Offseason Part 5: Wide Receivers

Thought I would group WRs and TEs together, since there are not that many TEs anymore, but I'm short on time, as the snow is coming, and I need some shut eye, because I'm sure I'll be out working accidents tonight. So, first, I want to start with James Hardy, and just simply say that it was a real pleasure to watch him play and mature as a player and as a person over the past 3 seasons. He came in with loads of potential, but someone that was going to be a 2 sport guy that NEVER had concentrated on football. In 2 seasons, he's improved so much it's scary, and I can not imagine how much he'll improve over the next 2 or 3 years, as he continues to concentrate on football only. From what I can read and gather, he'll go anywhere from 15 to 40 depending on what teams need, but if he can run in that high end 4.4 at his pro day, the sky's the limit in my opinion. He did so much for IU football in terms of it's offensive production it's not even funny. Many times, when KL was in trouble, he'd simply lob the ball up and James would just go get it. In 2006, James caught 51 passes for 722 yards and 10 TDs. In 2007, James caught 79 passes for 1125 yards and 16 TDs. What a season!

Now for the rest of the team!

James Bailey 6'2" 205 senior to be:
James started a lot last season and some this season, but saw his pt cut very much by the emergence of Ray Fisher. James didn't pout, instead, he kept working and found a very nice niche as the primary kick returner and he even returned a kick for a TD. In 2006, James caught 40 passes for 401 yards and 0 TDs. In 2007, he caught 26 passes for 270 yards and 2 TDs and also returned the ball 18 times for 456 yards (25.3) and that TD.

This season, I expect James to provide depth with his size and experience as well as be the top kick returner for the Hoosiers. If Andrew Means would happen to go to baseball, James will have to step into a starting role, but he's got experience there, so I'm not that worried.

Chris Banks 6'2" 180 redshirt junior to be:
Chris hasn't seen much action so far at IU, but that doesn't mean this Ohio HS product isn't talented. In fact, he showed last spring that he's very capable. The only real negative about him is he just can't seem to hold much weight on his frame, but he's working very hard none the less. Banks didn't catch a pass in 2006, and this past season, he didn't either, but he did appear in 3 games at WR and all other games on kickoff coverage. I expect Chris to continue to add depthat WR, but playing time is going to be hard to come by.

Matt Earnest 6'2" 180 redshirt freshman to be:
Matt came to IU from Crown Point HS in northwestern Indiana. During his RS year, he mimiced the opposing team's best WR on the Scout Team. Matt was very impressive in the fall and though he still needs to add some muscle, I expect him to play a little bit this fall in the slot. The staff is very excited about the potential of Matt, and though we may not see it this fall, he's going to really help this team his sophmore season.

Ray Fisher 5'9" 170 redshirt junior to be:
"Big Play" Ray as his teammates call him, really came into his own this season. He ended up 2nd on the team in receptions, and now that Hardy has moved on, he'll assume the #1 postion that KL will look to. Ray is a speed demon (4.29 40) from the football factory of Glennville HS in Cleveland, OH. Ray claims that he beat Ted Ginn regularly in sprints last summer before Ted Jr headed to training camp in Miami.

Ray caught 24 passes for 215 yards in 2006, and he upped that total in 2007, catching 52 passes for 482 yards and 4 TDs. Not to be outdone, he also ran the ball 7 times for 35 yards on reverses. In 2008, I expect Ray to be a huge part of the offense both in the short and long passing games, as the staff finds ways to get him to ball in space so that he can use his speed and quickness.

Jake Kocal 5'10" 180 redshirt junior to be, walk-on:
Jake saw time in the Indiana State game, but didn't catch a pass.

Andrew Means 6' 21o junior to be:
Andrew will play pro ball, but it will probably be on the diamond that Andrew will make his living. However, this past season on the gridiron, Andrew really became a force at WR. He came to IU as a WR, but was really valued as a CF for the baseball team. Andrew doesn't hit for power, but he's a stud defensively and can slap hit, hit for average, and swipe bases very effectively. I talked with a scout friend of mine, and he thinks of Andrew in the mold of Mike Cameron. My friend thinks he'll be drafted somewhere between round 15 and 20, so it's anyone's guess of whether he'll go pro this summer, or come back to school for another season. Of course, it's aways possible that he could play summer pro ball, then return to school in the fall, but we'll see.

In 2006, Andrew played some and caught 20 passes for 263 yards and 1 TD. This past season, he caught 48 passes for 560 yards, which was best for 3rd most on the team. In 2008, I expect Andrew's numbers to continue to go up, if he decides to stay at IU. It would really help this unit if he did stay, but IU has tons of depth here, including at least a couple of kids that could come in and play as true freshmen, so all wouldn't be lost, but it would allow most of the new comers to redshirt if Andrew did stay.

Eddie Miller 6'3" 190 redshirt freshman to be walk on:
Eddie has a chance to contribute down the road as a slot guy. He reminds me a lot of Jake Standeford who was a walkon senior at Purdue this season. I don't expect him to do much this season, but he has very good hands and is a smart player.

Nick Polk 6' 205 redshirt junior to be:
Nick is mostly known as the starting free safety on defense, but he did see action on offense some this season. Last season, as a WR only, he caught 32 passes for 326 yards and 1 TD, which was good enough for 3rd best on the team. However, the coaches obviously saw something in him and moved him to defense full time in the fall, and boy did he produce. He still was able to catch 1 pass this season for 10 yards, and I expect he will continue to see some time on offense, especially if Andrew Means doesn't return.

Collin Taylor 6' 180 redshirt junior to be walk on:
Collin got to see his first game action this season against Indiana State, though he didn't catch any passes. He also saw some action on kick coverage in another couple games as well.

Terrance Turner 6'3" 200 redshirt sophmore to be:
Terrance came to IU as a grayshirt after though a couple of years ago in the same class that brought in WRs Josh Bailey (ended up at LB), Chris Banks, Andrew Means, and Brandon Walker-Roby. However, it's Turner that now offers the most potential and is really on the verge of busting out this season. This season brought a lot of eye popping potential in fall practice , but a knee injury ended his season after only 5 games, he surprisingly he only caught a hand full of passes, though he did see a lot of action in those 5 games.

As some have probably read in Bryan Payton's blog today, Terrance ran during conditioning drills Tuesday and more than held his own. Though the staff will limit him during spring practice, he appears to be well on his way to being ready for fall practice and I feel will be starting by game 1. Terrance is a low end 4.5 kid and has big hands and can jump. I look for him to really break out with about 40 to 50 catches this fall.

Brandon Walker-Roby 5'11" 190 senior to be:
Brandon came to IU as a very promising recruit, and right after his brother, Courtney, left IU will records and as a high draft choice. Brandon even played as a true freshman, but he's never really been able to put it all together and have a breakout year. However, he's another of those unsung leaders of this team and I expect him to be a team captain this season, though he'll be no more than role player on offense. His main problem is his size/speed ratio isn't compatible. By this I mean, he's not a very fast runner, so he has to do his work over the middle, and he's really not big enough to take the punishment of being pounded by LBs and strong safties.

In 2006, Brandon did catch 5 balls for 40 yards, and in 2007, he managed 4 catches for 64 yards. In 2008, I expect much of the same from him. He'll see spot duty on offense, but will be a presence in the lockerroom and off the field.

Of course, IU has really recruited this position for this recruiting class, and they may not be done either. So far, IU has verbals from 4 kids, with a RB that could switch to WR, and another 3-star picking between IU and Memphis.

1. Tandon Doss 6'3" 200 WR from Ben Davis HS in Indianapolis. Runs a low end 4.5 and could see some PT this season, but like all freshmen, the staff would rather RS him.

2. Tyler Adetona 6'1 200 WR from Gainesville HS in Georgia. Runs a middle of the road 4.4 and could be another kid that gets early PT next season.

3. Marquelo Suel 6'3" 180 WR from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was IU's first commit way back in the summer. Marquelo could be moved to FS, but for now, he's a WR with middle of road 4.5 speed.

4. Charles Love III 6'3" 190 WR from Memphis, TN. A fruit of Gerald Brown's labor, this kid is a hidden gem that is probably the less heralded of any of the before mentioned kids, but man, he's got some serious skills. runs a low end 4.4 and has a good vertical and reported soft hands.

5. Shane Covington is signed as a RB, but as I mentioned in a previous blog, he will probably be moved to either WR or CB. He's 6' 180 and reminds the staff of Nick Polk both as a receiver and athletically, as a DB.

Also, IU is in a heated battle with Memphis for Marcus Rucker, a 6'3" 175 WR from Memphis, TN. Marcus was pretty much set to go to KY, but scholarship crunches has eliminated them, and so he's down to IU and Memphis. He's another of Gerald Brown's hidden gems as IU was recruiting him and several of his teammates at Whitehaven HS in Memphis. Now that Gerald is in the NFL, I was concerned we'd lose out on Marcus, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say he'll be a Hoosier.

I've also been assured that IU will take Rucker and Johnson if they have the chance, but I'm believing more and more that Ohrian Johnson will be a Buckeye and Rucker will be a Hoosier.

Well, next time, I'll get the TEs.

God Bless!