North End Zone a recruiting gold mine

While the current state of the IU football team is still up for debate, there is little argument over what impact the newly constructed North End Zone facility will have on the future of the program:

It’s going to be substantial.  

As regal and daunting as it looks from the outside, the new facility is just as professional and developmental on the inside.  

From their 20,000-plus square foot upgrade of a weight room to the academic centers just down the hall, current and future Hoosiers will have everything they need to excel in every facet during their stay in Bloomington.

Head coach Bill Lynch didn’t hide the fact that his new asset will only grow in reputation past the new crop of freshmen.

“The vision of the building probably helped, but they couldn’t see it,” Lynch said. “The group that we now have verbally committed saw much more of a finished product. It certainly has helped quite a bit.”

For some of the incoming players, like Columbus, Ind. native Dusty Kiel, a three-star recruit by Rivals, what was already installed at IU paled in comparison to the new facility.

When asked how much impact the new digs had on his college choice, Kiel said, “To be honest, none. IU is close to home and I really liked the coaches.”

For others, like Jeffersonville, Ind. product Edward Wright-Baker, who declined offers from Louisville and Purdue, the North End Zone’s amenities, such as the new and improved weight room, was too intriguing of a pitch to turn down.

“The first time I saw that, I wanted to throw down my stuff and get to lifting,” Wright-Baker said.  

Even the position meeting room, a spot where players have fantasized about naps for decades, proved to be a selling point to Wright-Baker, as he said it’s nice to be “locked in a cage where you can just focus.”

Meanwhile, the days and years ahead for Lynch and his staff do appear to be getting surprisingly brighter, given the team’s disappointing three-win season following their Insight Bowl loss.  

In the construction phase of the facility, Indiana roped in 19 letters of intent. As they finish up their move into their new home, the Hoosiers have 21 verbal commitments.  

While not as strong and much more fickle than a LOI, the high volume of verbal commitments shows progress that Lynch fully attributes to their newest addition.
“We’re recruiting against some pretty good football programs in the Big Ten and around the country. I know that when they came here after visiting one of our competitors, they didn’t see the same commitment to football,” Lynch said. “Now, when they come and walk through here, they’re going to say football is important at Indiana.”