[2024] Indiana Mid-Season Recruiting Update & Review

[Piercewise1]

Now that we’re past the halfway point of the 2024 regular season, let’s take a look at Indiana’s current recruiting class and see how these 10 new faces (and a few other key targets) will fit into their position groups in the year(s) to come. Note: all years and grades reflect their current values; for obvious reasons, seniors are not listed. Current redshirts are listed at the end of their player line.

“Need” was a subjective preseason assessment based on the current talent level, potential, and importance to the current scheme. It is relative to the program’s overall quality – what is acceptable for Indiana currently might be seen as a gaping hole at other schools. Certain position changes have altered the outlook for those groups after the rankings were made.

Quarterback

Current roster
4* Balanced (Fr) Samuel Johnson B-/B
3* Pocket So Manuel Garcia C+/C+

Need: Medium

Recruit
4* Field General Randall Milan C/C+

After a string of 1-year senior starters, the pendulum has swung the other direction with the starting of freshman Samuel Johnson, who will hopefully provide 3 more years of quality QB play. But this longevity allows the program to build a more traditional pipeline, where recruits can redshirt and sit for a couple years before getting to helm the offense as upperclassmen. Randall Milan is the first attempt at this new approach, and hopefully will develop well with minimal snaps and be ready to assume the reins in a few years. While he’s a different archetype than Johnson, there are plenty of schemes that have overlap in the other skill positions to make this a viable transition.

Running Back

Current roster
3* Speed (Jr) Mike Bradley A-/B
3* Speed (Fr) James Whitt C+/C+
3* Receiving Fr William Harvill C/C (RS)
1* Balanced (So) Yonny Jones C-/A-
1* Receiving (So) Cory Henderson C-/A-

Need: High

Recruit
4* Balanced Norman Ferguson C/A-

Target
4* Speed Michael Horton C/A

What started as a wealth of talent in 2022 has turned into a group of “good enough” recruits behind starter Mike Bradley, who has cemented his status with 5.0 yards per carry and 112.5 per game this year. But between the development of Whitt and Harvill and the addition of Fergusion and possibly Horton, there should be plenty of talent available once Bradley has moved on. Having 3 different archetypes present also makes almost any offensive scheme viable, though whoever ends up on the bottom of that depth chart could be a transfer risk.

Fullback

Current roster
2* Blocking Fr Victor Botts C-/B
1* Balanced Jr Tyrell Villanueva D+/C+

Need: High

Target
4* Receiving James Opperman C/B+

Opperman would be a huge addition for a position group that desperately needs it. While fullback didn’t play into Pierce’s initial plans, the play of senior Parker Metu (166 rushing yards and 3 TDs) has shown him the value of the position; as a result, Opperman has been recruited and hopefully will commit in the near future.

Wide Receiver

Current roster
4* Possession (So) Tyler Looney B+/B+
5* Speed Fr J.J. Pilaf B+/B-
3* Possession Fr Jason Pruitt C+/B- (RS)
2* Red Zone Threat (So) David Isaac C/B
2* Speed (Fr) Mauricio Roberts C-/B
2* Route Runner Fr Grant Sullivan C-/B+
1* Red Zone Threat Jr Cole Kirkman D+/C+

Need: Medium

Recruit
4* Route Runner Frank Pineda B/B

The receiver group is small but talented, with plenty of youth. Pineda is good enough to step in immediately as the WR3 behind Looney and Pilaf, giving Indiana a trio of blue-chip talent for at least two years. Looney and Pineda’s archetypes match well in many schemes, and Pilaf’s speed is dangerous anywhere. Indiana will need to continue recruiting heavily at the position to create a pipeline behind these three, but should have the time to do so.

Tight End

Current roster
3* Vertical Threat (Fr) Frank Ksor C/B+
3* Receiving Fr Robert Crowder C-/C (RS)
1* Blocking Jr Damian Odighizuwa D+/B-

Need: Very High

Recruit
4* Receiving Jeffrey Overholser C/C+

Tight end was the top offensive need for the team going into this recruiting season – they don’t have any strong players currently, and the Pistol scheme demands at least 2 viable starters. Overholser won’t solve all their problems immediately, but he’s a step in the right direction. A redshirt season would be helpful in the long run, but with Crowder’s grades that might not be an option.

Offensive Tackle

Current roster
5* Pass Blocking Fr Fernando Rodriguez B+/D+
3* Pass Blocking Fr Charles Estes C+/C+ (RS)
3* Balanced (Fr) Peter Landis C+/C+
2* Balanced (So) Carlton Niklas C+/B-
2* Pass Blocking So James Huelsman C/B-
2* Pass Blocking Fr Michael Shackelford C-/B-

Need: Low

Recruit
4* Pass Blocking John Wilson B/C

Tackle is a position where the team’s recruiting strategy has moved from raising the floor to aggressively pursuing high-level talent. Estes and Landis should be decent players, but a B overall blue-chip to start opposite Rodriguez is a huge addition. It might be a camp battle between the three that determines whether Wilson takes a redshirt or starts as a true freshman, but he was recruited to be the future long-term starter.

Offensive Guard

Current roster
4* Run Blocking So Michael Williams B/B (RS)
3* Pass Blocking (So) David Schleuger C+/B-
2* Run Blocking Jr Brad Shaw C/B-
3* Pass Blocking Fr Brian Norgaard C/C+ (RS)
2* Balanced Fr Christopher Hergert C/B-
1* Pass Blocking Jr Brett Winslow C-/C
2* Pass Blocking Fr Felix Challe C/B-

Need: Low

Recruit
None

Guard is the weakest position group on the offense, with two senior starters graduating and only one clear replacement ready, so the initial evaluation was probably too low. Williams is getting a rare sophomore redshirt to increase his window of eligibility, and it will be a camp battle to determine who is worthy (enough) to start alongside him. There is still time to pursue 3-star talent this year, but that won’t move the needle in the near future. Expect guard to be high on the list of team needs next year.

Center

Current roster
5* Pass Blocking So Timothy Doak A-/C+
2* Pass Blocking (So) Qi Cunningham C/C+
2* Pass Blocking So Scott Creech C/C+
1* Line Captain Jr DeAngelo Marinez D+/B-

Need: Low

Recruit
None

Indiana will need to recruit Doak’s replacement soon, but there’s no competition to speak of. The team’s first 5-star recruit is entrenched as the starter for the next two seasons and should be a high pick in the NFL once he graduates.  

Defensive End

Current roster
3* Run Stopper (Jr) Antwaun Pagnozzi B+/B
4* Run Stopper (Fr) Patrick Patton C+/B
2* Run Stopper So Anthony Gomes C/B-
3* Run Stopper (Fr) Eugene Yeboah C/C+
2* Balanced (So) Jonathan Parra C/C+
2* Run Stopper (So) Jeremiah Bosher C-/C+
2* Speed Rusher Jr Chris Fry C-/C

Need: High

Recruits
4* Run Stopper Andrew Mehrhoff C/C+
3* Run Stopper Carlos Esquivias C/A

Pagnozzi is a solid starter and Patton has room to grow, so Mehrhoff should have time to redshirt and then join the lineup, spelled by Yeboah and Esquivias as solid depth pieces. While it lacks the star power of some other positions, defensive end is one of the deeper groups on the team and should provide consistent play for years.

Defensive Tackle

Current roster
3* Nose Tackle (Fr) Phillip Otter B-/C+
3* Nose Tackle Fr John Aube C/C (RS)
3* Nose Tackle Fr Sergio Dominguez C/C+
2* Nose Tackle So Stephen Padden C/C

Need: Very Low

Recruit
None

None of these players will be able to replace Kyle Pena, a star bound for the NFL, but Otter has been a welcome surprise as a B- redshirt freshman. Indiana’s 2-gap scheme only uses a single DT (and none in nickel or dime) so it wasn’t a huge priority this cycle. Otter could get leapfrogged if the team recruits a blue-chipper next year, but he’ll be a decent starter in the meantime.

Outside Linebacker

Current roster
4* Pass Rush Fr John Vickers C+/C+ (RS)
2* Coverage Jr Daryl DeRozan C/C+
3* Pass Rush (Fr) Daniel Crowell C/C
3* Pass Rush Fr Nicholas Pemberton C-/C+ (RS)

Need: Very High

Recruits
5* Pass Rush Douglas Downey B/B+
4* Pass Rush Pierre Helferich C/C

OLB was the biggest team need this season, missing both talent and depth, but they addressed that with two big signings. Downey will be an instant difference-maker as the program’s sole 5* recruit this year, and Helferich should be a strong addition as well (after a likely redshirt year). Vickers will get a chance to show what he can do in the interim, while Crowell and Pemberton serve as depth and play special teams.

Inside Linebacker

Current roster
2* Field General (Jr) Jaydon Montgomery B-/C+
4* Field General Fr Glenn Wilson C+/B+ (RS)
3* Field General (Fr) Damon Devlin C/B
3* Speed (Fr) Steven Fifer C/C+
3* Run Stopper Fr Sean Slacum C/C (RS)
1* Run Stopper Jr Mat Constanza D+/B

Need: Low

Target
3* Run Stopper D'Brickashaw Wallings-Clyde C/C+

ILB is a logjam of young mid-level players, so there were two possible strategies: aggressively pursue a single blue-chip who can jump the line, or focus on other priorities while the current crop fight it out. Ultimately the decision was made to focus elsewhere for blue-chip talent, so the only current contender is a 3* scheme match. If he commits, he’ll ensure Indiana has plenty of bodies to continue their 2-gap approach (which requires 2 ILBs for all formations) while leaving the door open for a future superstar signing.

Cornerback

Current roster
4* Ball Hawk (Fr) Timothy Moore B-/B+ (OOP)
4* Zone Coverage Fr Matthew Mcallister B-/C+
3* Zone Coverage (Fr) Kenneth Mossey C+/C+
2* Zone Coverage (So) Taquan Croom C/C
2* Ball Hawk (So) Zach Valencia C/B-
3* Zone Coverage Fr Luis Ordonez C/B- (RS)
1* Ball Hawk Jr Dustin King C/B-
2* Ball Hawk So Ted Castilleja C/C+
2* Zone Coverage Fr Daniel Becerra C-/C
2* Zone Coverage Fr Daniel Sales C-/A
1* Zone Coverage Jr Kamu Ryan C-/C

Need: Medium (pre-Moore move)

Recruit
4* Zone Coverage Steven Taylor B/B

Target
3* Zone Coverage John Oneal C/B+

Recruiting cornerbacks is a near-constant requirement due to the need to field 3-4 quality players at any given time. The team has numbers, but even with Moore moving over from his free safety position there was a need for additional quality. Taylor is good enough to play nickel or dime as a true freshman, which gives O’Neal time to redshirt and learn for a year. Almost all of next year’s playing time will go to sophomores and freshmen, which is great for their development but means the pipeline still needs to be built behind them – otherwise all that talent will disappear at once.

Free Safety

Current roster
3* Zone Coverage (So) Jermaine Huang B-/C+
2* Zone Coverage So Chad Grant C/C+
2* Zone Coverage So Scott Preston C/C+

Need: Low (pre-Moore move)

Target
3* Zone Coverage Ross Espeland C/B+

Having a 4* redshirt freshman on the roster meant the team didn’t pursue any blue-chip safeties, but then Huang took over the starting job and Moore shifted to cornerback. As a result the team has scrambled to find someone in the recruiting pool, landing on Espeland. He’s a quality player, though he won’t raise the ceiling much unless that B+ potential comes through big. But since every remaining rostered player is in the same grade, recruiting a young backup quickly became essential.

Strong Safety

Current roster
3* Run Stopper (Fr) Robert Porter C+/B+
2* Man Coverage Jr Justin Guerra C/D
2* Zone Coverage So Thomas Ireland C/C+
3* Run Stopper Fr Vincent Sills C/C+ (RS)

Need: Medium

Recruit
None

The pool of available strong safeties this year wasn’t great, and there were bigger needs elsewhere. Porter is already starting, so snaps + potential should do wonders for his development. And if neither he nor Sills pans out, there’s always the hope that next year they can grab a blue-chip recruit to take over.

Special Teams

Current roster
3* Power (Jr) K Sean Curtiss A-/A
3* Power Fr K Andrew Taiwo C-/B (RS)
3* Power Jr P Quinten Bierria B-/B
3* Balanced P Fr David Medina C-/B- (RS)

Need: None

Recruit
None

Curtiss is already a top-10 kicker and could be the best in the nation next year; Bierria is serviceable as one of the better recruits from that awful 2021 class. With 3-star freshmen currently redshirting, both positions are locked down for the foreseeable future.