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OL Outlook 2025

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TomEric4756

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https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/ind...f-need-in-the-transfer-portal-offensive-line/

Overall, IU’s play up front has improved considerably since Bostad arrived, and he’s got an army of young players with one to two years of development under his tutelage. Don’t be surprised if one or more of tackle Cooper Jones (50 snaps in 2024), tackle Austin Barrett (49), center Jack Greer (34), guard Austin Leibfried (49), guard Adedamola Ajani (39) and tackle Max Williams (8) emerge and compete for starting roles. Those players are shown in order of (2024 snap counts).

Vince Fiacable is the longest tenured returner, and he’ll look to come back from a season-ending injury. Freshmen Mitch Verstegen, and Evan Lawrence didn’t play in 2024 but are in the mix as well …
 
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I expect either Jones or Barrett to take over at RT. At some point you have to give the developing guys their chance or you kill the pipeline. (Unless they just aren’t developing, but Barrett in particular has been singled out in the past)

I could see an interior guy more likely since you lose Katic, Evans and Fiacable are coming off injuries.
 
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Cig showed how to pick coaches when the holdover was Bostad. One of the good hires by Tom Allen.
Cig even said he only knew he had a good reputation, not much else about him. Hope this means Cig hit a home run with Chandler Whitmer as QB coach.

Thanks for the post about the line. Makes me a little less worried. Hope they are developing. I was assuming previous regime recruits wouldn't be what we need, or Cig's first class of freshman since so little time. But I forgot we already had Bostad to help Allen choose, and then Cig didn't need to to take everyone or keep everyone.
,
 
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If Kidwell returns, the question is health.

If Kidwell, Evans and Fiacable are all healthy, with Lynch and Smith returning starters and Jones and Barrett experienced reserves, that’s a good 8. With 7 young guys developing.

Maybe you bring in someone capable of playing RT or OG.
 
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Indiana had a good offensive line this year. The work they did against everyone not named Notre Dame, Michigan, and Ohio State prove that point. We were able to eke out a W in the Michigan game, thank goodness!

Those schools present what I would consider NFL fronts. I guess we need elite oline play to go farther than we did. Where do you find elite offensive linemen???
 
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iuin1994 said:
I expect either Jones or Barrett to take over at RT. At some point you have to give the developing guys their chance or you kill the pipeline. (Unless they just aren’t developing, but Barrett in particular has been singled out in the past)

I could see an interior guy more likely since you lose Katic, Evans and Fiacable are coming off injuries.
Click to expand...
Yep...overreliance on transfers could kill recruiting the HS players...what a fine line to walk.
If a kid thinks he will work hard for two years but a new guy will cruise in, take the $ and his position...there is a very big potential down side to the portal.
Again, what a fine line to walk...
 
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td75 said:
Indiana had a good offensive line this year. The work they did against everyone not named Notre Dame, Michigan, and Ohio State prove that point. We were able to eke out a W in the Michigan game, thank goodness!

Those schools present what I would consider NFL fronts. I guess we need elite oline play to go farther than we did. Where do you find elite offensive linemen???
Click to expand...
It hurt bigtime when Evans was lost...
 
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With Bostad's connection to Wisconsin, wouldn't mind seeing Him help recruit a Freshman Old Wisconsin Prototype Lineman. The raw boned farm kid Who is about 6'6" weighs 275, and has the Body Build to gain 40 or 50 pounds while increasing strength and quickness
 
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Just because I think a RT can usually play inside at (swing to) RG without a lot of trouble, doesn’t mean Bostad thinks he needs a portal rental (SR/Grad Transfer) at RT. Bostad has shown he is talented at finding the best unit of 5 OL. OL depth is key to sustaining success. Bostad and Cignetti will find an OL solution.
 
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How good is Zander's brother...? He's in the Portal...

Started at LG this year and 5 games at LT last year...

Anton Ambuehl - Football - University of Nevada Las Vegas Athletics

Anton Ambuehl (75) OL - UNLV: A former three-star offensive line prospect by both 247Sports and ESPN who will look to earn the starting spot at left tackle in 2024
unlvrebels.com unlvrebels.com
 
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I will add that we need speed across the board, as in everywhere. Speed kills, and the elite teams have it in spades.

Hope we can plug some holes and elevate others, but we have a LOT of competition for those elite players when we are a notoriously underperforming football program. Sure hope we can finish bridging the gap, or mostly so, in the next few years. It’s a tall order.
 
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The line was great until Evan’s went out. Then we had some exploitable weaknesses, with 3 elite defenses remaining to play. Before his injury we dominated some solid defenses. We’ll never know what we’d have looked like against those elite defenses had he not gotten injured.

Combine that with a quarterback that didn’t handle collapsing pockets well, and well, that tells the story.

If Mendoza can extend plays a little better, either by stepping up in pockets or just scrambling out of pressure…it’ll add a completely different dimension to our offense. Think about how good our offense was without that off script element.

I still would love for us to use big NIL money to get as many upgraded starter level OL as possible. But I suspect we already have the guys in the locker room that could do the job.
 
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Seems a long shot the injured OL from JMU, Kidwell, might get an additional year and even if he does, how has this latest injury set him back? I really hope some combination of Cooper Jones, Ajani, Verstegen and Williams can fill the void at the 2 remaining spots. What was Fiacable injury?
Will he be ready to go by then? I know he’s been around a while, but don’t recall how much, if any, game experience he has.
 
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IUNorth said:
The line was great until Evan’s went out. Then we had some exploitable weaknesses, with 3 elite defenses remaining to play. Before his injury we dominated some solid defenses. We’ll never know what we’d have looked like against those elite defenses had he not gotten injured.

Combine that with a quarterback that didn’t handle collapsing pockets well, and well, that tells the story.

If Mendoza can extend plays a little better, either by stepping up in pockets or just scrambling out of pressure…it’ll add a completely different dimension to our offense. Think about how good our offense was without that off script element.

I still would love for us to use big NIL money to get as many upgraded starter level OL as possible. But I suspect we already have the guys in the locker room that could do the job.
Click to expand...
Some of the habit to not step up in the pocket may simply have come from it not being a focus of coaching. Everyone has a chink in their armor. Maybe that was Sunseri's. Just making skid marks here as I don't how we'd ever know. But it would appear from film study it would stick out like a sore thumb. ?
 
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TomEric4756 said:
Just because I think a RT can usually play inside at (swing to) RG without a lot of trouble, doesn’t mean Bostad thinks he needs a portal rental (SR/Grad Transfer) at RT. Bostad has shown he is talented at finding the best unit of 5 OL. OL depth is key to sustaining success. Bostad and Cignetti will find an OL solution.
Click to expand...
In Bostad we trust.
 
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4IUSox2 said:
Seems a long shot the injured OL from JMU, Kidwell, might get an additional year and even if he does, how has this latest injury set him back? I really hope some combination of Cooper Jones, Ajani, Verstegen and Williams can fill the void at the 2 remaining spots. What was Fiacable injury?
Will he be ready to go by then? I know he’s been around a while, but don’t recall how much, if any, game experience he has.
Click to expand...
Vinnie’s injury was pre-season IIRC correctly so he should be healthy.

I’m high on the kid, so I’d like to see him grab the brass ring. To meet him up close, he doesn’t look overly big from the waist up, but the kid is big as a house on the bottom half.
 
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Crossblock said:
With Bostad's connection to Wisconsin, wouldn't mind seeing Him help recruit a Freshman Old Wisconsin Prototype Lineman. The raw boned farm kid Who is about 6'6" weighs 275, and has the Body Build to gain 40 or 50 pounds while increasing strength and quickness
Click to expand...
Among others, there’s a West Virginia OT in the portal who fits that description named Lucas Austin. Interesting data point is that he’s evidently from the state of Illinois.
 
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There is a site that is targeting Facebook posting false portal news for clicks. I go to the official 2025 Portal Website to see the true transfers and they list Josh Thompson as committing to LSU.
82
 
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4IUSox2 said:
.Seems a long shot the injured OL from JMU, Kidwell, might get an additional year and even if he does, how has this latest injury set him back? I really hope some combination of Cooper Jones, Ajani, Verstegen and Williams can fill the void at the 2 remaining spots. What was Fiacable injury?
Will he be ready to go by then? I know he’s been around a while, but don’t recall how much, if any, game experience he has.
Click to expand...

I am somewhat surprised shat Cooper Jones hasn't been able to put it all together yet. When he came out of Valpo, I thought he had the type of frame and athleticism that programs like Iowa and Wisconsin turn into All B1G defensive linemen. I think his physical development was probably stunted by have Wellman in charge of the weighroom. Then he was switched to O-line and his development was set back further.

Hope he can put it together for his last go around.
 
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