By Colin Lavery, Athlon Sports
Curt Cignetti adds a former Hilltopper to his defensive front. He had the unenviable task of replacing both his primary DT starters, James Carpenter, & CJ West. Both have a shot at being drafted, with West more likely to hear his name called after a strong performance in the NFL Combine. There are some guys on the roster from last season, like Trique Tucker & Marcus Burris, who saw snaps inside but Bryant Haines, DC & Cignetti hit the portal for 2 players at the DL position to provide depth &/or starters in Dominque Ratcliff from Texas St. & Hosea Wheeler from W. Kentucky. Wheeler comes to Indiana with one season of eligibility left after 3 seasons at W. Kentucky & one year at Sacramento City College. In his 3 yrs. at W. Ky., he appeared in 40 games with 25 starts. In 2024 he was named 1st Team All-Conference & finished with 65 tackles, 27 solos 2 sacks, & a forced fumble. Wheeler also did see elite competition last yr. facing Alabama & controlling the LOS, had a sack & a forced fumble, a promising sign for how he projects in the Big Ten.
Like Ratcliff, Indiana's other transfer DL, Wheeler is stronger in run defense than pass rush. He earned a 70.2 grade in run defense from PFF last season. That grade would actually put him slightly ahead of Carpenter from last season, though Carpenter still graded as a better defender overall because of his ability in the passing game. With Mikail Kamara on the edge, it makes sense for Indiana to focus on stopping the run inside. Kamara had 10 sacks last season, a career high & he could take another step forward in his 2nd Big Ten play in 2025.
Indiana has Penn. St. & Iowa on the schedule in 2025, who accounted for 2 of the top 3 rushing attacks in the conference last year. The Hoosiers also boasted one of the top defenses in the country last year in run defense. In their final year of eligibility look for Wheeler & Ratcliff to follow in the footsteps of West & Carpenter, proving themselves in the power conference before entering the NFL Draft.
Curt Cignetti adds a former Hilltopper to his defensive front. He had the unenviable task of replacing both his primary DT starters, James Carpenter, & CJ West. Both have a shot at being drafted, with West more likely to hear his name called after a strong performance in the NFL Combine. There are some guys on the roster from last season, like Trique Tucker & Marcus Burris, who saw snaps inside but Bryant Haines, DC & Cignetti hit the portal for 2 players at the DL position to provide depth &/or starters in Dominque Ratcliff from Texas St. & Hosea Wheeler from W. Kentucky. Wheeler comes to Indiana with one season of eligibility left after 3 seasons at W. Kentucky & one year at Sacramento City College. In his 3 yrs. at W. Ky., he appeared in 40 games with 25 starts. In 2024 he was named 1st Team All-Conference & finished with 65 tackles, 27 solos 2 sacks, & a forced fumble. Wheeler also did see elite competition last yr. facing Alabama & controlling the LOS, had a sack & a forced fumble, a promising sign for how he projects in the Big Ten.
Like Ratcliff, Indiana's other transfer DL, Wheeler is stronger in run defense than pass rush. He earned a 70.2 grade in run defense from PFF last season. That grade would actually put him slightly ahead of Carpenter from last season, though Carpenter still graded as a better defender overall because of his ability in the passing game. With Mikail Kamara on the edge, it makes sense for Indiana to focus on stopping the run inside. Kamara had 10 sacks last season, a career high & he could take another step forward in his 2nd Big Ten play in 2025.
Indiana has Penn. St. & Iowa on the schedule in 2025, who accounted for 2 of the top 3 rushing attacks in the conference last year. The Hoosiers also boasted one of the top defenses in the country last year in run defense. In their final year of eligibility look for Wheeler & Ratcliff to follow in the footsteps of West & Carpenter, proving themselves in the power conference before entering the NFL Draft.
