Indiana 2022 Season Preview

[Piercewise1]

After a 4-8 season in which they finished last in the Eastern Division, the Indiana Hoosiers hired @Piercewise1 to rejuvenate their football program. Pierce has been tasked with coaching the current roster to a winning season in 2022 and revamping a recruitment effort that ranked near the bottom last year.

 

2022 Starting Roster (Grades shown are Overall/Potential; * indicates position battles)

 

Quarterback

QB Aaron Gossett, Sr (3 Stars, B/B+)

 

Aaron Gossett

 

Aaron's superior Power and Accuracy won him the job over fellow senior Dwayne Hoffman, and he immediately responded by accounting for 7 touchdowns in the spring scrimmage against West Virginia (5 passing, 2 rushing). The 6'3" Texan also boasts enough Strength and Agility to make him hard to bring down when he needs to scramble or extend a play.

 

Backfield

FB Brian Gurriel, Sr (4 Stars, A/C+)

*RB Tyson Briscoe, Sr (3 Stars, B/B-)

*RB LeGarrette Dunning, Sr (2 Stars, B/B)

FB Mike Nader, Jr (3 Stars, B/A)

 

Brian Gurriel

 

Gurriel should handle the bulk of the carries, while Briscoe and Dunning are competing for the role of Lightning to his Thunder. Expect a good deal of rotation from this 3-headed monster as Indiana works to wear defenses out in the second half.

 

Tight End

TE Jeremy Sutton, Jr (3 Stars, B/C)

TE Luiz Whalen, Sr (2 Stars, C/A)

 

Both starters are expected to spend the majority of their time clearing running lanes for the backfield trio mentioned above.

 

Wide Receiver

WR Tarell Griffin, Sr (3 Stars, A/A-)

WR Robert Cervelli, Sr (3 Stars, B/B+)

WR Jeremiah McCray, Jr (3 Stars, B/C+)

*WR Troy Thomas, So (3 Stars, B/A)

*WR Tyler Looney, Fr (4 Stars, B/B+)

*WR Sean Grant, Jr (2 Stars, B/B-)

 

Tarell Griffin

 

Griffin is the obvious focus here, but don't overlook Cervelli's size (6'3", 222) or McCray's blazing speed from the slot. True freshman Tyler Looney has also drawn focus as the program's single blue-chip recruit from the previous administration's 2021 class, though a decision on his status this year has not yet been made.

 

Offensive Line

OT Maikel Reyes, Sr (3 Stars, B/C+)

OG Tyler Tate, Sr (3 Stars, B/C+)

C Cesar Barnes, Sr (4 Stars, A/B+)

OG Seantrel Tom, So (3 Stars, B/B+)

OT Garrett Nugent, Jr (3 Stars, B/C+)

 

Cesar Barnes

 

Barnes anchors an experienced offensive line from his center position, with their best run blocker off his left hip in guard Tyler Tate. Together they form an impressive tandem in the trenches.

 

Defensive Line

DE Ty Bogdanovic, Jr (4 Stars, A/A-)

DT Anthony Nieve, Sr (3 Stars, B/B-)

*DT Kyle Pena, So (4 Stars, B/C)

*DT Jake Manuel, Jr (3 Stars, B/B)

DE Frank Chamberlain, Sr (3 Stars, B/C)

 

Ty Bogdanovic

 

Edge rusher Bogdanovic is possibly the program's brightest star. The lone A-rated junior boasts elite Speed and Agility in pursuit of the quarterback. Seniors Nieve and Chamberlain are no slouches either, so expect a lot of pressure coming from this front four. The second DT slot has not been confirmed, though Pena is considered the favorite.

 

Linebacker

OLB Joe Griffin, Sr (4 Stars, A/C+)

ILB J.C. Ward, Sr (2 Stars, B/C+)

*OLB Brooks Jones, Jr (3 Stars, B/B-)

*OLB Justin Marquez, So (3 Stars, B/B+)

 

Joe Griffin

 

Griffin has been recognized for his skills in coverage, but he's also a great run defender and the best tackler on the team. J.C. Ward is untested in the middle but has clawed his way up the depth chart and looks ready to start in his final year. Both Jones and Marquez can augment the pass rush from the outside.

 

Cornerback

CB Dominic Hollis-Jefferson, Sr (3 Stars, A/C+)

CB Stephen Hernandez, Jr (3 Stars, B/A-)

CB Marco Gurka, So (3 Stars, B/A)

*CB Lane Korkmaz, So (3 Stars, B/C+)

*CB Neftali Brown, Sr (2 Stars, B/C+)

 

Dominic Hollis-Jefferson

 

Hollis-Jefferson is a cut above the rest, though Hernandez and Gurka show lots of promise. This is a unit built more on technique than speed, so expect the team to lean on the players' experience in zone coverage to blanket the field.

 

Safety

 

FS Garett Jones, Sr (3 Stars, B/B+)

*SS Chad Fountain, Jr (2 Stars, C/B+)

*SS Tim Cortes, So (2 Stars, C/C+)

 

Probably the weakest position group on the team. Free safety Jones is a standout cover guy on a zone scheme team – good enough to start, but not being used to the best of his abilities. Fountain and Cortes could split time depending on the game circumstance, as neither has impressed the coaching staff enough to stand out as a full-time starter.

 

Special Teams

K Sean Curtiss, So (3 Stars, B/A)

*P Ezekiel Stratton, Sr (2 Stars, C/B+)

*P Quinten Bierria, Fr (3 Stars, C/B)

 

Curtiss might be the best sophomore on the team, though he needs to work on his consistency. Stratton is expected to handle the punting duties in his final season, but true freshman Bierria is waiting in the wings.

 

2022 Freshman Class

 

RB Cory Henderson (1 Stars, D/A-)

RB Yonny Jones (1 Stars, D/A-)

FB Tyrell Villanueva (1 Stars, D/C+)

WR Tyler Looney (4 Stars, B/B+)

WR David Isaac (2 Stars, D/B)

WR Cole Kirkman (1 Stars, D/C+)

TE Damian Odighizuwa (1 Stars, D/B-)

OT Carlton Niklas (2 Stars, C/B-)

OG David Schleuger (3 Stars, C/B-)

OG Brad Shaw (2 Stars, D/B-)

OG Brett Winslow (1 Stars, D/C)

C Qi Cunningham (2 Stars, C/C+)

C DeAngelo Marinez (1 Stars, D/B-)

DE Chris Fry (2 Stars, D/C)

DE Jeremiah Bosher (2 Stars, D/C+)

DE Jonathan Parra (2 Stars, D/C+)

OLB Daryl DeRozan (2 Stars, D/C+)

ILB Mat Constanza (1 Stars, D/B)

CB Taquan Croom (2 Stars, C/C)

CB Zach Valencia (2 Stars, D/B-)

CB Dustin King (1 Stars, D/B-)

CB Kamu Ryan (1 Stars, D/C)

FS Jermaine Huang (3 Stars, C/C+)

SS Justin Guerra (2 Stars, D/D)

P Quinten Bierria (3 Stars, C/B)

 

 

Class size: 25

 

Stars	Count
4	1
3	3
2	11
1	10

 

 

Overall	Count
B	1
C	6
D	18

 

 

Potential	Count
A-	2
B+	1
B	3
B-	7
C+	7
C	4
C-	0
D	1

 

Only 4 incoming freshmen were rated with more than 2 stars, and one is a punter. The two A- potentials are D rated and in the same position group (RB). Outside of WR Looney and P Bierria, it looks like a few decent linemen and a bunch of benchwarmers. Pierce will need a strong recruiting effort the next 2 seasons to make up for the weakness in this class.

 

2022 Schedule

Week 1: at Oklahoma State

Week 2: Illinois

Week 3: at California

Week 4: off

Week 5: Tulane

Week 6: at Nebraska

Week 7: Michigan

Week 8: Maryland

Week 9: at Rutgers

Week 10: off

Week 11: Penn State

Week 12: at Ohio State

Week 13: at Michigan State

Week 14: Purdue

 

Indiana faces an ambitious out-of-conference schedule, with three opponents who went a combined 22-14 in the regular season and 2-1 in bowl games. But their toughest test could be the traditional rivalry game against Purdue, who made it to the CFP quarterfinals last year before falling to unbeaten (at the time) Kentucky. Last year’s contest was an embarrassment for the Hoosiers, as they lost 44-0.

 

It's a new year in 2022, with a new coach and new ambitions! Hail to old IU!

 

#HoosierDaddy

[PoopyRhinoPickle]

Good insight! Good luck with that freshman class.