Indiana’s Secret Weapon - 5th and 6th year players

Shehan Jeyarajah
@ShehanJeyarajah

Think people are missing the boat on the Indiana roster.

Nine of their defensive starters were recruited out of high school at IU or by Cig at JMU. Five offensive starters too.

They’ve stayed, gotten better, and been augmented with transfers. But they’ve hit *big* on HS.

Staying together I think is a big deal too. We’ve been watching hero ball for so long… turns out football is still a team sport.

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The biggest point is the HS star system has been broken by him. His HS recruits are not top 4/5 stars. He has a knack for finding undervalued HS players and then kept them.

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The finding and keeping part is what is most impressive. Our teams at Auburn and LSU have spoiled bitches wanting a check and leaving.

I'll take the mini-Bears and give the points but I do want to know is Ditka regular size or is he mini too?

Don't know how secret the weapon is at this point. We've only had multiple threads, every day, calling that factoid out for at least two weeks.

If only every other school could copy that secret sauce, and skip paying unproven 18 year olds in favor of their own returning players - or better yet proven performers from smaller conferences.

That would be some smart stuff. If only Cignetti wasn't the only one that knew the phone numbers for schools in the MAC and Sun Belt.

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Think people are missing the boat on the Indiana roster.

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Yeah, everyone is trying to invent things to explain it away.

The Mark Cuban point is dumb because:

a) Cuban admits he was late to the game had no interest in giving until this last offseason. IU has lots of boosters that have given quietly to get the Cignetti staff in place and build a playoff caliber team. Most of the starters predate Cuban's giving

b) Literally every program has some Cuban like booster.

The age thing is overstated as well. These players were recruitable by literally everyone in the country and plenty of teams are playing 5th or 6th year players. Lat year Miami had a Tight End Cam McCormick playing his eighth year of college ball.

I personally speculate that these guys are a lot more driven and focused than the average NIL brat.

I remember watching the Maryland game and Mike Locksely was commenting on TV that they could have kept Roman Hemby and Kellen Wyatt if they wanted to but decided other people were worth more.

Hemby went out and ran all the F$%k over Maryland that day.

Watching the timing and coordination of the front 7 to bring exotic pressure only rushing 4 and without tipping their hat who is coming and getting 7 into coverage. Never seen it's equal in CFB. College offensive lines just don't know how to deal with this yet It takes a lot of coordination from the O line and the modern college O lines just aren't together long enough to build this coordination. Get the other team to 3rd down then get them off the field is Indiana's strength. This goes back to the video of Kirk cousins taking about the progression of the NFL passing game because of the progression of the Ds. O line and QB can't identify where the pressure is coming from. QB can't identify the leverage of the defensive backfield and just don't have the processing speed to understand what is happening before pressure gets home. These college QBs and olines just aren't prepared to deal with this type of D yet. I think we will see have to see a evolution in the offensive game to deal with this in the upcoming seasons.

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I think we will see have to see a evolution in the offensive game to deal with this in the upcoming seasons.

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I don't think it will be an "evolution" at all. But rather, back to basics. As in point blocking. Less zone schemes and more downhill drive.

Of course, that will fly in the face of every aspiring OC that wants the security of knowing that every play he calls is a touchdown waiting to happen ... if only all eleven players make two or three perfect reads each and perfectly execute.

I credit IU with cutting through the hubris and self-aggradizing bullshite of most coaches in the modern game. Indiana has the good sense to take the five yards you give them on offense, and the discipline to do it 15 times if necessary. So much for the bend but don't break most modern DCs love.

And speaking of defense ? Indiana pressures. They play to get off the field. If they give up a play or two ? They're OK with that - rather than field the modern rush three drop eight crap that looks like it was designed by an insurance agent rather than a defensive coach looking to force a punt.

I said this in another thread, but their execution is also a combination of older players and superb coaching. They lead the entire nation converting 3rd downs, they rarely ever turn the ball over, (they’ve lost only 1 fumble all year) and they are among the least penalized team in the country. Indiana is an execution machine on both sides of the ball.

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Not trying to degrade what Indiana has done. I do think it is significant though. The Covid bubbles last squeeze.

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Sure you are. And it's completely legal. How come SEC teams aren't doing this?

SEC (and the rest of CFB) is overpaying tf out of unproven, sloven and useless players. That's fricking DUMB.