Indiana Hoosiers Football

Indiana Hoosiers wideout Simmie Cobbs Jr. had a breakout performance against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 1. The redshirt junior has big-play capabilities and is a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries due to his tremendous size and strength.

Watch the video above as Bleacher Report's NFL Draft Lead Writer Matt Miller spotlights Cobbs' upside.

          

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Star running back Ronnie Walker has declared his intention to play college football at Indiana. 

Teddy Bailey of the Indianapolis Star reported Walker's decision to play for the Hoosiers.

A muscular runner with even more physical development to come, Walker is listed at 5'10" and 190 pounds. 

Coming out of Hopewell High School in Virginia, Walker is a 4-star prospect who is ranked as the No. 5 running back from his home state, No. 13 running back in the nation and No. 319 player overall, per 247Sports.

Adding to Walker's value, per his scouting report on Scout.com, he's got true home-run potential whenever the ball is in his hands:

"Walker is a dynamic running back who is a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. He's an instinctive runner with good patience and vision. Walker also shows good quickness and has great speed. He also doesn't mind running between the tackles and gets a lot of yards after contact."

Walker is a great fit for a physical offensive style and a dazzling offensive playmaker who doesn't figure to need much help putting all of the pieces together in order to become a star. He's got some minor tweaks to make with his game, notably as a receiver, but he gives the Hoosiers a legitimate star to build their offense around as they try to compete against the Big Ten's elite. 

 

Indiana University freshman defensive back Bryant Fitzgerald has been deemed ineligible for the Hoosiers' 2017 season following a mistake by the school's Office of Compliance Services.

On Saturday, Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star passed along a statement from Indiana, which said Fitzgerald was "inaccurately advised" about eligibility requirements. An appeal to the NCAA Eligibility Center was denied Friday.

This is the release explanation of the situation. Can't remember seeing this before. #iufb pic.twitter.com/u2tPXB0pSF

— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) August 19, 2017

The defender is allowed to keep his scholarship and will receive "all other student-athlete support," but he cannot take part in games or practices for the duration of the season, according to the statement.

Fitzgerald was a 3-star prospect and the No. 570 overall player in the 2017 recruiting class on Scout.com. He also checked in as the No. 32 recruit under the athlete label and was the top athlete from Indiana, making him a key in-state addition for the Hoosiers.

He originally committed to IU in January 2016 and said one of the main factors was the amount of interest the program showed early on, per Scout's Stu Jackson.

"They were the one who took the chance and stuck their neck out for me first, and that meant a lot to me," Fitzgerald said.

The former Avon High School standout wasn't projected to play an important role for the Hoosiers as a true freshman. He would have likely served as depth in the secondary and on special teams.

Missing an entire year due to a mistake out of his control still represents a setback in his effort to begin climbing the Indiana depth chart, though.

Authorities in Hamilton County, Indiana, arrested Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Simmie Cobbs on Saturday on a charge refusal to identify, and he was charged with resisting law enforcement on Sunday. Both charges are misdemeanors.

Stu Jackson of TheHoosier.com shared a copy of Cobbs' arrest report:

BREAKING: Per county records, #iufb WR Simmie Cobbs was booked in Hamilton County Jail last night, charged w/ resisting law enforcement pic.twitter.com/DAq7NcQ6sc

— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) July 16, 2017

"Indiana University Athletics and the IU program are aware of the arrest of redshirt junior Simmie Cobbs Jr.," Indiana said in a statement, per the Indianapolis Star's Zach Osterman. "We will continue to gather facts, monitor the legal process and take action as the evolving situation warrants."

Cobbs missed all but one game in 2016 after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in the Hoosiers' 30-20 win over the Ball State Cardinals. He missed the team's season-opening 34-13 victory against the Florida International Golden Panthers after earning a one-game suspension.

Cobbs had a breakout sophomore campaign in 2015, catching 60 passes for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns.

Former Indiana running back Kiante Enis pleaded guilty to child solicitation and had two counts of child molestation dropped Wednesday, according to Douglas Walker of the Star Press, after engaging in sexual activities with a 13-year-old girl.

A Randolph County Circuit Court clerk confirmed to CNN that Enis was sentenced to four years, which was suspended for all but 480 days. Of that time, 240 days can be on work release if he's eligible and another 240 on house arrest.

"It’s really embarrassing," Enis told Randolph Circuit Court Judge Jay Toney, per Walker. "I feel like I let my family down and my supporters down."

Enis told authorities he didn't know the girl's age the first time they had sex in March 2016, according to Walker, but then had sex with her two more times after learning of her age. The girl confirmed that she had not been forced to have sex, however.

Enis was dismissed from the Indiana football program after his arrest and also lost his scholarship at the university. Per Walker's report, he will be permitted to join a work-release program while serving his sentence.

Following Kevin Wilson's resignation as the Indiana Hoosiers' head football coach Thursday, it was revealed Saturday that a 2015 investigation into his treatment of players contributed to his departure.

According to Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star, Wilson stepped down after six years at the helm, and athletic director Fred Glass cited "philosophical differences" as the reasoning.

Per Osterman, however, questions about Wilson's handling of injured players cropped up last year and persisted to the point that the two sides decided to part ways.

The investigation was prompted when the father of former Indiana defensive lineman Nick Carovillano, Dean Carovillano, complained to the university that Wilson created an unhealthy environment for injured players.

Carovillano suffered a back injury in 2015 that wasn't properly diagnosed until after a doctor at home in Cincinnati told him to stop playing. After further testing in Indianapolis, he was told he had a bone fragment and three damaged discs. Carovillano had practiced and lifted weights for three weeks prior to that despite being in pain.

He said the trainers and the rest of the coaching staff treated him well after his diagnosis but that Wilson berated him and other injured players:

He would come over and yell at us, saying, 'I'm paying $70,000 a year for you to sit on your ass.' That happened about halfway through the season and carried on to the end of it. If you were injured, he just wanted to make you feel like crap. He just wanted to make you feel bad, so you basically would stop being injured.

Carovillano left the school at the conclusion of the season, at which point his father called associate athletic director Anthony Thompson to complain about the manner in which his son was treated.

The university then hired a law firm to investigate the following complaints: 

(1) the University's medical care of Nick's injury was inadequate; (2) the coaching staff exerted improper influence over the provision of medical care to Nick and other injured players; and (3) a general 'unhealthy culture' surrounding the football program led Nick and other injured players not to obtain the necessary medical care.

Although the investigation concluded the first two complaints were invalid, Glass wrote in a memo that Wilson may have created an uncomfortable environment for injured players:

Even within the unique culture of football, there were behaviors that may create an unhealthy environment for injured players. This last conclusion was based on a variety of findings, including your own admission that you made jokes to injured players or implied that they are not useful members of the team.

Some players said that they felt pressure or witnessed coaches pressuring others and indicated that they found it depressing and demoralizing to have coaches make such comments when they were already frustrated with their injuries. It was found that coaches appear to push players to work harder than they should when they have injuries that are unconfirmed by an outside test.

Glass stressed the importance of no longer making jokes and not making injured players feel pressure to play. While exit interviews suggested Wilson had heeded the advice, new issues surfaced this season.

Although specifics are unknown, Glass suggested they were a contributing factor in Wilson's departure:

If these issues had been in a vacuum, they would've been the kinds of things we could've worked through. It wasn't the first time I dealt with these issues. There comes a time when you run out of chances. ...

... Was my decision (Thursday) impacted by things that went on before, including this? ... The answer is yes.

Wilson went 26-47 in six seasons at Indiana with one bowl appearance, and the Hoosiers are once again bowl-eligible this season after going 6-6.

Tom Allen was named Wilson's replacement, and he is soon expected to sign a six-year contract, according to Osterman.

    

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.   

For more news and analysis, visit Peegs.com.

Debuting our @adidasfballus
"Candy Stripe" uniforms, to be worn Homecoming Weekend vs. Nebraska on Oct. 15.

🔗: https://t.co/8Tb8wuD28n pic.twitter.com/lKT5M7ac5t

— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) October 5, 2016

The University of Oregon was one of the first schools to show off its swag using uniforms. 

Other schools have followed suit, building hype around not just the talent on the field, but also the apparel they wear.

Indiana University football is the latest to hop on the swag train.

The team first showed off its unique helmets just over three years ago with a chrome candy-stripe helmet, state flag and several other options.

This time around IU football is teasing a uniform for the homecoming game versus Nebraska that shows off the iconic candy stripes on the shoulders:

.@HoosierFootball's "Candy Stripe" uniform for Homecoming on 10/15.#GoIU #teamadidas pic.twitter.com/bhW1KK6ypm

— MICHAEL EHRLICH (@MichaelEhrlich) October 5, 2016

The Hoosiers will wear gloves showing off the script Indiana logo and more swagger for the Oct. 15 game. 

Will the candy-stripe uniforms help Indiana knock off Nebraska? Hoosier Nation hopes so.

[Twitter, IU Athletic Department]

Indiana University freshman wide receiver Kiante Enis was arrested Thursday in Winchester, Indiana, and charged with two counts of child molestation.

According to Douglas Walker of the Star Press, Enis is being held in jail on $20,000 bond because of suspicion of a relationship with a child 13 years of age or younger. He was dismissed from the team, per a statement from the university (via Greg Rakestraw of 107.5 FM in Indianapolis). 

Enis admitted to having at least two "consensual sexual encounter[s]," per a press release from the Randolph County, Indiana, sheriff's department.

Mike Miller of Hoosier Sports Report provided more details on Friday: 

Enis, the former Indiana football player charged with two counts of child molesting, told investigators that he was initially unaware of the girl’s age when the two began a sexual relationship in March, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Randolph Circuit Court on Friday.

But after having sex for the first time, Enis, 19, learned the girl was only 13 years old — and he admitted to engaging in sex with her on two more occasions, according to the affidavit.

The 19-year-old Enis was a running back at Winchester Community School and was rated a 3-star recruit by 247Sports' composite rankings.

Enis is listed on the Hoosiers roster as a wide receiver, but he had yet to appear in a game for the school this season prior to his arrest.

According to Walker, Enis could face up to 16 years in prison if found guilty.

         

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Despite being a four-year starter in the Big Ten, possessing an ideal 6'5" build and garnering second-team All-Big Ten honors his senior season, Indiana’s Jason Spriggs hadn’t been able to gain steam as a “franchise left tackle” prospect.

Even after a strong Senior Bowl, Spriggs was still in the second or even third tier of offensive tackle rankings.

But after his performance in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine, he’ll no longer be a sleeper prospect. Posting the fastest 40-yard dash among offensive linemen (4.92), the longest broad jump (9'7") and the second-fastest short-shuttle time (4.44), Spriggs displayed the unique athletic upside he possesses.

As evaluators re-watch his film from his senior season, with decision makers like coaches and general managers watching for the first time, they’ll see his athletic upside translate to the field, along with refined, albeit inconsistent, technique.

Jason Spriggs is a sleeper no more, and he’ll look to rise as high as the top half of the first round after his home run of an NFL Scouting Combine. 

How His Athleticism Translates

Jason Spriggs isn’t just a workout warrior, however. On film, his athleticism jumps out, from his lateral quickness and balance to his ability to sink and bend as an upfield run-blocker.

In fact, Spriggs is a great example for how the NFL Scouting Combine can play a role in proving on-field athleticism is quantifiable. His 40 time (coupled with a top-five 10-yard split) are indicative of his explosive upfield step and the ability to keep athletic position as he works downfield.

His broad jump exemplified his lower-body strength and recovery balance, while his short shuttle highlighted the type of lateral quickness and explosiveness that allow him to flash signs of a high-level pass blocker.

As in the play below, Spriggs shows a strong one-two step to his reach block, and works to drive on his inside shoulder with balanced extension and lower-half force, paving the way for his edge-rushing running back to work on his inside.

Spriggs' ability to stay in athletic position and finish the block on the perimeter speaks to how he’ll be able to handle edge-rushers in the run game early in his NFL career.

But when athleticism is discussed for left tackle prospects, it’s with blindside pass protection upside in mind. And Spriggs, whose short shuttle demonstrated his lateral quickness, is one of the most impressive kick-sliding tackles in the 2016 NFL draft. In fact, he’s probably the most athletic perimeter left tackle prospect in the class after Ole Miss’s Laremy Tunsil.

While Spriggs wasn’t perfect against Ohio State, he performed as well as any evaluators could have hoped for in the most important scouting performance of his 2015 senior season.

In the play below, notice how well Spriggs is able to mirror his assignment in space. He kick slides to his initial point and protects against the inside rush move without sacrificing his positioning to open himself up to double moves. Mirroring ability like this, and the frequency at which he’s able to maintain it, is remarkable and worthy of high praise.

Inconsistent But Refined

As a four-year starter, it’s expected that Spriggs would have much of the technical refinement that NFL teams generally covet from experienced college players. But the biggest issue keeping Spriggs from being a truly special prospect is his inconsistency in applying his skills across an entire game.

It’s clear Spriggs has a high-level understanding of body and back positioning, keeping his leverage throughout his blocks and timing his hand punches well to prevent losing balance.

It’ll be on his future offensive line coach to decrease his missteps and mental errors to push Spriggs toward the NFL’s elite blockers.

To illustrate his battle between refinement and inconsistency, here are two plays (from different games) in which Spriggs has a similar post-snap plan: protect inside leverage and prepare for a bull-rush counter inside. In the first play below, Spriggs anticipates it well, keeps his hands tight and guides the block to the interior, giving his quarterback a clean pocket.

However, against Ohio State’s Joey Bosa, Spriggs simply whiffed on his block thanks to poor body positioning and hand timing. Whether it was nerves as a result of going against the nation’s best edge player or a momentary lapse, it’s a mistake that can’t happen at the NFL level.

NFL offensive tackles aren’t asked to make highlight-reel plays or a handful of impact finishes a game. It's a position that dreads fluctuations in play, covets reliability and as little volatility during a game as possible. That’s where Spriggs, who has the talent to grow into one of the NFL’s best blockers, will need to take the next step from promising draft pick into reliable NFL starter.

Comparison and Potential Rise

In what appears to be a loaded offensive tackle class, Jason Spriggs is jostling with two other Big Ten left tackle prospects—Jack Conklin of Michigan State and Taylor Decker—along with Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley for the No. 2 spot behind Ole Miss’ Laremy Tunsil. 

But along with a similar impressive college career, longevity as a college starter and athletic upside that trumps almost all of them, Jason Springs has every reason to believe he’s worthy of the second offensive tackle spot and a top-15 draft pick.

Comparable to Lane Johnson’s rise in the 2013 NFL draft, Jason Spriggs offers similar college experience and the skill set that all NFL offensive line coaches will advocate for on draft day.

Spriggs’ NFL combine has vaulted him into the discussion for every team in Round 1 that needs offensive line help. Don’t be surprised if Spriggs works his way into top-15 discussion and quietly becomes one of the most-coveted prospects after the first few elite talents are off the board.