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How to put butts in seats

I'm rehabbing in a hospital bed a thousand miles away from Bloomington so I'm not going to the game either way. But I think I would be more inclined to buy a ticket if I knew who the quarterback was going to be. Or what kind of offense was going to be run. Or what the players look like. But then again the sports writers who supposedly follow Indiana don't really know anything either.

Illinois is going to be playing on television on Saturday. I'm wondering if the Hoosiers will even announce what helmet they're going to wear. This total lack of marketing it just makes me more nervous that the Hoosiers are going to lay another turd this season.

Nobody can accuse the Hoosiers of knowing how to market the football program

NIL for football

I heard this week on an Atlanta radio station that an organization of UGA supporters had sent out an urgent plea to alumni because they had only raised 3 million of the 10 million dollars needed to offer their next batch of football recruits under NIL. This made me wonder about the IU football program. I remember reading that IU would be at the forefront of the NIL process. But, other than a relatively small amount provided to a handful of basketball players, I haven't heard what IU is doing to be competitive in this NIL era of football player recruiting and retention wars. Does anyone have any insight into what we are doing NIL-wise to attract upper tier talent?

Why I like 2022 Offense more than 2021

1. New OC.
Still TBD but he has way more experience than Sheridan did. Predict he can adjust in-game way better than we did last year.

2. WR room
First, love the coaching change. Our new coach has LSU & NFL pedigree. I think Ty F was living off 2020 bit too much last year, then Matthews got hurt, wheel’s came off. I like idea of Camper’s speed & a hungry Juco. I like Matthews back (he was a weapon in few games he played). I am very intrigued by McCollough’s 6’5 athleticism. And I think FR/So talent we have could surprise.

3. RB room
Feel like Coach DMac focused on USC transfer to detriment of others. I think the two RS FR have legit potential to be good. One is huge & the other has 4.2 speed. Love idea of Shivers the pit bill and Lucas the elusive jitterbug. And UNC transfer could be as good as we’ve had in last few years giving us 5 backs! (Hope Charlie S gets chance to play too)

4. QB Room
I loved the idea of and potential of Penix, but he proved too fragile and actually hurt us badly last year (Iowa & Cinci!) Having Tuttle & Bazelek in competition may not lead to quite the same upside, but they may be steadier and less injury prone.

5. OL improvement
Had we replaced Hiller I would have been on board, but we didn’t. But the incoming FR are some of best we have gotten. There are injured RS FR - JR coming back that have the size to be legit B10 level. And our two seniors Haggerty and Bedford have NFL draft potential and hopefully end careers strong.

I am not confusing IU offense with Alabama or OSU level upside, but I believe Bell will help mask OL issues, and think IU has more big play threat weapons than in year’s past that I hope gets utilized this season!

RIP, Roland Mesnier

Here's one most of you won't know. Long-time executive pastry chef at the White House, who served from Carter to Bush 2, has passed away. He was most famous for his elaborate gingerbread houses constructed for White House Christmas parties.

Ford & GM Raise Prices

So much for Biden’s great bill. Now set back and watch prices increase by the tax increase Joe is putting on corporations.

Oregon's Dan Lanning announced today that they aren't revealing a depth chart for any position before their first game.

And they also have banned media and beat writers from most important parts of their practices. For as much as some people here and online have liked to complain about the staff's secrecy here, you'd think it was some extreme or unreasonable tactic, but it isn't. If you are bothered by the team trying to keep things close to the vest, frankly, you are just looking for something to be unhappy about.

Indiana Women's Basketball New Player Profiles: Indiana Native Guard Sydney Parrish + links to Yarden Garzon &Lexus Bargesser

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2022 is a mystery season for IU

1) New coordinators on both sides of the ball.
2) Complete overhaul of the offensive coaching staff except OL & TE.
3) New DL & LB coaches. A lot of turnover in the front 7.
4) If I counted correctly we lost 35 players via the transfer portal and gained 13.
5) Complete overhaul of offensive skill position players.
6) Once again face a brutal schedule starting against a conference opponent.

1) CTA will go back to calling defensive plays. We all trust him there. Although I don't know a lot about Walt Bell beyond his bio, CTA said his offenses were tough to defend so I see this as a good move. Advantage: IU

2) Brought in a lot of NFL experience in RB & WR coaches. New OC/QB coach has P5 experience as an OC plus head coaching experience (in a likely no win situation). CWB has had ups and downs but I believe him to be a solid upgrade over Sheridan.
Advantage: IU

3) Coach Wilt seems to be a younger CTA from what I read. I'll take that. I don't know enough about our outgoing or incoming DL coaches to form an educated opinion. I do know we haven't exactly been a juggernaut at harassing the QB the last few years without blitzing from any and everywhere. Losing MIcah is going to hurt. I believe Cam is going to have an amazing year. Dasan McCullough recevied really good reviews in the BTN Bus Tour review of IU. Some good looking DL & LB coming here via the portal. Watched the video where Shaun Shivers was mic'ed up and they showed one run with him blasting through a hole in the line for a big gain. Immediately followed where he appears to run the same play and gets swallowed at the line. Walking back he says Sio is the best DL and when he comes in it changes the line. Here's to hoping Sio, and the entire DL, wreak havoc on opponents this season!
Advantage: Unknown. CTA over Warren is a plus. Losing Micah is a negative. Player turnover is an unknown.

4) When 1/3 of the team transfers out, something is not right. I'm sure some were encouraged to leave but certainly not everyone. If I counted right we lost 22 more players to the portal than we gained. The positives are most of those who transferred to IU came from P5 schools while the ones who left and found new homes mostly went to G5 or FCS schools. THe HUGE difference, according to BTN, is IU gained 5,000 snaps of college football experience in the transfer portal versus what we lost.
Advanatge: IU (huge!)

5) Not a lot of positive can be said about IU's offense last season. The question is will the new players form a cohesive unit? We certainly appear to have added speed, which is always a plus.
Advantage: Unknown

6) The schedule is heavily backloaded, so any and all bowl hopes rest on a fast start. The plus is a path to 6 wins by the end of October certainly exists. In my mind IU has two likely wins on the schedule (Idaho & WKU), 6 toss up games (Ill, UC, Neb, Md, Rut & PU); all but the Purdue game are played in September and October. I believe if we beat Illinois we will start 4-0. I believe we will beat Maryland and Rutgers which gives us bowl eligibility no later than 10/22. If we lose to the Illini, we have no idea what to expect.
Advantage: Ask me after the Illinois game

One week from now

We will see what difference our new coaches, freshmen/transfers, and a different attitude make for the Hoosiers this season. We will see what this offense looks like with a new OC, RB, WR and an OL with a new focus for offense. We will see what our defense looks like against a team that is decent in the B1G. How will the ST look with increased depth of talent on the team especial at the return positions. Will punt return continue their punt blocks like last season.

The biggest thing for me is to see how the players respond with the new coaching they are getting from older experienced coaches with NFL experience. How the offense does, with an OC that can coach every position and understand what each position goes through, with a very good defensive opponent. If the OL is solid, IU has more talent and speed/wiggle than we have seen for quite a while.

Based on this year's team, not what happened last season, what do you see happening in this game? I see a much better offense and defense giving the Hoosiers a good chance at winning games this year.

Just an Observation

Just looked at the activity on the message board as of a few minutes ago: thread on X, 4 responses; threads on Pate, 11 responses; on JH-S to camp 0 responses; on 2025 targets, 4 responses; on Race 0 responses; total 6 threads directly about IU players and recruits with a total of 19 responses

Chet Holmgren 11 responses; trip to Vegas 36 responses. Draw your own conclusions

Friday Recruiting Notebook - Aug 26

The Indiana basketball program has fully shifted its sights to the class of 2024 at the moment outside of its lone 2023 target in Wheeler (Ga.) forward Arrinten Page.

TheHoosier.com reported earlier this week that Page's visit to Miami had been cancelled for this weekend due to a tragic event within the Wheeler (Ga.) High school basketball community. There is a funeral/service this weekend that Page is taking part in.

PAge told TheHoosier that he expects to reschedule his visit to Miami but nothing is set at the moment.

Indiana continues to sit in a very good spot for Page.

Outside of him, it looks to be the transfer portal this spring -- which isn't a bad thing. While there could be a few spring options from this class, much like Tamar Bates and Malik Reneau the past two years, it seems more likely Indiana lands someone from the portal.

Rivals national analyst Travis Graf addressed that this week in the monthly mailbag.

"As of right now, I don’t see it, but there will be some 2024 reclasses happen that could spark some dominoes to fall. However, I’d personally attack the portal hard if I was Mike Woodson, and I think there will be a lot of interest in the program from top college transfers."

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As for the class of 2024, the core group to focus on at the moment is Liam McNeeley, Derik Queen, Jaeden Mustaf, Asa Newell and Raleigh Burgess. Others to follow are Jonathan Powell, Paul McNeil, Yves Missi, Flory Bidunga, Khani Rooths, Ace Bailey.

Indiana already has an official visit locked in for Liam McNeeley for Sept 23-25. It's the only one he officially has scheduled. Texas will be another school receiving one and they are working on the dates, per Travis Graf.


2024 top-25 forward Derik Queen is going to visit Indiana. The top programs to watch at the moment are Indiana, Arizona State and Maryland. Before, Maryland wasn't as strong due to the lack of connections with new head coach Kevin Willard. But, after Willard was able to land four-star 2023 guards DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser, it is clear that Willard and Maryland will now be a legit threat for every DMV kid -- Queen is originally from Maryland.

Queen talked with Rivals national recruiting director Rob Cassidy this week and mentioned the strong connection with IU freshmen Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau.

“I’ve been talking to them a little bit, and I’m going to ask my teammates about them,” Queen said of the IU staff. “The coaches think it would be a good fit for me and talk about how good my teammates fit in up there.”

Indiana is in a spot you want to be in for a fringe 5-star forward at the moment, with junior year official visits about to take place.

More on Queen:


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A new 2024 name to pop up this week was No. 21 overall player in the class Dink Pate. He is a 6-foot-7 point guard from Pinkston (Tx.) High School and played for Trae Young on the AAU circuit. Pate played for Pinkston his freshman season then transferred to Prolific Prep last year. He is returning to Pinkson for his junior year. As a freshman, he averaged 18 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

Currently, Pate holds nearly 30 offers including Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Houston, LSU, Arizona, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCF and Indiana.

hile he doesn't have a strong connection to former Indiana player Bracey Wright, he knows the 'legend' that he is in the Dallas area.

"The only thing I know is Bracey Wright," Pate said about the main thing he knew about Indiana. "He is from Dallas and is listed as a Dallas legend and went to Indiana. Him and my stepdad have talked before and know of each other."

Pate said there is a possibility of an Indiana visit: "On a scale on a 1 to 10 it's probably an 8 or a 9 that I will visit."


Indiana has a ways to go in this one if it has a shot at landing Pate -- but the offer is the place to start. He's a fringe 5-star who had a tremendous summer and lots of programs will be after. Don't keep a close on on this one, however, until there is some more substantial movement.

More from the Q&A:


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The Rivals updated rankings were released this week. That included a refresh on the class of 2023 and the unveiling of the first rankings for the 2025 class.

The following is a look at the Indiana prospects/commits for 2023:

Jakai Newton --

Previous Ranking: No. 52

Current Ranking: No. 64

Gabe Cupps --

Previous Ranking: No. 127

Current Ranking: No. 122

Arrinten Page --

Previous Ranking: No. 42

Current Ranking: No. 57

The 2025 rankings include in-state prospects Jalen Haralson (No. 26) and Trent Sisley (No. 33) as four-star prospects. I think Haralson is a bit low and think he ends up top-20 and closer to top-15 sooner rather than later.


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Unofficial visitors that have confirmed with TheHoosier.com that they will make a trip to Hoosier Hysteria are:

2023 Indiana commit Gabe Cupps
2025 guard Jalen Haralson
2025 forward Trent Sisley
2025 guard Trey McKenney

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We had some good looks at Indiana and its recruiting from the national perspective up on the boards this week from both Rob Cassidy and Travis Graf. Here is a recap of both:



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Other notes --

Jalen Hood-Schifino will be participating in the Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp this weekend in Los Angeles.

Trayce Jackson-Davis was named an All-American by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

Some additional info including some ticket info was released for Indiana's game against Arizona in Las Vegas.

Nice blurbs on Caleb Jones

…following last weekend’s game:

Darkhorse candidates to make Packers’ roster: Caleb Jones, OT​

The Packers just activated Elgton Jenkins from the PUP, giving them another player who will likely start on the outside. That hurts someone like Caleb Jone’s chances who projects strictly as an offensive tackle. However, he’s outplayed rookie Rasheed Walker up to this point and had a strong preseason game against the 49ers. If he continues on this path, he could earn the final offensive linemen spot on the roster.
https://dairylandexpress.com/2022/08/15/5-darkhorse-candidates-make-packers-initial-roster/amp/

OT Caleb Jones: The 6-9 and 370-pounder will always likely have some issues with faster passes, but he was a beast in the running game on the left tackle during the second half. The skill set here is certainly interesting.
https://amolivia.com/2022/08/15/who...he-most-during-the-packers-pre-season-opener/
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