- Two years ago he led the NATION in sacks. Yes that was not a mistake, I said nation. Last year he got off to a terrible start. He was suspended for the first game, recorded a sack against Murray State in the second game, then was quiet for the rest of the year, finishing with a total of 4 sacks. It was rumored that he had attitude problems and he did not look at all like he did in 2007.

However, I am confident he will turn things around next season. Coach Lynch said he had his best winter conditioning since he has been at IU. Many players have noted that his attitude is much better than it was last year. I don't expect him to lead the nation in sacks again but I expect him to have a bounce back year. Other teams will not be able to double team his next year due to the emergence of Jammie Kirlew this season. Hopefully he gets back on track and can improve his draft status once again.

Jammie Kirlew- Last year was definitely a great year for him. He finished the year with 10.5 sacks and is now on the Ted Hendricks award list. One of the things I like about Kirlew is his leadership. He has emerged as one of the leaders on IU's defense this spring which is something that we lacked last season. Numerous times at practices I witnessed him coaching up the younger players on the sidelines giving them advice on what to do. Even though he was sitting out the spring with an injury it was good to see him helping out anyway that he could. He was also rated the #19 position player in the big ten and if he plays similar to how he did last year he will have a chance to play at the next level.

Jarrod Smith- He was moved over the defense this past season. He is a high-energy guy like I said before. He seems to be a general upgrade over the caliber of players we have had on our d-line the last few years. I am curious to see how he performs this upcoming season.

Deonte Mack- Assuming he gets healthy and plays well in the fall I have him as the other starting DT. He had a pretty quiet year with 21 tackles and 2 sacks but being just a sophomore he will have more experience.

The good part about the defensive line is that next year we will have a lot more depth. Lynch almost pulled the red shirt off of Nick Sliger last year but I'm glad he didn't. We have three bigger DT's than we have normally had in the past with Sliger, Black, and Mentzer. We generally play four defensive ends anyway. We have solid backups in Fred Jones, Terrence Thomas (both played in all 12 games last year), and red shirt freshman Kyle Kozak and Eric Thomas.

Linebackers- This is the position I am most excited about. I feel we have one of the better linebacker corps in the big ten.

Will Patterson- He didn't play this spring because of a wrist injury but he has a ton of experience and will be a senior next year. He was voted captain last year and had 55 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Matt Mayberry- Personally my favorite of all the linebackers. Coming out of high school he had offers from Maryland, Virginia, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech and Georgia to name a few. A pretty impressive list. He showed flashes of great potential last season recording 4 sacks against Central Michigan. He is ranked the #28 position player in the big ten. He is known for his extreme workout regime and has gotten much bigger and stronger each year. He will be a senior and someone to watch out for. He has emerged as one of the better linebackers in the big ten and has the potential to play on Sundays.

Here is a great article from ESPN about Mayberry and Kirlew working out over break.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-3-264/No-vacation-for-Hoosiers--defensive-tandem.html

Tyler Replogle- this will be his first year most likely as a starter. He played in 11 games last year recording 38 tackles and a sack. Even though he hasn't been a starter he has played in a ton of games. Coach Lynch said that is one of the highest energy guys on the team.

The linebacker core has some depth to. Darius Johnson would probably be one of the first guys called in but I witnessed him also playing a bit of DE during the spring. He may be playing both positions come the fall. Justin Carrington also played a lot last season. We also have Leon Beckum, Ian Reeves, Chad Sherer who will supply some depth.

Secondary- Our safeties will be extremely experienced but the question marks will fall at the corners next year.

Nick Polk- didn't practice this spring due to recovering from an ACL injury. He has a knack for the ball and has pretty good closing speed. He only played 8 games last year but managed 52 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and an interception.

Austin Thomas- He is an extremely physical player who led our team in tackles two years ago. He is one of our biggest hitters in the secondary and always gets his nose in where he can. He had a crucial interception last year against Northwestern and if he can stay healthy our safety position will be extremely talented.

For depth we can't forget about Jerimy Finch. Once rated as the best safety coming out of high school he played his freshman year at Florida before getting injured. He transferred to Indiana last year but his play was very inconsistent. He had a lot of mental errors at times but also provided a huge boost on special teams blocking a few punts. He is a natural athlete who is physical as well. He is a safety who plays best around the line of scrimmage. If he can tackle the mental parts of the game and understand the defense a little bit better he will be extremely dangerous.

Ray Fisher- moved to CB this off-season. He played it in high school and put on 15 lbs to better adapt to the position. He is a physical player and has that CB mentality similar to Tracy Porter that is needed to play the position. He is undersized but possesses a lot of speed and closing ability. Don't know exactly how he is going to play but I'm confident in his abilities.

Chris Adkins- I have him starting only because he started last year. There was a ton of competition at camp and he emerged as the starter. He often times was beat last year and played off the line of scrimmage a lot. He improved this off-season and in general the corners were not playing very far off the line this spring. He will have a whole year under his belt which should help.

We have depth with mostly young guys. Richard Council was in my opinion the best in coverage out of our young CB's. He had many opportunities to pick off passes but couldn't convert. He's a little bit bigger than Adkins. Donnel Jones is a physical corner with great speed. He is smaller than both Adkins and Council but had a great diving interception against Penn State last year. It will most likely be an open competition between the three again this fall.

Closing notes- Injuries just killed the defense last year. If we can stay healthy we will have a very good defense. There is a lot more upper class men on this years squad. We have a number of players who will most likely have a chance to play in the NFL. Personally I think it could be Middleton, Kirlew, Mayberry. Depending on how they play I could also see Patterson and Polk with other players having the chance to make it via free agency. Again we will need to stop the run but I think our run defense will be improved. Smith and Mack and three Red shirt freshman competing for playing time will help our run defense. They are bigger than players we have had in the past. Our pass rush IMO will be greatly improved. I see Middleton having a bounce back year and Kirlew playing similar to how he did last year. Our LB core is solid with our starting 3 and we have a few quality backups. We have 3 very good safeties who just need to remain healthy. Our corners will be interesting with Fisher being moved to that position and 3 others competing for a starting spot.

My next post I will look at the offense and am thinking about getting players input on what they are planning on doing this summer and how their workouts are going.

1st Post

Today I just wanted to give everyone an overview of what I will be doing with this blog. Today I am going to discuss some of the off-season changes that have been made to better the program. Down the road I will be discussing position breakdowns, the 2009 recruiting class, the teams outlook, the new stadium, and anything you want to write about or anything regarding the program as a whole. So to the new changes this off season....

1. Ray Fisher being moved to CB- I like to move for a few reasons. First off, Ray has the mentality of a CB. He has that confident swagger much like that of Tracy Porter. He put on 15 lbs this off season to better himself. It also gives other young receivers a chance to shine (doss, belcher, adetona, love, wilson etc...) Being a receiver for some time has improved his hands and catching ability which was lacking in a few of our corners this year. My concern though is the transition period to get accustomed to the new position. He played the position in high school but it will probably take some time to adjust. He is also 5'9 which will hurt against bigger taller receivers. Overall he is a tough physical kid who I think will adapt well to the CB position.
2. Jarrod Smith move to DT- Jarrod Smith is a high-motor guy who's play is probably better suited to play on the defensive side. He had some good offers coming out of high school (West Virginia the biggest one). I think he will develop into a solid DT and hopefully will improve our rush defense which hasn't been that great recently.
3. Other small position changes- Shane Covington got moved to safety and a few others did as well. More of a depth move but after watching Shane at the spring game he seems to be a good fit. He had offers from Illinois and Kansas State in high school before committing to the hoosiers. With Polk and Thomas being seniors we need to develop our young safeties now.
4. Leadership Council- This off-season Coach Lynch decided to create a leadership council consisting of mostly upper class men. I thought this was a great idea because at times last year people talked about the lack of leadership on the time. With 18 seniors this year we will have a more experienced group and I feel like we have certain individuals who are already good leaders (Payton, Polk, Kirlew etc...).
5. Promotion of the program- With the addition of Fred Glass as our new A.D. he has made it a point of emphasis to promote the football program more than in years past. Bill Lynch has been all over campus this off-season speaking at many different fraternities/sororities and making a lot more public appearances throughout the state of Indiana. Just the other day he was Dan Dakich radio show at the motor speedway. I feel like the awareness of the football team is improving and hopefully with having 3 night games and a brand new stadium attendance will increase this year.
6. Dismissal of Kellen Lewis- Lewis had potential as a WR because he was so explosive. He looked good as he adapted to the new position all spring. Unfortunately he was dismissed from the team. He was our most explosive player and it will be hard to replace him but I applaude coach Lynch for doing the right thing.

My next few posts I think will be about our current positions strengths and weaknesses as well as analysis of all our 2009 recruiting class. Feel free to ask questions and make comments to the blog. You can e-mail me at clark49@indiana.edu, young_investor01@yahoo.com, or iufan24@gmail.com