Which players are you curious to see this spring?

[ESalum86]

Gotta love spring ball! We're all jonesing for football and spring practice fills the void and teases us looking to the upcoming season. Who are the players you look to make an impact and why?

For me?

Nick Tronti: Simple: the kid was Mr. Football in Florida. FLORIDA! They don't give this award for perfect Sunday School attendance and eating your vegetables.

LeShaun Minor: Hope I spelled his name correctly. I just remember catching a glimpse of him on TV last season and thinking he looked like a grown azz man. Been excited to see his progress with the diet and weight training college offers.

Peyton Hendershot: Since he signed I really felt his athleticism could make him a great TE. I guess I look at former hoops playing TEs (Tony Gonzalez, Marcus Pollard, Antonion Gates, etc) and get excited about the possibilities.

Mo Burnam: Felt this kid was one of the steals of the 2017 signing class. Gut feeling. Then again, I've always been intrigued with Tennessee football, and wasn't he a one time UT verbal?

David Felton: Yes, I know he is a walk-on, but another great athlete and I think the upside potential is great.

What say you?

 

[Bowlmania]

Ramsey, Tronti and Penix.

 

[IndyIUFan66]

Caleb Jones - all 6'8 370lb of him. Hoping if can trim some body fat % and get him stronger, that 6'8 345lb would still be plenty big but maybe much more agile to compete against the big boys and give IU a top tier Oline.

Fitzgerald & Burgess - two heralded Safeties who both RS'd and who I hope will be as good as advertised and really good contributors this next season.

Mo Burnam - Seems like he has the body and athleticism to be on par with any B10 LB. Hope he delivers.

Tronti & Penix - Until I see otherwise, I think Ramsey will hold on to the starting spot based on experience and his own coaches son work ethic & skill sets. But if Tronti can win #2 spot, would ideally allow Penix to be 3rd string but still redshirt if doesn't have to play b/c of injuries.

 

[76-1]

Similar list to above...(Fan66's)...

On Defense I'm interested in seeing Burnam @ LB, Head @ DE, Burgess @ S and Fitzgerald @ whichever spot they play him.

On Offense I'm intrigued by the size and oft spoken of agility of Jones at OT, the talent of Linder at C and the potential of Walker at RB and Hewitt at WR breaking into the 3 deep rotation...

Should be an interesting Spring...

 

[Chriselli]

Quarterbacks and Fitzgerald

 

[Crimson Crush]

I am intrigued mostly by our defensive line. Our defensive improvement is going to go according to these guys up front. Skill guys get a lot of focus, obviously, but the core of any team is in the line play. The OL 1000% has to get better and hoping that Linder and others not seen last year can boost that.

In no particular order:

Sykes - how much did we miss him last year?
Juan Harris
Robinson
"Nightmare" Bryant
Wilson
Reece
Stallings
Johnson

Some names there that have circulated for some time.

 

[brebelle3]

A healthy Ball and Westbrook.

Gonna need them both.

 

[iubud]

Gotta love spring ball! We're all jonesing for football and spring practice fills the void and teases us looking to the upcoming season. Who are the players you look to make an impact and why?

For me?

Nick Tronti: Simple: the kid was Mr. Football in Florida. FLORIDA! They don't give this award for perfect Sunday School attendance and eating your vegetables.

LeShaun Minor: Hope I spelled his name correctly. I just remember catching a glimpse of him on TV last season and thinking he looked like a grown azz man. Been excited to see his progress with the diet and weight training college offers.

Peyton Hendershot: Since he signed I really felt his athleticism could make him a great TE. I guess I look at former hoops playing TEs (Tony Gonzalez, Marcus Pollard, Antonion Gates, etc) and get excited about the possibilities.

Mo Burnam: Felt this kid was one of the steals of the 2017 signing class. Gut feeling. Then again, I've always been intrigued with Tennessee football, and wasn't he a one time UT verbal?

David Felton: Yes, I know he is a walk-on, but another great athlete and I think the upside potential is great.

What say you?

Felton is interesting. He was a really good athlete in high school and I was surprised he walked on at IU. I hope he gets a chance to play. I want to see how his athleticism compares at this level.

 

[mushroomgod_1]

1. Burnam--If he's not at least adequate by the 4th game we have issues. Might be, very strangely, the most important player on the team.

2. Tronti/Penix--Of the two I feel like I have a better handle on Penix. What intrigues me about Tronti is why other high D1 teams weren't willing to give him a shot. On film, he appeared big & strong enough, fast enough, and he appeared to have a decent arm. We know he was extremely productive at a high HS level, and that he's a coach on the field type. What I think is going on is that he's above average at just about everything but not great at anything.

4. Walker--Can he be a stud right off the bat, ala Wisconsin TBs?

5. Fitzgerald & Burgess

7. Linder

 

[ESalum86]

4. Walker--Can he be a stud right off the bat, ala Wisconsin TBs?

The Wisconsin OL group are the studs. Their RBs are the recipients. I am not saying they're bad. I am saying my old, slow, fat arse would average at least 1.0 YPC behind them!

 

[cshartle123]

Gotta love spring ball! We're all jonesing for football and spring practice fills the void and teases us looking to the upcoming season. Who are the players you look to make an impact and why?

For me?

Nick Tronti: Simple: the kid was Mr. Football in Florida. FLORIDA! They don't give this award for perfect Sunday School attendance and eating your vegetables.

LeShaun Minor: Hope I spelled his name correctly. I just remember catching a glimpse of him on TV last season and thinking he looked like a grown azz man. Been excited to see his progress with the diet and weight training college offers.

Peyton Hendershot: Since he signed I really felt his athleticism could make him a great TE. I guess I look at former hoops playing TEs (Tony Gonzalez, Marcus Pollard, Antonion Gates, etc) and get excited about the possibilities.

Mo Burnam: Felt this kid was one of the steals of the 2017 signing class. Gut feeling. Then again, I've always been intrigued with Tennessee football, and wasn't he a one time UT verbal?

David Felton: Yes, I know he is a walk-on, but another great athlete and I think the upside potential is great.

What say you?[

I am intrigued mostly by our defensive line. Our defensive improvement is going to go according to these guys up front. Skill guys get a lot of focus, obviously, but the core of any team is in the line play. The OL 1000% has to get better and hoping that Linder and others not seen last year can boost that.

In no particular order:

Sykes - how much did we miss him last year?
Juan Harris
Robinson
"Nightmare" Bryant
Wilson
Reece
Stallings
Johnson

Some names there that have circulated for some time.

adding Barwick to the D Line list

 

[newIUfan]

Quarterbacks and the O-line they were the difference between 5-7 and 8-4 or 9-3 last season. If they were better last year IU beats PU, Maryland, MSU and Michigan. Linebackers are also of interest. As to QBs I think the starter will be Ramsey. The future is Penix. I wish them all well, and the Hoosiers will need 3 good QBs if history is any indication of future issues. As to the excitement of Trondi and his Mr. Football of Florida, his offer list was not great , and his rating was ** 5.4. (Arizona the only power 5 offer and it was late like IU, and he was committed to Charlotte). The high school I teach at is in Florida and we won the 7A state title this year. Our QB was Mr. Florida for this year, and his best offer was Coastal Carolina, so I would not put too much stock in the award. Don't get me wrong, they were great high school players, but their metrics don't stand out as a high ceiling in college (think Zander, who I loved to watch, but was not going lead the Hoosiers to a new level). Our team played Penix's Tampa Tech in the playoffs, and the coaches I have talked to said he is the "real deal". He is a QB who can run (not a running back playing QB). I hope they all have a great spring.

Gotta love spring ball! We're all jonesing for football and spring practice fills the void and teases us looking to the upcoming season. Who are the players you look to make an impact and why?

For me?

Nick Tronti: Simple: the kid was Mr. Football in Florida. FLORIDA! They don't give this award for perfect Sunday School attendance and eating your vegetables.

LeShaun Minor: Hope I spelled his name correctly. I just remember catching a glimpse of him on TV last season and thinking he looked like a grown azz man. Been excited to see his progress with the diet and weight training college offers.

Peyton Hendershot: Since he signed I really felt his athleticism could make him a great TE. I guess I look at former hoops playing TEs (Tony Gonzalez, Marcus Pollard, Antonion Gates, etc) and get excited about the possibilities.

Mo Burnam: Felt this kid was one of the steals of the 2017 signing class. Gut feeling. Then again, I've always been intrigued with Tennessee football, and wasn't he a one time UT verbal?

David Felton: Yes, I know he is a walk-on, but another great athlete and I think the upside potential is great.

What say you?

 

[Walt542]

Linebackers! That is the only spot that really concerns me. We lost two really good ones and don't have much experience with what is coming back. Hoping that Burnam really grabs a hold of the position and someone else either moves down or surprises me because I do not have much excitement with the rest of them yet.

 

[82IU]

So far it looks like we swung and missed on the linebacking position the past 2 or 3 years. Jones, McGinness?, Willis(somewhat decent but not as good as hyped),Sykes(had to move him to DE). Hope that Burnham and Allen Jr are keepers. Don't know how serviceable K.Walton is yet. Hate that we lost Bolstadt and Willis. Hoping that one or more of the freshmen can give us some help, but probably not likely this year. Was really hoping to see a grad transfer or two to add to the mix.
Like Walt says, the linebackers have me concerned. I hope they all prove me wrong and finish with monster careers.
Go Hoosiers!
82

 

[Superstar84b]

Felton is interesting. He was a really good athlete in high school and I was surprised he walked on at IU. I hope he gets a chance to play. I want to see how his athleticism compares at this level.

I agree. I posted on him a while back but he appears to be in the mold of Latimer, Cobbs, Hale, and Patrick.. now whether or not he can play like them is yet to be seen. But his height, weight and speed combination is UNUSUAL, and fits the mold of our latest big bodied receivers. It raised My eyebrows when going through the roster last year, and a guy like that actually made me feel okay about Cobbs leaving. If he can give any kind of production with Westbrook and Hale coming back, that’ll be of value. We just need him to be serviceable. I’d take 20 catches for 300 from a walk on like him.

 

[Superstar84b]

For me it’s an entire position group. The offensive line. The unfortunate spot about Spring is that it’s hard to gauge an offensive line. Spring is set up in their favor because you can’t hit the QB, the defense lines up in predictable fronts, and blitzing is limited. So an offensive line can realistically look okay in the spring (last spring for example) and not be good.

With that being said, if they’re just physically manhandling a defensive line and getting knockouts, that can translate to the season.

1. Wes Martin is a good I’m ready to see because he has a dan Feeney frame and stregnth, and the football IQ (based on film) of a freshman. It hasn’t improved. I want to see him take off this year. He lost his job at various points his first two years, and didn’t show up until the end last year. He’s got NFL physical tools, and has been the strongest man on the team. It’s time for him to put it together. For him, it’s more about going to the film room than the weight room.

2. Nick Linder- it will be fun to see if he can call shots/get the line adjusted in the spring. You’d expect him to come with great leadership skills, and a good feel for the game since he’s had so many reps in his career. The shoulder, and how healthy he stays in the spring will also be huge. Very excited to see those things.

3. Austin Dorris/Shaun Bonner- as TE’s they’re extensions of the O-line (parameter blocking). Both have nice frames, and both have made zero impact during their time on campus. Time is particularly running out for Dorris. At 6’5” 255, and id imagine in the 4.7 range, he has the size and speed to contribute. He is a balanced TE. From my one year playing with him, he showed good speed And hustle, but lacked power. As a RA junior, I want to see if he’s put it all together becaue he reminds you have a TED Bolser on paper if he puts it all together. Bonner is another guy who has some physical tools and has to put it together. He looks like a prototypical TE/H-back/Fullback. I want to see his blocking this spring, and if he can manhandle people. If you combine those big bodied guys with watercutter and TJ Ivy who are the pass catchers, we could be very very deep/versatile at TE.

 

[fkfootball]

Guys, I'm worried about LB. Really worried. If we arent strong there, our run defense will suffer. Not only do we lack bodies, we lack experience. 2 guys that I'm watching that we desperately need to be competent, are Burnham and Allen Jr.

 

[fkfootball]

Silver lining-We have 4 LBs coming in. So....basically, most of our 2 deep at LB will be R-Freshman or T-Freshman. I have a good feeling about Thomas Allen. You cant underestimate a coaches son. Hes good size, and I'm sure has good instincts. Burnham is the most talented. And James Miller could see some time. One saving grace is having Ball and Crawford behind these guys to clean up mistakes.

 

[Superstar84b]

Guys, I'm worried about LB. Really worried. If we arent strong there, our run defense will suffer. Not only do we lack bodies, we lack experience. 2 guys that I'm watching that we desperately need to be competent, are Burnham and Allen Jr.

I’m not. So much of LB is like running back... you’re as good as the D-line in front of you. We saw Scales make a jump, not surprisingly when the D-line got to the right gaps, unlike prior to CTA’s arrival. They’ll be as good as the guys in front of them. Jones and Mcginnist are two guys who I don’t think can play. Outside of that, everyone else seems to have the speed/athleticism to play, so long as they can run free, which should be the case with our D-line. I would be shocked if Walton doesn’t have 100+ tackles and grades out 90%+ in coverage. His height/weight/speed at that position is more prototypical than Scales, so long as he’s kept clean from O-lineman