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IU - making dreams come true

Purdue is in on Craig too but similar to you guys, not sure how realistic that is.

Others are as follows:

RB/LB: Cullen Coleman
OG- Marcus Harper
WR- Michael Redding
WR- Will Nixon
DE- Greg Hudgins
DT- Octavious Oxendine
DT- Bryce Austin
LB- Ty Berrong
LB- Jordan Turner

Who backs up Sindelar this year and what will the QB competition look like after Sindelar graduates? Does Alaimo have a chance to play early?
 
Right now, IU has room for only 19 in this class. Assuming there is a little bit of attrition, I would guess the class ends up at 21 or 22.

IU also has a commitment from a teammate and good friend of Williams, corner Lemuel Neely-Whatley. Hopefully that helps keep Williams in the class.

Iowa didn't stop recruiting Baker from what I understand. He's a guy they prioritized for a long time. Not that it really matters. It's not like Iowa has a great record of identifying WR talent.

Knight's issue is that while listed at 6'3", he's likely closer to 6'0" or perhaps 6'1". He's a good athlete and move really well. That IU took an early commitment from him tells they think he can play but at his height, there's good reason for skepticism.

What are your thoughts on Purdue's class?

This site isn’t very objective when it comes to opinions on IU athletics. What I will say about their class is that it is fairly similar to how Purdue’s class is playing out. Still waiting on the big bodies to make a decision before being able to fully evaluate the class.

As for Purdue’s class, could really use 2-3 DL (not enough current spots but possible they over sign due to inevitable attrition) and another big body at LB. LB is the position that has the most remaining prospects for Purdue. The headliners are Berrong and Jones who are both going to be very good, but there are 4-5 other guys that will also be very good right behind them. DT is Austin and Ox. Purdue needs to land at least one of those two. Then there is Harper at OG, and Hudgins at DE.

Purdue got an absolute stud at RB who is already heavily recruiting and a 4 star QB with great size. Considering the RB depth, that was likely the biggest pickup. I like the instate pickup of Hartwig and I think the other two have a chance to develop into something nice down the line. The problem is that they really could use 2 DT, a DE, at least one more LB, and a CB. Purdue doesn’t have the spots and with everybody committing, it will be way more difficult to add folks that can help right away. Purdue got some really nice players and have a very high average rating. Just unfortunately light on the biggest needs. The upside here is that the ‘19 class didn’t leave many holes.

IU’s class last year was very good. They signed several players I wanted Purdue to land. James, Williams, and Mullen should be very good early contributors. Robbins should be decent as well. As for the under the radar guys, I like Tracy, Passmore, and Pearson a lot.

This year’s IU class landed Trouble, who should make an immediate impact. And I really like Wise as an underrated prospect. Every class needs their stars. This year’s IU class won’t wow, but if it can supplement last year’s class, maybe they can have a winning season and get to a bowl game. Those things will help.
 
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Who backs up Sindelar this year and what will the QB competition look like after Sindelar graduates? Does Alaimo have a chance to play early?

Sindelar was granted a 6th year so he has 2 more years. Jack Plummer will back him up. Doubt Alaimo plays early.
 
IU's recruiting class is rated 60th in the country and ours is 52nd........they have some good recruits and some guys they are taking chances on. We have done that in the past.
Please. Don't do f-ball "class" rating discussions in June. Not meaningful for several reasons.
 
Please. Don't do f-ball "class" rating discussions in June. Not meaningful for several reasons.
Just responding to the initial post.......which was belittling IU's verbal commitments in JUNE. I was simply pointing out that we are at a similar area with our recruits.

In case you had not noticed, a lot of schools have around 20 verbals already so lots of work is being done in June. June is a big month for recruiting but a lot of the bigger recruits verbal later in the year.
 
June is a big month for recruiting but a lot of the bigger recruits verbal later in the year.

A lot of recruits wait until later in the year. Higher rated recruits don't wait any longer than any other recruits. If that was the case, how does Clemson have like 14 of 17 five and four star recruits already?
 
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I'm anxious to see how the Florida "pipeline" works out for Allen. We saw what it did for Purdue and Hope. The latest commit is another from Florida, NR by Rivals or ESPN, just under an 80 rating by 247.
 
I'm anxious to see how the Florida "pipeline" works out for Allen. We saw what it did for Purdue and Hope. The latest commit is another from Florida, NR by Rivals or ESPN, just under an 80 rating by 247.

Another guy with minimal P5 offers. Interesting to see them loading up on quite a few guys here lately who seem to be under-the-radar types.
 
I'm anxious to see how the Florida "pipeline" works out for Allen. We saw what it did for Purdue and Hope. The latest commit is another from Florida, NR by Rivals or ESPN, just under an 80 rating by 247.

A little nerve-wracking to see, not going to lie, but at this point CTA has earned the benefit of the doubt on defensive prospects.

His first two defensive commits after joining the program both had 1 other committable P5 offer, with .82 and .83 ratings. One was a True-FR All-American in Marcelino Ball, the other is our best DL in Jerome Johnson. Again, Chris Keys was unranked when IU took his commit and now 247 thinks he is a borderline 4*. Too early to be too stressed.
 
A little nerve-wracking to see, not going to lie, but at this point CTA has earned the benefit of the doubt on defensive prospects.

His first two defensive commits after joining the program both had 1 other committable P5 offer, with .82 and .83 ratings. One was a True-FR All-American in Marcelino Ball, the other is our best DL in Jerome Johnson. Again, Chris Keys was unranked when IU took his commit and now 247 thinks he is a borderline 4*. Too early to be too stressed.
Some of that is also caused by kids going to the "wrong" camps and getting missed by scouting services.
 
Another guy with minimal P5 offers. Interesting to see them loading up on quite a few guys here lately who seem to be under-the-radar types.

Apparently the kid played last year at 360 pounds which might have something to do with the limited power 5 offers. Apparently, he's lost some weight since then. Most importantly to me, when you watch his HUDL, you see a big kid who moves really well for a guy his size.
 
A little nerve-wracking to see, not going to lie, but at this point CTA has earned the benefit of the doubt on defensive prospects.

His first two defensive commits after joining the program both had 1 other committable P5 offer, with .82 and .83 ratings. One was a True-FR All-American in Marcelino Ball, the other is our best DL in Jerome Johnson. Again, Chris Keys was unranked when IU took his commit and now 247 thinks he is a borderline 4*. Too early to be too stressed.

My favorite Ball highlight? Getting dragged 10 yards into the end zone by Markell Jones haha.
 
A little nerve-wracking to see, not going to lie, but at this point CTA has earned the benefit of the doubt on defensive prospects.

His first two defensive commits after joining the program both had 1 other committable P5 offer, with .82 and .83 ratings. One was a True-FR All-American in Marcelino Ball, the other is our best DL in Jerome Johnson. Again, Chris Keys was unranked when IU took his commit and now 247 thinks he is a borderline 4*. Too early to be too stressed.

So who else is a difference maker on defense? Just because Allen found 2 decent/good players shouldn't mean he gains all benefit of the doubt.

The defense immediately improved upon his arrival (improved a LOT), stayed steady in year 2 (his first year at HC), then tanked in his 3rd year at the program. Those results lead you to think he is some guru at finding talent no one else can?
 
A lot of recruits wait until later in the year. Higher rated recruits don't wait any longer than any other recruits. If that was the case, how does Clemson have like 14 of 17 five and four star recruits already?

Clemson is the national Champion for one thing and people definitely want to get on board with them. I did not say "none" or even "most" wait......I said a lot......41 of the Rivals Top 100 are undecided and I would say that is a lot.

Can't win with you guys.....one guy criticizes me for mentioning June recruiting ratings and you criticize me for saying "a lot of the big recruits sign after June"!

Well, June recruiting does matter but recruiting classes have a long way to go for many teams (not all, not Clemson, etc.) after the June contact period".
 
So who else is a difference maker on defense? Just because Allen found 2 decent/good players shouldn't mean he gains all benefit of the doubt.

The defense immediately improved upon his arrival (improved a LOT), stayed steady in year 2 (his first year at HC), then tanked in his 3rd year at the program. Those results lead you to think he is some guru at finding talent no one else can?
He inherited quite a bit of experience on the defensive side of the ball. His first year as HC, his defense had 8 senior starters.
 
Clemson is the national Champion for one thing and people definitely want to get on board with them. I did not say "none" or even "most" wait......I said a lot......41 of the Rivals Top 100 are undecided and I would say that is a lot.

Can't win with you guys.....one guy criticizes me for mentioning June recruiting ratings and you criticize me for saying "a lot of the big recruits sign after June"!

Well, June recruiting does matter but recruiting classes have a long way to go for many teams (not all, not Clemson, etc.) after the June contact period".

I guess it is just semantics, but when you say a lot of high profile guys wait until later but over 50% of the top 100 are already committed and it's not even July, it just sounds like you are being misleading.
 
So who else is a difference maker on defense? Just because Allen found 2 decent/good players shouldn't mean he gains all benefit of the doubt.

The defense immediately improved upon his arrival (improved a LOT), stayed steady in year 2 (his first year at HC), then tanked in his 3rd year at the program. Those results lead you to think he is some guru at finding talent no one else can?

I don't think Allen can find talent that "no one else can" but I do think he's recruited well for his defense.

There's more athleticism, natural talent and depth in the secondary than at any time over the last 25 years imo. There is good talent at linebacker as well. The defensive line is a little more of a question mark although there are some established pieces (Jerome Johnson as mentioned earlier is an underrecruited kid that's blossomed under Allen at DT) and a number of young kids with talent (James Head, Jonathan King).

If the D-line performs reasonably well this year, IU will be good defensively imo.
 
So who else is a difference maker on defense? Just because Allen found 2 decent/good players shouldn't mean he gains all benefit of the doubt.

The defense immediately improved upon his arrival (improved a LOT), stayed steady in year 2 (his first year at HC), then tanked in his 3rd year at the program. Those results lead you to think he is some guru at finding talent no one else can?

I doubted the PU board wanted a full deep-dive on his defensive recruiting but I am happy to provide it. The defense did tank last year in S&P+ compared to his back-to-back top 25 defenses, but he has still fielded a better defense than Purdue every year he has been at IU and they finished 2nd in the conference in takeaways.

The lowest rated kid in 2018, Micah McFadden ended up playing in every game as a FR including a great game against Michigan, and snagged a number of other guys that got ratings bumps later in the cycle and contributed well in their FR years (Devon Matthews, Jaylin Williams, etc).

I'm not suggesting he can find talent nobody else can, but I am saying he has a really strong track record of landing guys in June/July that can contribute, regardless of their recruiting ranking.
 
My favorite Ball highlight? Getting dragged 10 yards into the end zone by Markell Jones haha.
Aside from the fact that game kept them from being bowl eligible, you have to think that play in particular haunts that kid.
 
I doubted the PU board wanted a full deep-dive on his defensive recruiting but I am happy to provide it. The defense did tank last year in S&P+ compared to his back-to-back top 25 defenses, but he has still fielded a better defense than Purdue every year he has been at IU and they finished 2nd in the conference in takeaways.

The lowest rated kid in 2018, Micah McFadden ended up playing in every game as a FR including a great game against Michigan, and snagged a number of other guys that got ratings bumps later in the cycle and contributed well in their FR years (Devon Matthews, Jaylin Williams, etc).

I'm not suggesting he can find talent nobody else can, but I am saying he has a really strong track record of landing guys in June/July that can contribute, regardless of their recruiting ranking.
iu may have had a better "total defense" ranking than Purdue in 2017. But in points allowed, which matters WAY more than yards allowed, Purdue was head and shoulders better.
 
I doubted the PU board wanted a full deep-dive on his defensive recruiting but I am happy to provide it. The defense did tank last year in S&P+ compared to his back-to-back top 25 defenses, but he has still fielded a better defense than Purdue every year he has been at IU and they finished 2nd in the conference in takeaways.

The lowest rated kid in 2018, Micah McFadden ended up playing in every game as a FR including a great game against Michigan, and snagged a number of other guys that got ratings bumps later in the cycle and contributed well in their FR years (Devon Matthews, Jaylin Williams, etc).

I'm not suggesting he can find talent nobody else can, but I am saying he has a really strong track record of landing guys in June/July that can contribute, regardless of their recruiting ranking.

You’re comparing IU’s defense to a Purdue defense that still had the Darell Hazell stench attached to it? That’s not really saying much. Purdue’s defense is getting better but is still recovering from the Haze era.
 
Time will tell young fella. We recruited pretty heavy on defense last class and this should translate to a better defense. Holt possibly has transitioned Neal into a 1st rounder plus add our young guns. I like where we are trending as a team not just on one side.
 
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Interesting thread/conversation.

I think this might have been mentioned elsewhere, but the biggest problem Allen is going to have is that the B1G is on a significant upswing. Too many IU fans whine about being in the East, but the B1G overall is improving. Whether that translates to more W's for IU remains to be seen, but they're going to have significant challenges getting over the hump without watering down their pre-conference schedule even more (if that's possible).
 
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Interesting thread/conversation.

I think this might have been mentioned elsewhere, but the biggest problem Allen is going to have is that the B1G is on a significant upswing. Too many IU fans whine about being in the East, but the B1G overall is improving. Whether that translates to more W's for IU remains to be seen, but they're going to have significant challenges getting over the hump without watering down their pre-conference schedule even more (if that's possible).
And the fact they're not very good against either side. So, that point is moot.
 
iu may have had a better "total defense" ranking than Purdue in 2017. But in points allowed, which matters WAY more than yards allowed, Purdue was head and shoulders better.

I'm looking at S&P+, this isn't the 1980s. IU has been better every year.
 
So you think S&P is a better judge than points scored against?

Damn, IU fans are dumb.

Team A: 10 defensive possessions, gives up 5 TDs, 30 points against.
Team B: 4 defensive possessions, gives up 4 TDs, 24 points against.

Scoring D / IndySouthsider: Team B is the better defense
S&P+ / people with a brain: Team A is the better defense
 
Team A: 10 defensive possessions, gives up 5 TDs, 30 points against.
Team B: 4 defensive possessions, gives up 4 TDs, 24 points against.

Scoring D / IndySouthsider: Team B is the better defense
S&P+ / people with a brain: Team A is the better defense

Who wins? The best defense keeps the other team from scoring more than their offense.


It’s obvious why IU hasn’t won a bowl game in decades. Even more obvious why they are a football laughingstock.


Do they give S&P trophies? Think you should go back to the cover of weak minded losers like E.Z Rider over at the Hoosier.com
 
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Part of the reason their defense took such a big step back last year was because it was one of the youngest in the nation. The vast majority of players on their defense playing quality time where freshman and sophomores. And this year will be pretty similar as the jr and sr class only has 22 combined guys in it.
 
Part of the reason their defense took such a big step back last year was because it was one of the youngest in the nation. The vast majority of players on their defense playing quality time where freshman and sophomores. And this year will be pretty similar as the jr and sr class only has 22 combined guys in it.
Purdue is well aware of the challenges of a young defense...actually quite a few more Fr/So in the 2-deeps than IU last year. I’m not sure I remember a season when I didn’t hear about IU being “one of the youngest in the nation.” Of course, they’ve also been “a program on the rise” since the mid-90s.
 
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Team A: 10 defensive possessions, gives up 5 TDs, 30 points against.
Team B: 4 defensive possessions, gives up 4 TDs, 24 points against.

Scoring D / IndySouthsider: Team B is the better defense
S&P+ / people with a brain: Team A is the better defense
A more apt comparison is this.

Team A gives up fewer yards but cant keep opponent out of end zone when they do get there.

Team B busts some plays but holds opponents to field goals on the goal line.
 
Purdue is well aware of the challenges of a young defense...actually quite a few more Fr/So in the 2-deeps than IU last year. I’m not sure I remember a season when I didn’t hear about IU being “one of the youngest in the nation.” Of course, they’ve also been “a program on the rise” since the mid-90s.

I don’t ever recall iu football being considered “on the rise”. It’s never been a contender in the B10.
 
I don’t ever recall iu football being considered “on the rise”. It’s never been a contender in the B10.
I was commenting on the fanbase and its claims. Other than lip service, no one else considers them on the rise.
 
Tom Allen from New Castle, Indiana the same as Steve Alford. Ask anyone in NC who Alford is and they can tell you. Ask the same NC person who Allen is and they go "Who's Tom Allen"? Truth.

While he's recruited better than Brohm, he's yet to prove that he can take IU past the bottom of the league.
 
Tom Allen from New Castle, Indiana the same as Steve Alford. Ask anyone in NC who Alford is and they can tell you. Ask the same NC person who Allen is and they go "Who's Tom Allen"? Truth.

While he's recruited better than Brohm, he's yet to prove that he can take IU past the bottom of the league.

He hasn’t recruited better than Brohm lol.
 
I doubted the PU board wanted a full deep-dive on his defensive recruiting but I am happy to provide it. The defense did tank last year in S&P+ compared to his back-to-back top 25 defenses, but he has still fielded a better defense than Purdue every year he has been at IU and they finished 2nd in the conference in takeaways.
No, Allen has not fielded a better defense than Purdue the last two years, at least when you look at Big Ten only stats/games. Your statement is only valid when you include iu's ridiculously easy non-conference schedules.
For the 2017 season: Scoring defense/game - P 19.2/game, iu 30.0/game; total D - P 369.8 yds/game, iu 362.0 yds/game; RushD - P 134.6 yds/game, iu 166.0 yds/game ; Pass D - P 235.2 yds/game, iu 196.0 yds/game; TO margin - P 0(even), iu - negative 6.

For the 2018 season: Scoring D/game - P 28.2/game, iu 33.9/ game; Total D - P 449.4 yds/game, iu 457.4 yds/game; Rush D - P 176.4 yds/game, iu 181.8 yds/game ; Pass D - P 273.0 yds/game, iu 275.7 yds/game; TO margin - P negative 4, iu + 3.

Yes, the iu defense has improved versus that of the early Wilson years but it still ranks near the bottom of the conference in nearly all categories in conference play. Only including the very weak non conference games makes that defense appear to be "top 25". Only 2 games against P5 conference teams in the past 2 years? And none this year, or the next, or the next? Come on.
 
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IU’s class last year was very good. They signed several players I wanted Purdue to land. James, Williams, and Mullen should be very good early contributors. Robbins should be decent as well. As for the under the radar guys, I like Tracy, Passmore, and Pearson a lot.

247 is reporting Williams and two other of IU's top recruits haven't reported yet. If true it likely means grade problems and we were all aware of Williams situation.
 
Tom Allen from New Castle, Indiana the same as Steve Alford. Ask anyone in NC who Alford is and they can tell you. Ask the same NC person who Allen is and they go "Who's Tom Allen"? Truth.

While he's recruited better than Brohm, he's yet to prove that he can take IU past the bottom of the league.
Brohm recruits better than allen.
 
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