Johnson, Patton Among Freshmen Named in Indiana Starting Lineup

[Piercewise1]

(BLOOMINGTON, IND) Coach @Piercewise1 has officially announced the initial starting lineup for the 2024 football season, which will begin a week from Saturday when the team plays Appalachian State in North Carolina. The posted lineup features some notable freshmen starters - 8 in all, including 2 true freshmen - though seniors still occupy nearly half of the slots. See below for a roster breakdown, along with the results of the most contentious position battles (marked with asterisks). Scheme fits are in italics.

Offensive Backfield

 

QB: Balanced (Fr) Samuel Johnson*
RB: Speed (Jr) Mike Bradley
FB: Rushing Sr Parker Metu

Johnson burst onto the scene with a 5-TD performance and a thrilling comeback victory in a spring game against Northern Illinois. While he struggled against a good Western Michigan team, the coaching staff saw enough potential to name him the starter.

“We know the fans have been pushing for Johnson to play, but this wasn’t a foregone conclusion,” coach Pierce said in an interview. “We needed to know if he could handle the pressure and deliver on all the work he’s done since joining the program last year. We’re happy to see all the progress he’s made, and we look forward to working with him and developing his skills as our starting quarterback.”

The rest of the backfield doesn’t contain any surprises – Bradley put up big numbers all spring to cement his role, and Metu didn’t have any real competition (a 2-star true freshman and a 1-star junior).

 

Receiver

 

WR: Route Runner Sr Geoff Alburquerque
WR: Possession Sr Troy Thomas
WR: Possession (So) Tyler Looney
WR: Speed Fr J. J. Pilaf
TE: Vertical Threat (Fr) Frank Ksor*

The wide receivers were never in doubt, with two excellent seniors getting the start and two blue-chip underclassmen playing a high number of snaps as well. The name of note here is Ksor, who gets the start in front of Sr Raimel Sanu. Sanu is the better blocker and is more developed in general, but Ksor has a higher ceiling and is a better fit for the Pistol scheme Pierce has installed.  

Offensive Line

 

LT: Pass Blocking Sr Jose McGrath
LG: Pass Blocking Sr Seantral Tom
😄 Pass Blocking So Timothy Doak
RG: Pass Blocking Sr Alex Miller*
RT: Pass Blocking Fr Fernando Rodriguez

This line might be the best position group on the team, with all five starters having a pass blocking grade or B or better and 3 of 5 having a B+ or better Overall (possibly 4, given how good the 5* true freshman Rodriguez looks). The weakest link is Miller, who is moving from center to guard to get the start for his final year. He beats out Michael Williams, the 4* sophomore who has excellent run blocking skills but could be a liability in the passing game.

Defensive Line

 

LE: Run Stopper (Jr) Antwuan Pagnozzi
DT: Balanced Sr Kyle Pena
RE: Run Stopper (Fr) Patrick Patton*

Pagnozzi and Pena are returning starters, while Patton wins the job over Sr Francisco Guaipe. This is another case of a higher ceiling being a major factor in starting a freshman over a senior – while the team is hoping to compete in every game this year, Pierce is also looking ahead and trying to ensure his future stars are getting enough snaps to develop quickly. Patton is a 4* recruit and a scheme fit with B potential, all of which gave him a leg up in the spring competition.

Another name to keep in mind for the future is DT Phillip Otter. The freshman broke into the B ranks after his redshirt season, a big step for a 3* recruit, and as a Nose Tackle archetype is a great scheme fit for this newly installed 2-gap system. He’ll be the primary backup for Pena and should be the presumptive starter next year.

Linebacker

 

LOLB: Pass Rush Sr Alfredo Aquino*
LILB: Coverage Sr Elijah Robinson
RILB: Field General (Jr) Jaydon Montgomery
ROLB: Pass Rush Sr Justin Marquez

The roster is flush with young linebackers both inside and out, but the starting four is entirely upperclassmen including three seniors. After some initial shuffling that saw Robinson taking snaps outside and true freshman Glenn Wilson starting inside, Robinson has been moved back to his usual position in the interior. Taking the final starting spot is Alfredo Aquino, a pass rushing specialist who can help crowd the line in “Eagle” sets or blitz from his linebacker spot.

With Wilson out of the starting lineup, it’s unclear whether he will play in reserve or receive a redshirt. The latter seems likely just for timing purposes, as Indiana has two (Fr) ILBs in Damon Devlin & Steven Fifer and wouldn’t want all three to graduate at the same time.

Secondary

 

CB: Zone Coverage Sr Marco Gurka
CB: Zone Coverage Sr Lane Korkmaz
CB: Zone Coverage Fr Matthew Mcallister
CB: Zone Coverage (Fr) Kenneth Mossey
FS: Zone Coverage (So) Jermaine Huang*
SS: Run Stopper (Fr) Robert Porter*

Gurka has worked his way up the depth chart every year, from nickelback to CB2 to now CB1 with an A+ cover grade. Meanwhile, Mcallister and Mossey represent the future of the group and will get plenty of snaps to hone their skills. Porter is another freshman starting over a similar senior, and Huang is a rare 3-star from the abysmal 2021 recruiting class getting his chance to shine.

A notable missing name is 4* (Fr) Timothy Moore, a Ball Hawk with excellent hands but inferior cover skills. He’s ahead of Sr Cole Dennick on the depth chart, but that means he’ll see limited action on defense and will need special teams snaps to continue his development. But given his B+ potential, he might still catch up to Huang as a free safety; another possibility is a move to cornerback where his hand skills would be better realized.

Special Teams

 

K: Power (Jr) Sean Curtiss
P: Power Jr Quinten Bierria

After a rare 3^rd-year redshirt, Curtiss is back and already looks like one of the best kickers in the country. With his A potential, he should draw some professional scouts’ interest next year. Bierria is another starter from that 2021 class and has performed admirably since his freshman year. Both positions are redshirting the next generation of starter, but neither player has anything to worry about and will be playing until graduation.

Final Breakdown (offense / defense / special teams):
(includes 4 WRs and 4 CBs)

Seniors: 12
Juniors: 5
Sophomores: 3
Freshmen: 8