At this point in the 2015 season, former Hoosier tight end Anthony Corsaro was trotting off the practice field playfully taunting the Hoosier defense about underestimating his speed.
The big No. 88 stood on the sidelines cheering on his “TE Bros.”
Now, in 2016, it isn’t the No. 88 of Corsaro or the No. 85 of Michael Cooper jogging onto the field in charismatic fashion.
It’s the No. 84 of 265-pound junior Danny Friend quietly taking his place on the edge of the offensive line.
Like many of the position groups on IU’s roster, the tight end position is seeing changes. Changes in players, changes in leadership and changes in charisma.
IU offensive coordinator Kevin Johns believes Friend is the man to the lead the change.
“He’s gotten a lot more confident,” Johns said. “That happens at a position where you look around and realize, ‘I’m the guy now. If I don’t do it, no one else will.’ That’s how it is with Danny.”
Friend knows that he’s not like Corsaro or Cooper, but he said that he will play and lead his own way, as long as it coincides with his coaches’ wishes. That includes taking on the role his predecessors left for him in the run-blocking scheme.
IU Coach Kevin Wilson mentioned his size on multiple occasions last season and how important a big-bodied tight end is to the Hoosiers’ running game, an aspect of the offense that featured two 1,000-yard rushers.
Friend fits that bill.
At 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, he is the largest tight end on the roster by nearly 20 pounds. Tight ends coach James Patton said while big guys on the edge can be interchangeable — sophomore offensive tackle Brandon Knight played some snaps at tight end in 2015 — a player with abilities like Friend is essential to the offense.
It hasn’t been an easy road for the tight end, but what Patton sees in Friend the most is his attitude in the face of adversity.
After playing special teams during his freshman year in 2013, Friend fell to injury and redshirted the 2014 season. Four games into the historic 2015 season, Friend suffered a season-ending injury in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, against Wake Forest.
Patton said while Friend is a fourth-year player, he’s only played about two years of collegiate football, with four games of experience at the tight end position. He has four career receptions with 39 receiving yards, 22 of those yards coming in one catch against Western Kentucky.
But his leadership is what Friend’s coaches like the most. It’s what Johns and Patton both mentioned first when talking about Friend and what the tight end position needs the most when its top two players graduated.
“His leadership’s outstanding,” Patton said. “He’s not a real vocal kid but is vocal when needed. He leads by example by his performance and how hard he plays. We’re excited for the season. I know he is — and I know I am as a coach — staying healthy and having an impact on our offense.”
