“Next man up”. Everyone knows the cliché and it is spouted every time there is an injury in any sport. The team is expected to move on and not miss a beat, as if the injury never happened. That mentality is important and necessary, particularly in a violent sport like football, but it does ignore the reality that it is often way more difficult to actually do than it is to say. The 2025 Indiana Hoosiers were going to count on Michigan transfer wide receiver Tyler Morris to replace a lot of production in the slot after Myles Price and Ke’Shawn Williams exhausted their eligibility. However, we learned this week that Morris injured his knee in practice and is out for the entirety of the upcoming season. The Hoosiers have the remainder of spring and all of fall camp to figure out new solutions but Morris will still be missed.
“It’s really tough,” expected starting wide receiver Omar Cooper said on Thursday. “Tyler was a really good player for us, and he was going to do well in the slot position for us this year. It makes us have to work harder, take more reps and learn more about the offense to play inside and outside. It sucks for Tyler and the whole receiver group, but it helps us to learn the slot and outside and be able to rotate.”
What will “next man up” look like at slot receiver for the Hoosiers? Offensive coordinator and receiver position coach Mike Shanahan does have options. The return of E.J. Williams certainly looks more important today than it did before the spring and the senior is healthy and spending this offseason trying to be ready to have an impact.
“The focal point for me is to stay healthy, stay in the training room and be able to prehab. Then, just hone in on learning concepts and not just one position,” Williams told the media on Thursday. “Learning the defense so you can think clear while you are out there running routes, and just make everything polished at the top of routes and releases.”
E.J. Williams has been limited throughout his career at both Clemson and IU by injuries but when healthy, he has played on the outside. Moving the big target inside would be an interesting look and could cause some issues for opposing defenses. That is just one option though. Elijah Sarratt is extremely talented and intelligent so he could certainly excel on the inside when called upon. Omar Cooper mentioned learning the slot as well. Beyond the starters, the Hoosiers have a lot of faith in rising sophomore Charlie Becker. Becker is another big target at 6’4” but he has terrific speed and will definitely see some playing time. Makai Jackson, a transfer from Appalachian State, was very productive at his previous stop and he can play on the outside or in the slot.
If we were to single out one player that might be most impacted, it would be freshman Lebron Bond. The absence of Tyler Morris likely accelerates the urgency to develop the speedster from Norfolk, Virginia.
Bond is a 5’9” dynamo with the ball in his hands and securing his commitment was a huge boon for Curt Cignetti and his coaching staff. He is one of three incoming freshmen, joining Davion Chandler from Indianapolis and Myles Kendrick from Jacksonville. Bond is most suited to play the slot and he has the kind of explosive after the catch ability that stresses opposing defenses.
The Hoosiers could also get creative and run out some formations with athletic tight ends Sam West or Holden Staes in the slot. Of course, Cignetti and Shanahan will use the remainder of the spring to try out these different solutions. They will then have a decision to make and if they determine the current roster is too thin on answers at slot receiver, they could dip into the post spring transfer portal and try to bring in a player that could help fill the void.
“Next man up” is a football cliché but it’s an absolute truth. Injuries happen and good teams have to find solutions to those injuries. The loss of Tyler Morris is a tough blow but it comes at a time when the coaching staff and players still have plenty of time to find answers.
