A total of 14 players signed National Letter of Intents Wednesday during early signing day, pledging their commitment to the Indiana Hoosiers and the program head coach Tom Allen is building.
"We are really excited about this signing class. Even though it is not a large group in numbers, we are bringing in high quality football players, high quality individuals and high quality student-athletes that really fit with the culture that we have created here at IU. We have a broad representation across multiple positions, especially on offense, which is very important to have at each position. Five of these young men will arrive in January and we look forward to getting all of them here in Bloomington," Allen said.
Players reporting mid-year will be James Evans, Vincent Fiacable, DJ Matthews, Josh Sales and Jordyn Williams.
"We have not many spots left. You can only replace what you lose. I don't see a whole lot of movement. We knew it would be a small group, but I am anxious to get them on campus. It is a big day for the Hoosiers," Allen said.
This year's class features a total of five players from Indiana signing with the Hoosiers.
"Five of the top 11 kids from Indiana signed with us. We had the core of those guys in this room and I poured my heard out about what we were building here. I knew how close we were and had a bunch of Indiana kids here. I knew how much it meant for them to be an Indiana Hoosier. It is tremendous to see so many of the top kids in the state of Indiana choose to help us continue our upward trajectory. To see the top kids in our state band together as a group and decide to come represent this great university is truly special," Allen said.
For the second year in a row, Indiana has signed a quarterback, this time four-star recruit Donaven McCulley, out of Lawrence North High School. McCulley led the Wildcats to their first winning season in 15 seasons, while completing 70 percent of his passes for 2,576 yards with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also averaged eight yards a carry on the season as he ran for 506 yards and two touchdowns on 63 carries.
Allen said he first saw McCulley at a camp and was impressed with his "natural, quick release."
"You can't coach that. He has the physical parts and makes effortless throws. You knew he would keep getting better. His best football is ahead of him," Allen said.
Indiana also added running backs out of both Michigan and Illinois.
David Holloman comes to the Hoosiers via the state of Michigan, while Trenten Howard hails from Illinois.
For Holloman, the opportunity to sign with the Hoosiers is "exciting." He told TheHoosier.com that what set Indiana apart from the other schools that recruited and offered him was simply "loyalty."
"I feel very blessed and fortunate to be a part of the program. And, it's extremely special. I know that coach wants to win a Big Ten championship, so by all means, in everything I do, I want to contribute doing that in the best of my ability. I look forward to being a part of something great that's on the rise," Holloman said.
Howard told TheHoosier.com that he feels "relieved, excited, joyful and focused" after signing his name on the dotted line.
"I'm very grateful for being in the position that I am in today. Coach Allen is a fantastic coach, and that is one of the reasons I committed to Indiana. When Coach Allen and I spoke on the phone, he talked about the plan he had for this season and how hard him and the guys were going to work, I just knew that he knew what he was doing as a coach," Howard said.
The Hoosiers got a transfer from Florida State in D.J. Matthews, along with four-star wide receiver Jacquez Smith (Westlake, Ga.) and Jordyn Williams (Cedar Hill, Texas). At tight end, Bloomington North High School (IN) standout Aaron Steinfeldt signed with the Hoosiers.
"It's a lifelong dream of mine. Ever since I came to Bloomington, I wanted to become a Hoosier and make a big difference in the program, and I still believe that to this day," Steinfeldt said.
Up front, Indiana landed Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger's (IN) Vincent Fiacable and Brownsburg (IN) standout Joshua Sales.
For Fiacable, the opportunity to play for Indiana means following in the footsteps of his father and brothers.
""I am really excited. I have always wanted to play for Indiana, so this is literally a dream come true," Fiacable said.
As for Sales, he told TheHoosier.com he cannot wait to become a part of the program and culture.
"It is surreal to see all my hard work paying off. It is going to be amazing," Sales said.
On the defensive side of the football, the Hoosiers added several players, including defensive lineman and in-state talent Cooper Jones from Valparaiso High School (IN). This season at Valpo, Jones recorded 80 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two pass deflections, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one blocked punt. Jones also played on offense for the Vikings as a tight end and he hauled in eight receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown.
The secondary added three players in Larry Smith, who played at Oakleaf High School in Florida; Jordan Grier, who played at Cedar Grove High in Georgia; and Maurice Freeman, who played at Oscar Smith in Virginia.
Freeman told TheHoosier.com that he had tears in his eyes when he signed.
"It feels so good because I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I can't believe I've come this far because two years ago, I didn't have any offers. I didn't make a sophomore season highlights because I had some adversity that I had to go through, but look at me now, I am a Hoosier and never looking back," Freeman said.
Indiana also went international with this class, signing punter James Evans out of New Zealand.
Evans told TheHoosier.com it was cool to put pen to paper and will enrolling in January at Indiana.
"I am so keen to get over to Indiana," Evans said.
This year's signing class is a bit of an odd one as it transpired under what Allen calls "unchartered territory" due to the NCAA extending the dead period. As a result, colleges signed players who they've either never met in person or never had on campus in person.
Allen admitted it is harder to get a feel for players when you don’t have face to face contact with a recruit.
“It is harder to do an evaluation when you don’t have face to face contact," Allen said. "I feel for student athletes and families who make this decision without having had a chance to physically go somewhere. You have to feel the environment of a campus, football program, facilities. It’s the people, you get a feel for the vibe and the culture when you’re physically together. It’s unfortunate."
And, Allen notes that Indiana, as well as other programs, will be signing players who have not been on campus yet.
“It’s unfortunate, none of us had control over it. You’ll have to sign guys that haven’t been on campus. Like to limit that as much as possible, but it’s reality of the world we are living in right now. It’s going to make it harder to make decisions and evaluations, but we are close to being full with a small group. Challenging time for sure that will create some unique things for the future that we’ve never experienced in the past,” Allen said.
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