A season ago, Indiana led the Big Ten in both sacks and turnovers gained - meaning the pass rush did its job. But, it wasn't always coming from the defensive line.
Only two of the top 10 leaders in sacks for the Hoosiers came from the defensive line and Jerome Johnson - who ranked second on the roster with four sacks - has graduated. That leaves James Head Jr as the defensive line returning leader with just 1.5 sacks from last year.
Also, only 10 of the 47 tackles for loss came from that unit as well. So while the pass rush was effective, it wasn't all due to the defensive line, meaning the potential for growth is there.
"It’s Day 5 and I’m pleased with where we’re at," IU defensive line coach Kevin Peoples said. "...We’ve got some good competition. I think we’ve got better depth than we’ve had, and I think anytime you get competition among a group, it’s going to help your group improve and that’s where we’re at right now."
While Indiana does return guys like James Head, DeMarcus Elliot and Sio Nofoagatoto’a, those three combined for just 43 tackles in 2020.
Indiana now looks to players like CJ Person and Beau Robbins to take a step up in their production. In the offseason, Indiana also added Ole Miss transfer Ryder Anderson and Northern Illinois transfer Weston Kramer, adding depth and a good amount of talent to the defensive line.
"Weston Kramer, which is a new player for us who wasn’t with us in the spring, he’s been a very pleasant surprise. He’s a very tough, hard-nose, physical kid and I love what he brings. The other guys that have been here in the spring, Ryder Anderson, which is a newcomer, but he was here in the spring and he’s doing a very good job. Guys like C.J. Person have stepped up. Pleased with DeMarcus Elliot and Sio Nofoagatoto’a which have had significant playing time, they’re strong and steady," Peoples said. "I like where we’re at. Beau Robbins is stepping up."
Person is a name from last year that is already looking like a player who can make a big impact as a sophomore. He finished last year with just eight tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss, but has been impressive this offseason.
"He is a hard worker," senior Alfred Bryant said. "He shows up every day locked in; locked in during meetings, locked in the film room, locked in in the weight room. He is a different guy. He comes to work every day and gets to work. He gets after all of us [if we aren't taking care of our work]."
“He’s just been working hard and trusting the defense, trusting the scheme,” Ryder Anderson added. “We talk all the time about how if you try to go out of your way, thinking about yourself trying to make plays and stuff, it tends to not come. But if you just trust the defense, trust the scheme and do your job, then you start running into plays. That’s what he’s been doing. He’s been trusting the defense, trusting the scheme and working hard like he has been all summer. He’s just seeing a lot of fruits of his labor. It’s starting to pay off. It’s been good to see him ball out.”
For newcomer Ryder Anderson, he will look to bring much needed help on the outside for the defensive line unit. In 2020, he finished with 43 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
"I feel like I’m adjusting really well. It’s been made easy on me... that process happened pretty quickly," Anderson said. "As far as what I’ll be bringing, just that edge presence and a lot of aggressiveness. I’m a guy who can play all three downs, can stop the run or rush the passer. I am just trying to do my part in the defense.
"I don’t really have a problem, necessarily, moving across the defensive line. It’s just being in the scheme that fits me, uses me and gives me a little bit more freedom to be a ballplayer. That’s what I have here in this defense. I play on the edge. I’ll get inside and do some things, rush inside a little bit or play the run inside. That’s all stuff I like to do. I like to show versatility. It’s something that throughout the course of a game, I excel at."
As for Weston Kramer, his ability to slide in as a replacement for Jerome Johnson will be huge for the Hoosiers. In four seasons at Northern Illinois, Kramer recorded 97 tackles including 12.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Both additions, including the improvement Indiana is also seeing from its returning lineman will be huge for Peoples and defensive coordinator Charlton Warren.
So for 2021, the defensive line will be focused on brining 'havoc' to the opposing backfield.
"Anytime you can production out of your defensive line, you can get more pass rush and you don’t have to blitz to get the pass rush, it’s a huge benefit. Those are things we’re trying to work on. We’re trying to make sure we’re doing our job within the scheme and making the plays that come to us," Peoples said. "One big thing with Coach (Charlton) Warren is creating havoc. We have a havoc leader every single day and that’s tackles for loss, forced fumbles, sacks, pass breakups and interceptions. That’s a huge focus for our defensive line and a huge focus for our entire defense.
"The emphasis on havoc has really helped us as a D-line," Nofoagatoto’a added. "We feel like if we can create havoc we can give confidence to our secondary and our linebackers."
----
• Talk about it inside The Hoops Forum or The Football Forum
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @IndianaRivals
• Like us on Facebook.
