Indiana Secures Verbal Commitment From In-State O-Lineman Harry Crider
It took Harry Crider eight days into his Indiana offer to pull the trigger and commit.
The Hoosiers extended the two-star Columbus, Indiana, offensive lineman a scholarship offer when he visited Bloomington on Aug. 7. At the time of the offer, Crider was committed to Virginia.
That is no longer the case.
Crider decommitted from Virginia on Monday to commit to the Hoosiers, a school he's long wanted to attend like two older siblings before him.
"IU has always been a dream school for me," Crider said. "Knowing that I'm going there to play football on a scholarship means a lot. It's a dream come true."
Crider, listed at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, is the third offensive lineman added to the 2017 class, joining Caleb Jones and Tyler Knight. He's the 14th member of the class overall, not including Cincinnati offensive lineman Ryan Smith, who was originally part of the 2016 class before reclassifying due to injury.
Crider, the sixth in-state commit of his class, also had offers from Buffalo, Dartmouth, Eastern Kentucky, Illinois State and North Dakota, among others. He committed to Virginia back in June but began to hear from the Hoosiers' coaching staff shortly after, giving him reason to rethink is initial pledge.
"It definitely was a whirlwind. It all happened pretty fast," Crider said. "IU was just a great fit for me. Once I got to go and meet the coaches and hang out with some of the players when I visited, I just knew it was a no-brainer from there."
Crider's visit reassured him that Indiana was the place to be after being able to interact with the coaching staff in person and watch the Hoosiers' practice up close. He said he could tell the staff was going to make him a priority in Bloomington from the plan they had for him.
Head coach Kevin Wilson and offensive line coach Greg Frey worked together to recruit Crider, who was impressed by Frey's reputation for developing linemen into NFL-caliber talent like Jason Spriggs.
"Coach Frey is a very dedicated and hard-working man who loves what he does and is good at what he does," Crider said. "He's one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. I could tell he not only knows the game but genuinely cares about his players."
Indiana's coaches recruited Crider to fit in either at center or at one of the guard spots on the offensive line. Where Crider ultimately ends up will depend on how his body develops over the next year and into 2017 fall camp.
Off the field, Crider is heavily involved with the Riley Hospital for Children, where he spent time as a child after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 10.
For his senior project at Columbus East High School, Crider organized an event called Kick-Off for Riley where donations are being raised to support the Riley Hospital for Children.
It's Crider's hope that he can raise money to help Riley's research of diabetes and other diseases to give back to the hospital that's made such a significant impact on his own life. Donations will be collected at the game or can be sent to Crider himself, who can be reached via email at harrywcrider@gmail.com.
Because football is just a game, Crider said. And while he's happy to be committed to his dream school, it's opportunities like helping Riley's that make the largest impact.
"I owe pretty much my life to Riley's," Crider said. "I wouldn't be here without them. They made me realize I could work through whatever obstacles come my way. So I owe it all to them."
