Here's our roundup of IU basketball, football and recruiting news:
Jordan Wells / Basketball Beat & Recruiting News
All eyes are on Nashville (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy five-star point guard Darius Garland (6-0, 150 pounds, No. 15 player nationally) and New Albany (Ind.) High five-star guard Romeo Langford (6-4, 185 pounds, No. 6 player nationally).
Both visited Hoosier Hysteria over the same weekend. They are not a package deal, but they are friends, so if one starts leaning toward IU it could bring a bit of a tailwind to bring the other along.
For photos of them on their visit, you can see them at HH here - LINK. Reporters also saw them shooting around together after the event was over.
Garland is set to announce for the fall signing period, which runs Nov. 8-15. Langford could decide then, but the current plan is to cut a list to three.
Rumors have been swirling about Garland, which forced him to tweet this yesterday:
I’ve heard 10 different rumors and half of them contradict each other. It’s impossible to verify what’s true and what isn’t.
What I do know is what I’ve got after talking to the family on Sunday, which is that any rumor that Garland was a done deal to Vanderbilt was false, and that IU is absolutely still in it. The visit went very well.
I know that’s not juicy. But it’s the facts - that’s what we got.
Decision time is also coming up quickly. They visit UCLA this weekend, and then a decision has to be made for Nov. 8-15.
We’ll know where he’s going soon enough.
As far as Langford, he is set to visit Kansas this weekend, and that will mark his final official visit.
I think it’s interesting the plan is to cut the list to three but they went ahead and got all the officials out of the way. At that point I don’t know what else you would be waiting for outside of revelations from the college basketball/FBI investigation and maybe how the team plays this year, who leaves and who stays from each team.
There’s some info to be gained by waiting, but, the officials are pretty important. Since they went ahead with all of them, I could see his decision going either way (deciding for fall or just cutting list.)
If Langford does cut to three, I feel pretty good about IU and UNC making that cut. The Hoosiers did a great job with the visit and are obviously the hometown team. UNC has put in a ton of resources in this recruitment.
I’d put Kansas and Vandy right behind them. Obviously Garland and Vandy could be a swaying factor and that’s a to be determined variable.
ICYMI:
Interview with Tim Langford: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/201...rd-wraps-up-indiana-basketball-official-visit
Interview with Winston Garland: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/2018-five-star-guard-darius-garland-wraps-up-indiana-official-visit
We should also mention 2019 Center Grove four-star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (6-9, 210 pounds, No. 48 player nationally). He was on campus three times in the last week, including for HH, and has been on campus five times just this fall by my count.
He really likes IU. However, he’s had goals to get offers from the top programs in the country, and if you go ahead and commit then you can’t reach those goals.
Then obviously if those offers do come, IU’s got some competition in the recruitment. It doesn’t mean they wouldn’t still get him, it just means it gets competitive.
As of today, IU is in a very good position.
IU has continued to do homework on a number of other underclassmen targets around the state but nothing significant to report on that front.
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Stu Jackson / Basketball Beat & Recruiting News
Recruiting commanded most of the attention at Hoosier Hysteria, and deservedly so. Jordan has a good handle on that.
As Jordan and Alex talked about on the podcast, not a ton you can take away from the Hoosier Hysteria scrimmage when a trio of key players were withheld for precuationary reasons (Josh Newkirk, Collin Hartman and Al Durham), but there were still a few things I wanted to point out.
• Rob Johnson's aggressiveness was no accident. He doesn't have to play alongside James Blackmon Jr. or Thomas Bryant anymore, so he's going to have the ball in his hands more. It's also a product of the simplified approach the staff has been using with Johnson. IU head coach Archie Miller admitted at Big Ten media day last week that the staff may have put too much on Johnson's in the first week of practice, so they lessened that load a llittle bit so he can focus solely on being a scorer for this team.
• Devonte Green's performance in the scrimmage was also somewhat expected. Miller had mentioned Green being one of two players who had surprised him the most through the first 14 practices this fall. He connected on 3 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc and did not seem shy at all when it came to trying to create his own offense. His emergence has him primed to be more than just a situational point guard, which is what Miller had originally envisioned Green's role to be when we caught up with Miller over the summer. Now he's positioned to be one of the team's three primary ball handlers, which in turn alleviates Johnson from having to carry that responsibility and allows him to focus on his primary role as a scorer.
Other than that, preseason tips off at 8 p.m. ET Saturday on BTN Plus when IU hosts Marian at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and that will get us one step closer to understanding what this team will look like this season.
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Taylor Lehman
Recruiting News:
The biggest news in recruiting this week was a commitment from Chicago 3-star tight end TJ Ivy. From what we’re hearing, he’s an explosive guy that can really be used in the passing game. Scouts are saying while Rivals has him rated as a 3-star recruit, he could very well be a 4-star. We’ve had plenty of coverage on the new commit, so check out all those stories here:
Marist Coach on TJ Ivy: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/marist-coach-iu-getting-explosive-tight-end-in-tj-ivy
Rivals Chicago scout Edgy Tim: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/scout-s-take-on-new-iu-commit-tj-ivy
More big news in the 2018 class, as Randy Charlton told us he will be committing by Dec. 10. He’s planning on graduating high school early and getting on campus with his friend and teammate James Head, Jr. by January. While he hasn’t committed to IU yet, he talked to me as if he was already on the team, so I would expect him to seal the deal with the Hoosiers, even though he did mention a second option of Michigan State.
Randy Charlton on his recruiting status: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/randy-charlton-planning-to-commit-before-december-10
2018 Tennessee 3-star running back Jeremy Banks told me he is visiting three more schools before he will commit. Banks is the teammate of current IU wide receiver commit Jacolby Hewitt at Cordova High, and I’m hearing one of the three schools he will visit is IU but that is unconfirmed by Banks himself. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Banks would be a huge addition to the IU backfield that already has Morgan Ellison and Ronnie Waker in the mix for the 2018 season.
Banks on his recruiting process: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/3-star-running-back-to-visit-three-more-schools-before-committing
I also talked to a couple Indiana teammates from Westfield High School, 2019 cornerback Dorian Henson and 2018 offensive guard Matthew Robinson, about the possibilities of them coming to IU. Robinson, the brother of Jacob Robinson, would have to come to IU as a preferred walk-on, and Henson is giving a hard look at Ohio State, who is showing light interest in him as well, though I’m not sure if the Buckeyes will pull the trigger on his offer.
Robinson on weighing his walk-on options: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/brother-of-current-hoosier-weighs-potential-walk-on-options
Henson has close ties to the IU program: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/2019-indiana-defensive-back-has-close-ties-to-iu-football-program
Team news:
Tom Allen said he had a few head coaches from the Big Ten call him and compliment the way his team is playing. Though IU has played competitively against some of the best teams in the country, it’s still 0-4 in conference play. Allen said the coaches offered encouragement for him and the program. Allen said the are “impressed” with the physicality and play of the Hoosiers. That’s not really something that’s happened in recent years. I think coaches are taking notice of how close IU is coming and some bad breaks they’re getting.
Ian Thomas, MARcelino Ball, A’Shon Riggins, Coy Cronk and Simon Stepaniak are questionable for Saturday. Allen said if Donavan Hale cannot return after having surgery last week, then he would be eligible for a medical redshirt year.
Allen said Isaac James’ move to safety was based on his athleticism and his football intelligence. That move is permanent for the season.
Nick Tronti was once again a scout team player of the week. He has been for all but one or two weeks. Hearing a lot of good things about him. Tyler Natee was also a scout team player of the week.
Jordan Wells / Basketball Beat & Recruiting News
All eyes are on Nashville (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy five-star point guard Darius Garland (6-0, 150 pounds, No. 15 player nationally) and New Albany (Ind.) High five-star guard Romeo Langford (6-4, 185 pounds, No. 6 player nationally).
Both visited Hoosier Hysteria over the same weekend. They are not a package deal, but they are friends, so if one starts leaning toward IU it could bring a bit of a tailwind to bring the other along.
For photos of them on their visit, you can see them at HH here - LINK. Reporters also saw them shooting around together after the event was over.
Garland is set to announce for the fall signing period, which runs Nov. 8-15. Langford could decide then, but the current plan is to cut a list to three.
Rumors have been swirling about Garland, which forced him to tweet this yesterday:
I’ve heard 10 different rumors and half of them contradict each other. It’s impossible to verify what’s true and what isn’t.
What I do know is what I’ve got after talking to the family on Sunday, which is that any rumor that Garland was a done deal to Vanderbilt was false, and that IU is absolutely still in it. The visit went very well.
I know that’s not juicy. But it’s the facts - that’s what we got.
Decision time is also coming up quickly. They visit UCLA this weekend, and then a decision has to be made for Nov. 8-15.
We’ll know where he’s going soon enough.
As far as Langford, he is set to visit Kansas this weekend, and that will mark his final official visit.
I think it’s interesting the plan is to cut the list to three but they went ahead and got all the officials out of the way. At that point I don’t know what else you would be waiting for outside of revelations from the college basketball/FBI investigation and maybe how the team plays this year, who leaves and who stays from each team.
There’s some info to be gained by waiting, but, the officials are pretty important. Since they went ahead with all of them, I could see his decision going either way (deciding for fall or just cutting list.)
If Langford does cut to three, I feel pretty good about IU and UNC making that cut. The Hoosiers did a great job with the visit and are obviously the hometown team. UNC has put in a ton of resources in this recruitment.
I’d put Kansas and Vandy right behind them. Obviously Garland and Vandy could be a swaying factor and that’s a to be determined variable.
ICYMI:
Interview with Tim Langford: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/201...rd-wraps-up-indiana-basketball-official-visit
Interview with Winston Garland: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/2018-five-star-guard-darius-garland-wraps-up-indiana-official-visit
We should also mention 2019 Center Grove four-star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (6-9, 210 pounds, No. 48 player nationally). He was on campus three times in the last week, including for HH, and has been on campus five times just this fall by my count.
He really likes IU. However, he’s had goals to get offers from the top programs in the country, and if you go ahead and commit then you can’t reach those goals.
Then obviously if those offers do come, IU’s got some competition in the recruitment. It doesn’t mean they wouldn’t still get him, it just means it gets competitive.
As of today, IU is in a very good position.
IU has continued to do homework on a number of other underclassmen targets around the state but nothing significant to report on that front.
-------
Stu Jackson / Basketball Beat & Recruiting News
Recruiting commanded most of the attention at Hoosier Hysteria, and deservedly so. Jordan has a good handle on that.
As Jordan and Alex talked about on the podcast, not a ton you can take away from the Hoosier Hysteria scrimmage when a trio of key players were withheld for precuationary reasons (Josh Newkirk, Collin Hartman and Al Durham), but there were still a few things I wanted to point out.
• Rob Johnson's aggressiveness was no accident. He doesn't have to play alongside James Blackmon Jr. or Thomas Bryant anymore, so he's going to have the ball in his hands more. It's also a product of the simplified approach the staff has been using with Johnson. IU head coach Archie Miller admitted at Big Ten media day last week that the staff may have put too much on Johnson's in the first week of practice, so they lessened that load a llittle bit so he can focus solely on being a scorer for this team.
• Devonte Green's performance in the scrimmage was also somewhat expected. Miller had mentioned Green being one of two players who had surprised him the most through the first 14 practices this fall. He connected on 3 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc and did not seem shy at all when it came to trying to create his own offense. His emergence has him primed to be more than just a situational point guard, which is what Miller had originally envisioned Green's role to be when we caught up with Miller over the summer. Now he's positioned to be one of the team's three primary ball handlers, which in turn alleviates Johnson from having to carry that responsibility and allows him to focus on his primary role as a scorer.
Other than that, preseason tips off at 8 p.m. ET Saturday on BTN Plus when IU hosts Marian at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and that will get us one step closer to understanding what this team will look like this season.
--------------
Taylor Lehman
Recruiting News:
The biggest news in recruiting this week was a commitment from Chicago 3-star tight end TJ Ivy. From what we’re hearing, he’s an explosive guy that can really be used in the passing game. Scouts are saying while Rivals has him rated as a 3-star recruit, he could very well be a 4-star. We’ve had plenty of coverage on the new commit, so check out all those stories here:
Marist Coach on TJ Ivy: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/marist-coach-iu-getting-explosive-tight-end-in-tj-ivy
Rivals Chicago scout Edgy Tim: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/scout-s-take-on-new-iu-commit-tj-ivy
More big news in the 2018 class, as Randy Charlton told us he will be committing by Dec. 10. He’s planning on graduating high school early and getting on campus with his friend and teammate James Head, Jr. by January. While he hasn’t committed to IU yet, he talked to me as if he was already on the team, so I would expect him to seal the deal with the Hoosiers, even though he did mention a second option of Michigan State.
Randy Charlton on his recruiting status: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/randy-charlton-planning-to-commit-before-december-10
2018 Tennessee 3-star running back Jeremy Banks told me he is visiting three more schools before he will commit. Banks is the teammate of current IU wide receiver commit Jacolby Hewitt at Cordova High, and I’m hearing one of the three schools he will visit is IU but that is unconfirmed by Banks himself. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Banks would be a huge addition to the IU backfield that already has Morgan Ellison and Ronnie Waker in the mix for the 2018 season.
Banks on his recruiting process: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/3-star-running-back-to-visit-three-more-schools-before-committing
I also talked to a couple Indiana teammates from Westfield High School, 2019 cornerback Dorian Henson and 2018 offensive guard Matthew Robinson, about the possibilities of them coming to IU. Robinson, the brother of Jacob Robinson, would have to come to IU as a preferred walk-on, and Henson is giving a hard look at Ohio State, who is showing light interest in him as well, though I’m not sure if the Buckeyes will pull the trigger on his offer.
Robinson on weighing his walk-on options: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/brother-of-current-hoosier-weighs-potential-walk-on-options
Henson has close ties to the IU program: https://indiana.rivals.com/news/2019-indiana-defensive-back-has-close-ties-to-iu-football-program
Team news:
Tom Allen said he had a few head coaches from the Big Ten call him and compliment the way his team is playing. Though IU has played competitively against some of the best teams in the country, it’s still 0-4 in conference play. Allen said the coaches offered encouragement for him and the program. Allen said the are “impressed” with the physicality and play of the Hoosiers. That’s not really something that’s happened in recent years. I think coaches are taking notice of how close IU is coming and some bad breaks they’re getting.
Ian Thomas, MARcelino Ball, A’Shon Riggins, Coy Cronk and Simon Stepaniak are questionable for Saturday. Allen said if Donavan Hale cannot return after having surgery last week, then he would be eligible for a medical redshirt year.
Allen said Isaac James’ move to safety was based on his athleticism and his football intelligence. That move is permanent for the season.
Nick Tronti was once again a scout team player of the week. He has been for all but one or two weeks. Hearing a lot of good things about him. Tyler Natee was also a scout team player of the week.
