Thanks for another terrific year -- at least on my end -- interacting with everyone on the boards!

I hope everyone has a terrific Christmas with friends and family. Thanks for being part of TheHoosier.com community!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Cam Camper a 4-star.

Immediate thoughts...
1. Charlottesville is beautiful
2. Evenly matched program
3. Wish it was a team from the west like Colorado
4. The AD has done a good job of ensuring that we have no less than 7 home games through 2027
5. Could be worse

IU had a terrible season but we drew 20k+ to the JAX bowl in 2019. They are looking for a replacement and IU fans travel well

Let’s go!!

On the front page there is an article with the headline of
"Hoosiers' offense starting to click as non-conference play winds down"

I can't say that I agree with that assessment, do you?

I see struggles with the shot clock, good shot selection and an offense that is more than throw it into Trace and watch him work. Which isn't a terrible choice but in the BT we need more.

Thanks for another terrific year -- at least on my end -- interacting with everyone on the boards!

One more game until we turn the calendar to 2022.

I hope everyone has a terrific Christmas with friends and family. Thanks for being part of TheHoosier.com community!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

NKU with a mere 8 pt's in 17 1/2 minutes to open the game and only 14 for the entire first half. Adjusted for SOS, IU has the #3 effective FG defense in the nation (Torvik) and is ranked #7/#14 (Torvik/KenPom) on overall defensive efficiency. Guessing a ranking based strictly on first half stats would have them in front of everyone. Perimeter D seems to fall off pretty quick after halftime, perhaps because of over-helping and slower recovery on same by the second unit. That needs 'fixing' before B10 play begins.

IF (yeah I know) IU can maintain the defensive intensity for 40 minutes and IF the offense continues to improve (frigging TOs) and 'catch up' to the D, this Team is going to be a challenge for most everyone. Not saying they will be or crowning them in advance, only that the potential is there and that they have enough game to beat anyone in Conference.

Xavier really is the 'x factor' for this Team. His speed and assertiveness with the ball in transition is at times breathtaking, his D is relentless and disruptive, and at his best not sure there are many better, at least in the B10. IF (there's that word again) Woodson and Co. can get him to 'stay out of his own way' and play smart and 'detached', IU's offense could in fact 'catch up' to its offense. Would really really like to see that on a routine and consistent basis this Season.

Merry Xmas!!!!!!

Updated List. I eliminated name that I don't think are realistic due to retention or salary limitations. Got a new #1 on the list based on more research. Focused on smaller school OC's with coordinator experienced that are likely "hirable".

Eliminated Names: Seth Litrell, Phillip Montgomery, Justin Fuentes, Matt Luke, Sterlin Gilbert, Dan Mullen. If any of these guys got fired or are interested you'd' probably take one of them.

Sterlin Gilbert - Recently fired Syracuse OC. Improved Syracuse's offense dramatically in one season. Not sure if there is an uknown story here, but productivity has never been an issue with Gilbert. A bit of a coaching nomad, but he's been successful at every stop. Never had an offense that did not produce. Runs a spread with very successful rushing attacks.

2021- Syracuse - 25 pts a game (previous year they scored 17)
2018 South Florida - 29 pts, 438 yards per game of offense
2017 South Florida - 38 pts/game, 513 yards per game
2016 Texas - 32pts/game, 492 ypg, 5.9 yards per play


1a. Tim Cramsey - Offensive Coordinator at Marshall coming off excellent year. Has been retained across two coaches at Marshall which is unusual. He's been a productive and sometimes record breaking offensive coordinator at five different schools. Marshall's offense gets better with every year he is there. This year it averaged 35 pts a game with a balanced run pass attack. Has had two years where his teams scored over 40 points a game at prior stops. Has a balanced run and pass offense. He's also a quarterbacks coach. Unlike other targets this one is affordable and is probably the most attainable under the radar type hire the Hoosiers could make.
2021 - 35pts/g, 480 yards per game - Marshall
2020- 28pts/game, 391 yards per game, 5.9 yards/play Marshall
2019 - 26pts/game, 393 yards per game, 5.8 yards/play Marshall
2018 - 29pts/game, 388 yards per game, 5.6 yards/play Marshall
2017 - 44pts/game. 538 yards per game, 7 yards/play Sam Houston State
2016 - 25pts/game 382 yards per game, Nevada

1b. Doug Meachem - TCU - Will probably be let go at TCU. Long time coordinator with a lot of record breaking offenses. One down strike is one year at Kansas as OC did not go well. That would be a comparable to IU. Probably lands a bigger job, but he's the best career OC available. He also is a former lineman and has coached every position on the offense.
2021 - TCU 29pts/game, 440 yards per game, 6.7 yards per play TCU
2016 - TCU 31 pts/game, 468 yards per game
2015 - TCU 42pts/game, 560 yards a game TCU
2014 - TCU 46 pts a game, 533 yards a game TCU

1c. Mike Bloomgren - Head Coach at Rice. The architect of Stanford's highly regarded power rushing offenses from 2013 to 2017. He's an offensive line coach by trade which would go a long way toward fixing Indiana's main problem. Would probably be a "Sliver Bullet" hire in terms of bringing the physical hard nose rushing attack that fits Allen's personality. Offense improved dramatically in his three year tenure as offensive coordinator averaging 38 points a game featuring a dominant rushing attack that averaged almost 300 yards a game. Coached a dozen linemen who went on to play in the NFL. He's an elite offensive line coach in addition to being a potential offensive coordinator. His down side is that his Rice offenses have been terrible and have not been able to run the ball.

2. Zack Kittley - Western Kentucky OC - has broken records with Western Kentucky's offense after doing the same as a head coach of Houston Baptist. Not much run game to speak of but his offense scored 41 points a game this year and was third in yards per play. He would be a short term answer as he's a likely head coach candidate. IU would have to be willing to go with an air raid spread which has not delivered as many wins as run game spreads.

2021 43 pts a game, 528 yards per game, 7.2 yards per play - Western Kentucky
2019 - 428 yards per game - Houston Baptist

3. Frank Ponce - App State Offensive Coordinator - First year offensive coordinator did a great job at App State. Highly regarded QB coach. Offense averaged 450 yards and 36 pts a game.

2021 - 37 pts/game 450 yards a game, 6/2 yards per play - Appalachian State

4. Willy Korn - OC at Coastal Carolina - Having an awful lot of success at Coastal Carolina. Question is whether the head coach who is heavily involved with the offense is the real genius here. Top OC's under offensive minded coaches tend to do well, but it's never a sure thing when the head coach is also heavily involved in the offense.

2021 - 40 pts game, 490 yards a game, 7.6 yards per play - Coastal Carolina
2020 37 pts game, 450 yards, 6.7 yards per play - Coastal Carolina

5. Barry Lunney Jr. Lunney has had two very strong years at OC at UTSA. Has the strangest resume in that he was a college offensive coordinator then became a high school offensive coordinator for eight years, then a college position coach then a college OC. He is highly regarded and was Arkansas's head coach for two games. Offense averaged 6 yards a play, 440 a game with 38 pts a game.

2021 - 38 pts per game, 440 yards per game, 6.1 yard per play UTSA
2020 - 28 pts per game, 415, 5.8 yards per play UTSA

6. Eric Eidsness - Northern Illinois OC. This guy is a an up and comer who has done a good job at Northern Illinois. His offense has been very balanced. Was OC for six years at South Dakota State and oversaw record breaking offenses during this period. Has a very balanced spread attack. He coaches under a coach who was never an OC so it looks like Eidsness truly coordinates this offense unlike other candidates who are "right hand man" type coaches.

2021 - 31pts per game, 420 yards per game, 6.1 yards per play Northern Illinois
2020 - 24 pts per game, 367 yards per game, 5 yards per play Northern Illinois
2019 - 22 pts per game, 322 yards per game Northern Illinois
2018 - 42 pts a game South Dakota State

7. Ryan Grubb OC Fresno State - If you can't get Kalen Deboer maybe you get his protege. Grubb would be a strong candidate for three reasons. The first is that he's a long time line coach and if you hired the wrong line coach he's going to know how to step in and fix that. His teams allowed less than a sack a game for the past three seasons. He's also now the QB coach so he's got a very unusual background. And of course he coaches with Deboer so our players will know both his offense and his terminology. He coached two really good offensive coaches. Only question is whether he's a right hand man or the leader of the offense. Deboer is a front runner at Washington which probably rules Grubb out.


8. Anthony Tucker - Utah State OC. Former OC for Josh Heupel at UCF who has vastly improved Utah State's offense in his first year on the job. Pass heavy offense. Offense went from 15pts a game in the year before he got there to 32 a game this year. Had very balanced offenses at UCF. An ex running backs coach who coordinated the passing game at UCF.

10. Mike Thiessen OC Air Force. An unconventional pick for a school that might need an unconventional approach. Been an OC for a long time. Offenses are run heavy option hybrid that eat up clock and protect the defense. Has lead to an awful lot of wins.

11. Sam Gregg - Liberty Offensive Line Coach - Former Offensive Coordinator at West Georgia for six years. Coached under a great offensive mind at Liberty and has a decade of former OC experience. Might be a strong candidate because of his background as both a coordinator and a line coach. Might kill two birds with one stone or hedge against another bad line coach hire.

12. Robert Weiner - OC at Toledo who was Tom Allen Jr's former high school coach. Likely a relationship here. Toledo was respectable offensively this year, but not outstanding. Toledo's coach has a reputation as an excellent offensive mind. Weiner won four state championships as a high school coach. Allen could do much worse. Toledo's offense was second in the MAC in scoring at 33 pts a game.

2021 - 34 pts/game, 430 yards per game, 6.1 yards per play.
2020 - 35 pts/game, 494 yards per game, 6.4 yards per play

13. Justin Frye - UCLA Offensive Coordinator Former IU player. Unlikely to leave an OC job at UCLA. Ranked lower because he's an unlikely candidate.

14. Brian Hartline - Ohio State Receivers Coach - Elite Elite recruiter. Is coaching under one of the best offensive minds in the country. Downside is no offensive coordinator experience. Would certainly fix our receivers though. He's viewed as a future coaching star and should at least be interviewed.

UCLA transfer DE/LB Myles Jackson is announcing his top 4 schools later tonight.

Jackson had six tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery in seven games in 2021.

He is being recruited by Indiana. Jackson St, East Carolina, Buffalo, Florida International and more.

He had offers from UCLA, Kansas State, Kansas, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Army, Western Kentucky and more coming out of high school in 2020.

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Yes, NKU couldn't hit their asses with either hand, but our pressure was forcing more hurried shots., By pressure I mean we guarded them closer near the 10 second lineand made the guards work harder tp pass the ball. I started to say offense, but NKU doesn't have much of an offense other than throwing up 3s. I thought the campus police and firemen at halftime ran more offense than NKU

We allowed NKU to cross halfcourt more easily and did not pressure them or push them back to the 10 second line. NKU had more time on the shor clock to find an open 3, or at least find #22.. We listened to Woody in the car and he wasn't happy with the second half. I'm glad to hear that and another sign he understands the type of play IU basketball fans have wanted.

A final thing, Btown without students is mildly disappointing. We went to Nick's after the game for a beverage and food. It wasn't busy and they had stopped selling food. WHAT? A check of the ole www showed Yogi's was open. Again, not busy and full of NKU fans. Wasn't a fan of the old Yogi's food menu and the new location's menu seems the same. On a positive note, How many times have we been able to visit two establishments after a game?It was a late trip home, but worth the trip,

(Conference Games Only)

OFFENSE
Scoring Offense - 10.4 - 14th (of 14)
Yards Per Pass - 4.9 - 14th
Passing TDs - 4 - 14th
Offensive Efficiency - 85.4 - 14th
Total Yards - 250.7 - 14th
Total Yards Per Play - 3.9 - 14th
Passing Yards Per Game - 150.0 - 13th
3rd Down Percentage - 32.6 - 13th
Red Zone Offense - 72.2% - 13th
Rushing Yards Per Game - 100.7 - 12th
Rushing TDs - 6 - 12th
4th Down % - 40.0 - 11th
Time of Possession - 28:26 - 10th
Sacks Allowed - 23 - T-9th

Defense
Scoring Defense - 35.1 - 13th
Red Zone Defense - 88.6 - 13th
Opp 4th Down % - 70.0 - 13th
Rushing TDs Allowed - 19 - 12th
Passing TDs Allowed - 18 - 11th
Rushing Defense - 166.8 - 11th
Interceptions - 4 - T-11th
Passing Yards Allowed - 230.0 - 10th
Yards Per Rush - 4.2 - 10th
Sacks - 12 - T-10th
Opp 3rd Down % - 39.3 - 8th
Zero Defensive TDs all year

Special Teams
Net Kickoff - 37.8 - 14th
Punt Returns - 0.4 - 14th
Net Punt - 38.6 - 11th
FG % - .615 - T-11th
Kickoff Returns - 17.3 - 9th
PAT % - 1.000 - T-1st

Misc.
Turnover Margin - -12 - 14th*

*12 games

Nationally (all games)
Pass Efficiency - 96.31 - 129th (of 130)
Turnover Margin - -1.00 - T-127th
Pass Completion % - .510 - 126th
Turnovers Created - 9 - T-124th
Scoring Offense - 17.2 - 123rd
Red Zone Def - .909 - 116th
Passing Offense - 175.5 - 113th
Rusing Offense - 114.5 - 113th
Rushing TDs - 13 - 113th
4th Down Def - .667 - 113th
Sacks - 1.42 - T-111th
Scoring Defense - 33.25 - 109th
Red Zone Offense - .771 - 105th
TFL - 4.5 - 105th
Passing TDs - 9 - T-105th

Comments
This is unbelievable. If you take away PAT % IU didn't finish in the top half of the Big Ten in ANY of these statistical categories. They were last or second to last in the Big Ten in 14 categories. Nationally IUFB was 105th or worse in 15 departments. There are probably a couple more to be found that I didn't look at because I consider the category to be redundant.

I may have missed this, but how do you get the app for your phone to participate in the synchronized light show? It is pretty impressive.

We have our differences of opinions but we all want IU football to succeed.
We may not always be realistic in our expectations but we are a resilient bunch.Have a safe and Merry Christmas everyone.

I actually liked him during last night's game. Brought energy and excitement and seemed to do a pretty good job.

We need this kid to be a threat, and he certainly can be. But what I've seen so far is that he simply rushes his mechanics on jumpers when he misses.

Ex. Against ND, on one play he made a nice curl to the wing but when he caught and squared he never stopped his momentum and you could see from (my) angle that he went up off his heals just a bit.

Sometimes he leans forward. Other times he just rushes the J when he has time.

Need this kid to be deadly.

Long story short - Texas A&M has withdrawn from the Gator Bowl due to COVID issues on the team. Apparently they have fewer than 40 scholarship players available with most being linemen. There are no bowl eligible teams who aren't already playing a game available. Originally there might have been one, but the NCAA scrambled to create a bowl (the Frisco Football Classic) to replace the cancelled San Francisco Bowl (formerly the Redbox Bowl). So they look at 5-7 teams. By rule, available bids go to the 5-7 team in order of APR. Rutgers has the best APR among 5-7 teams. The committee is apparently meeting Thursday to decide if they want to extend the invite to Rutgers.

So, what would you do if you were Rutgers? They've not been on the playing field since November 27. They've probably not had a full practice as a team since November 25. My guess is most of the team is scattered to their homes for winter break. A lot of their roster is made up of players from NJ or nearby states - probably a short drive or train ride back to campus on a day's notice if need be. You probably have to get everyone back by the 26th, have three days of practice, a day to travel, a prep day in Florida, then game day on the 31st after not being together as a team for a month. My guess is they don't pass on the opportunity in a 'what do we have to lose' kind of way. I'm sure the B10 would love the feather in the cap that comes with replacing an SEC team that had to withdraw.

They beat S. Illinois, 70-37. It was 38-8 at the half as IU won the first three periods with the Salukis taking the 4th period when the subs were probably in for both teams. Holmes and Berger had 18 points each. IU opens the B1G season with a road game at Rutgers on Dec 30th (FS1) and a home game with Maryland on Jan 2nd (ESPN2). Maryland is the one team that IU can't seem to get past in recent seasons, so hopefully this is the season to reverse that. Box score:

Well, I'm wondering how much $$ IU bball players are putting in pocket. When this was announced I thought I would see some of the best area college kids on local tv and billboards advertising car dealerships and the like. I haven't seen this. I have seen an occasional tweet of a player pumping product I've never heard of via Twitter. I'm assuming the same is going on via other social media but I don't use any other platforms.

Six months in and I'm wondering if the NIL rules have been as prosperous as the players had hoped? I know that the Hysterics helped put on an event for the fans that I believe was part charity and part payment to the players, but again, I don't believe I've seen anything substantial (at least locally) that leads me to believe that anybody is making bank.

Does anybody see things differently?

This!

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One time major target for IU, committed to ASU after scandal. I see he didn’t sign anywhere in the early period

IU still interested?

Indiana has a few days off before getting back to Bloomington to prepare for its last non-conference game of the season before heading into full Big Ten play.

Right now, Indiana is 1-1 in the conference. It has a legit opportunity to climb into the top 2-3 in the first week of January with games against Penn State and at home against Ohio State. Ohio State hasn't played since Dec 11 and is still TBD for its game on Wednesday against New Orleans due to a COVID pause.

Indiana's next game is Wednesday against UNC-Asheville at home.

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On the recruiting front, Montverde (FL) Academy 2023 five-star Kwame 'KJ' Evans is planning his official visit to Indiana for February. Originally the date(s) of Feb 11-13 were announced, but since Indiana is on the road at Michigan State that weekend, he is figuring out another date. According to his AAU program director, Dwayne Wise, a visit in February is still expected and something he is planning on.

Evans comes off of the bench for Montverde behind five D-I starters going to Indiana, Texas, Duke, USC and Florida.

So far this season, Evans has had some really solid games and provided some nice scoring off of the bench. He isn't a high volume scorer right now... mainly because he doesn't need to be and isn't asked to be. He is a 6-foot-9 forward who plays more on the wing at this stage in terms of his skillset. He has a good ability to get by defenders using his length and long strides. He's a terrific rebounder because of his length and athleticism and very good out in the open floor in transition.

Defensively, Evans is outstanding. He still needs to get better moving horizontally to keep up with some quicker and smaller opponents, but his length makes up for that. He has quick hands and a good sense of where he needs to be on the floor. Multiple times this season he has been great in the passing lanes and as a weak-side rim protector. At just 190-pounds, he needs more muscle and strength but that will come over the next year and a half before he steps on a college campus.

Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy recently saw more of Evans and offered his thoughts on his game.

"As for his game, I think being at Montverde has helped. He’s not putting up eye-popping numbers every game like he was back home but it seems like the whole iron-sharpening-iron thing is true here," Cassidy said. "Evans has been more efficient in the games I’ve seen so far this season and seems to be cutting down on forced shots. He’s long had the body and athleticism of a top-flight prospect, Montvede is helping polish him while not putting pressure on him to be “the guy” as a junior. He’ll stay around the top. He’s still looking like a top-10 prospect despite going up against the best players in the country."

Kentucky is the only official visit Evans has taken so far. He also visited Maryland unofficially earlier this year. He has offers from UK, Auburn, DePaul, Georgetown, Kansas, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and more.

Time will tell how involved IU will be in this recruitment and obviously getting him on campus will be big. The relationships with Montverde and having Jalen Hood-Schifino coming in doesn't hurt either.

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Memorial (OH) 2023 big man Austin Parks continues to be recruited by Indiana. He was supposed to have a visit a few weeks ago but had to reschedule. As of now the only visit he has taken since announcing his top-5 of Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan State, Dayton and West Virginia is to Ohio State.

He is trying to get back to IU.

He is your traditional big man with his back-to-the-basket more than not. Parks has a great frame and build for his age. He is a very effective post player who has advanced footwork. He can turn over either shoulder and finish above the rim. He can be effective at the high or low post and uses his size to get very good post position. Parks is a solid rebounder as well and uses his length to his advantage on both ends of the floor. Right now, he remains someone that sees most action in the paint.

So far this season, they are off to a 5-1 start. He says he is 'working on getting better post position and working around double and triple teams' right now to improve his game.

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2022 Indiana signee Jalen Hood-Schifino helped lift Montverde to a City of Palms championship this week. It was an absolutely loaded event where Montverde beat Milton (Ga) with five-star point guard and Ohio State commit Bruce Thornton in the semifinals and then Oak Hill (Va) to win the title.

Hood-Schifino averaged 11.8 points on 42 percent shooting from the field in four games. He also put up 15 assists to 6 turnovers in those four games in 96 minutes of action. He had 8 assists and just 1 turnover in the semifinal and championship games combined.

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Small note...

Coming up next week, TheHoosier.com will get another opportunity to see more game action of Bloomington North 2023 forward JQ Roberts. We will try to get some additional video of his games. He took an unofficial visit to Iowa this week.