Signing Day is fast approaching, and that means programs across the country are hard at work putting the finishing touches on their 2015 recruiting class. What that entails includes everything from the usual wooing of uncommitted prospects to putting in that one last phone call, text, tweet, Instagram like, whatever, to a player committed elsewhere hoping he’ll have a last minute change of heart.
Team needs obviously play a major role in who you want to bring in each year. For Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson, one primary focus continues to be taking the Hoosier defense out of the wilderness and molding it into a respectable unit. There were bright spots during the 2014 season under first-year defensive coordinator Brian Knorr but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Effectively recruiting that side of the football will be one of many factors that contribute positively to the evolution of the defense over the next few years.
Wilson has demonstrated his ability to recruit talent to Bloomington, even if it hasn’t yet showed in the form of a bowl appearance. His last two classes have been rated as top 40 nationally by Rivals.com and with 19 prospects already committed to a 2015 class currently ranked 46th, the potential is there for a third class in a row to be ranked 40th or better. That’s quite an accomplishment for a school that hasn’t been bowling since 2007.
I certainly don’t need to tell you how fertile the South is from a college football recruiting standpoint. It’s not just SEC schools looking to get in on the action. Virtually all power five schools have some semblance of a pipeline coming out of this region, and Indiana is no different.
Indiana Hoosiers Focused on State of Georgia
One state in particular the Hoosiers have really focused on in recent years is Georgia. The athletes coming out of that state don’t quite get the hoopla you see from top recruits who hail from Florida, Texas or California. With that in mind, there is the possibility of finding an overlooked diamond in the rough. Those last two classes for IU I told you about which were rated so highly had a combined seven players from the Peach State.
Having Knorr on the staff should play a significant role in continuing this trend. During his three-year stint as defensive coordinator at Wake Forest before taking the same position at IU, Knorr was heavily active recruiting Georgia and many players he personally visited ended up giving their pledge to the Demon Deacons.
The Cream and Crimson currently have two Georgia-based commits for 2015, both of whom played quarterback in high school. Austin King, a three-star signal caller from Alpharetta, GA, was a big pickup at that position for IU after prized recruit Tommy Stevens decommitted from the Hoosiers in favor of Penn State. The other prospect, two-star athlete Andre Brown, will likely play on the other side of the ball as a defensive back. Could there be a few other defensive players from the state making the trip up to southern Indiana to play their college ball with him?
Three as yet uncommitted players from Georgia are high on the Hoosiers’ radar going into the final week or so before Signing Day. Tops on the list is likely Terez Hall, a three-star linebacker out of Martin Luther King High School in Lithonia, GA rated as 29th-best in the nation at that position by Rivals.
Hall has been busy this month taking one final look at the schools on his short list before making his big decision. He took an official visit to IU last week, has Iowa and Missouri lined up this weekend and will finish up with a trip to Nebraska this coming Friday. Getting Hall to give his pledge would be a huge pickup for a Hoosier defense in search of a physical identity in the linebacking corps.
Continuing to add depth on the defensive front is another key theme going into 2015. With nose tackle Bobby Richardson graduating, the Hoosiers have aggressively addressed this need in recruiting so far, receiving commitments from three defensive ends (Joe Belden, Avon, IN; Jacob Robinson, Westfield, IN; Brandon Wilson, Winter Garden, FL) so far. A fourth would be on the way if McDonough, GA product Nick Dawson chooses Indiana.
The 6’2″ 240 pound prospect out of Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy is rated as 35th best nationally at weakside defensive end. Along with Indiana, Dawson is considering Cincinnati, Louisville and Illinois. Much like Hall, he’s been making the rounds this month with visits scheduled to all the aforementioned schools except Illinois, including IU on January 30th. A commitment from Dawson would add to an already crowded lineup at the position but you should see a few of these players moving to the middle in Knorr’s 3-4 base scheme.
Last but not least is defensive back Sean Harper, Jr. out of Hart County High School in Hartwell, GA. Harper is a speedy 6’1″ 175 pound player whose height and 4.4 speed should match up well with opposing wide receivers. IU, Cincinnati and Nebraska appear to be in the running and he’s expected to take an official visit to Lincoln next weekend.
Ray Charles once wrote a famous song about his home state and from the looks of it the Indiana football program is taking its title to heart. Of course, what the Hoosiers really have on their mind is the means to an end associated with getting out of the Big Ten doldrums and making bowl appearances (at the very least) on a consistent basis. The 2015 class should help, and those prospects from Georgia will inevitably play their part at some point.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LWOS_JB3. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
