Incoming IU football freshmen will begin arriving on campus Wednesday, and position group fans will be paying close attention to is the defensive line.
The amount of talent in that particular group brought in by position coach Mark Hagen makes it one that has a chance to be a key piece to Indiana's defense over the next four years.
"Time will always tell exactly how much (in terms of how special they can be)," IU head coach Tom Allen told TheHoosier.com in an extended 1-on-1 interview earlier this month. "But if they come in and work the way we expect them to, take full advantage of our strength staff and the technique that they're going to be taught from Coach Hagen and his crew, I think they can be a foundational part of the whole future of our defense."
Indiana went all over the country for its defensive line signees in the previous cycle.
Carmel (Ind.) High four-star Beau Robbins is the highest-rated prospect of the bunch. The bulk of the Hoosiers' class came from the south, with three signees from Florida - 3-star defensive tackles Jeramy Passmore, Antoine Whitner and Sio Nofoagatoto'a and another from Alabama in 3-star defensive tackle C.J. Person.
While he's not a freshman, IU also brought back Juan Harris, who spent last fall at Independence (Kansas) Community College of Last Chance U fame after leaving IU in the spring. Harris will be a redshirt sophomore and have three years of eligibility remaining beginning this fall.
In addition to Harris, Indiana also grabbed Garden City Community College defensive tackle Demarcus Elliott, who will have three years of eligibility remaining starting this fall.
Here's the measureables of the group:
• Robbins: 6-foot-5, 240 pounds.
• Harris: 6-3, 350.
• Elliott: 6-4, 290.
• Passmore: 6-2, 250.
• Whitner: 6-5, 295.
• Nofoagatoto'a: 6-2, 312.
• Person: 6-2, 299.
"As a group, I think it gives us some size and some mass that you know we have to have in this league and don't necessarily have enough of," Allen said. "Sio's going to come in here already strong and big, but how's that going to translate playing Big Ten football as a freshman? I guess we'll see, but at the same time, they have the body types that you're looking."
With five players graduating, including four defensive tackles, many of them will have the chance to play right away. Those determinations won't get made until after fall camp evaluations, but the group checks off an important attribute of already having Big Ten frames.
Given time, this group will have a chance to set the tone for Indiana's defense.
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