Indiana’s defensive line is terrifying.
That’s not necessarily news, considering that last year’s team led the Big Ten in tackles for loss in conference games, and was two sacks shy of Minnesota for first place in the Big Ten in that category as well.
From that group, Indiana lost the likes of Aiden Fisher and Mikail Kamara to the NFL, as well as Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt to eligibility exhaustion, among others
That is, until, the five-for-five eligibility rule entered the fray. Soon after the installment of those new eligibility regulations came the class-wide preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Court of Colorado Judge Charlotte Sweeney, which clarified that members of the 2022 high school class who exhausted their four years of eligibility this past spring are included in the NCAA’s new five-for-five regulations.
As such, plenty of players who thought their college careers were over at the end of last season receive a fifth year. This decision, of course, massively boosts Indiana’s roster strength.
Daley and Wyatt are curious cases. Both could’ve been considered talented and successful enough last season to land on an NFL roster, which would have removed a return to Indiana from the realm of possibility, but both also suffered catastrophic injuries during the season.
Daley injured his knee while celebrating the Big Ten championship game win over Ohio State, and Wyatt injured his knee while in action against Michigan State. Perhaps relatedly, neither found their way onto NFL rosters.
In a serendipitous turn of events, both now renew their chances to flourish at the collegiate level and vault themselves onto a professional roster.
“If it all works out and he can participate and help this football team,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said about Daley after practice on Wednesday, “then his life could change. I know one thing about him, he’ll give it his best shot, he really will, and we’ll just see what happens.”
Announcements in August alone don’t guarantee significant impact on the field, especially when both sudden returners are coming off of injury, but the Hoosiers are undoubtedly in a spectacular position to succeed in the pass rush this season.
In fact, upon the return of Daley and Wyatt, Indiana returns six of its top seven sack leaders from last season. Linebackers Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones sit at the top of the list, followed by returners on the defensive line in Tyrique Tucker, Mario Landino and now Daley and Wyatt. Fisher, who recorded the sixth-most sacks, is now a Houston Texan.
In short, Indiana’s defensive line is rich in experience, outrageously talented and verifiably productive. It’s difficult to find a position group in a more optimal spot than this one.
Last year’s unit allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game in the country last season. An even more terrifying statistic, though, is the sheer volume of returning production in the pass rush.
In all, the Hoosiers return 78% of their sack production from last season. Indiana recorded 46 sacks as a team, 36 of which were accredited to players that remain on the roster.
“Getting after the quarterback, that’s one of the best things about our defense,” Hardy said after practice on Thursday.
If roster retention is any indication, that’s unlikely to change.
Furthermore, Indiana added a pair of former Kansas State defensive linemen in the transfer portal. Tobi Osunsanmi recorded four sacks for the Wildcats last season, the third-most on the team, while Chiddi Obiazor added two sacks, the sixth-most out of everyone on the roster.
Indiana retooled its defensive line thinking that half of its production was lost to graduation and the draft, and now, that already-awesome unit is even better as some of last season’s stars return.
Abundant experience, outrageous talent, proven production.
Even in an era of depth, parity and distributed talent, at least in Indiana’s case, the rich are growing richer.
For a program that spent over a century in poverty, sudden splendor is a welcome surprise.
