At the end of the 2015 season, one that ended in an overtime loss to Duke in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, IU Coach Kevin Wilson stressed he and his staff needed to hit the recruiting road hard.
Wilson looked to boost IU’s recruiting presence through his staff’s involvement in spring and summer camps. His “INvasion” campaign was one way he used the program’s recent success to draw more interest from Indiana recruits.
What made the biggest difference for the Class of 2017, Wilson said, was his 6-year contract extension in January.
“I think a lot of kids were like, ‘Hey, what's going to be the offense? Who's going to be your coach?’” Wilson said at Big Ten Media Days. “I think right now, with the 6-year extension, I think you got a lot of guys buying the fact that we got a chance to be successful. Our administration is committed to us.”
Wilson said the extension has allowed the staff to take its time in the recruiting process. IU has hosted camps at four Indianapolis high schools and one in Fort Wayne, in addition to traveling to states down south such as Florida and Georgia.
Last year, Wilson said, the program’s uncertain future forced his staff to rush the process of building relationships with and offering recruits.
“So I felt like a great deal we're doing five camps in our state for free,” Wilson said. “We're not giving them T shirts. We're not giving them meals. We're not giving them anything, but I want to reach back to my state, my coaches, my guys, my state. It's almost like a spring recruiting day.”
Though only two in-state recruits joined the Hoosiers in its 2016 recruiting class, Wilson said IU’s efforts in its home state haven’t differed much from previous years.
Already this offseason IU has gained four commitments from Indiana recruits, two defensive linemen, a tight end and an athlete who will likely factor at linebacker.
Overall, it’s obvious where IU’s focused its efforts this year: defense.
Of the Hoosiers 12 commitments in the 2017 class, 10 are on the defensive side of the ball. It’s a stark contrast from an offense-heavy 2016 class that saw just six of its 20 commitments come in on defense.
Seven of those 10 recruits are defensive linemen — a position that is looking to replace the production of departed starters Nick Mangieri, Adarius Rayner and Darius Latham — including 247Sports Composite three-star Florida talent Michael Ziemba, who committed today.
Regardless of the camps, the extension and the commitments, Wilson said he and his staff understand the expectations for the program’s future, and it’s not quite where they want it yet.
“We’re not comfortable. We’re not happy,” Wilson said. “We’re pleased with the progress, but we’re not happy where we’re at.”
