Lynch signs 19, brings star running back to IU

Considering he led IU to a winning record and its first bowl game since 1993, signed a four-year contract extension and signed prized in-state running back Darius Willis, it’s been a little more than just a good year for IU coach Bill Lynch.\nThe head coach introduced his first signing class on Wednesday, headlined by a group of “versatile” players who he expects to contribute in the future and make an immediate impact for the Hoosiers.\n“We have constantly tried to upgrade the speed and athleticism of the program,” Lynch said. “That’s what we did today.”\nNineteen players signed with the Hoosiers, but none of the names stood out more than Willis.\nWillis, the Indianapolis native comes to IU after rushing for 1,728 yards and 28 touchdowns during his senior year at Franklin Central. The No. 41 running back in the class of 2008, according to recruiting services Rivals.com and Scout.com, Willis will challenge returning starter Marcus Thigpen for carries next year.\n“He’s the real deal,” said Lynch, holding back his smile. “He can run and break tackles, but he’s a very unselfish player, especially for a guy known for all the notoriety.”\nIU offensive line coach and running game coordinator Bobby Johnson praised Willis for his work ethic, and added that his ability to break tackles will add a different dimension to IU’s running game.\n“There’s times where he can be his own blocker,” Johnson said. “A kid like that can get behind his pads and its going to take a lot more than an arm tackle to bring him down.”\nUnlike last year, the Hoosiers did not lose any high-caliber players who gave previously gave verbal commitments. A year ago, linebacker Jerimy Finch announced he would play for IU - hoping to solidify the front seven over the next four years. Only days later, he backed out of that agreement and decided to sign with the Florida Gators instead.\nBut by keeping Willis and several other playmakers in state, the Hoosiers feel they are not only doing a good job of bringing in talented players, but are most importantly filling their needs.\nOne of those in-state recruits is Ben Davis product Tandon Doss. Doss, an all-state player as a senior, totaled 2,062 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns his last season at Ben Davis.\n“Tandon, being from Ben Davis, is another guy we really recruited a long time,” Lynch said. “We’ll take good players from anywhere, but we certainly want to do good in Indianapolis, that’s kind of our home base.”\nWhile landing in-state recruits was a priority for Lynch, recruiting cornerbacks apparently was not. IU graduated starters Tracy Porter and Leslie Majors but did not sign a cornerback to replace them for next year. \n“Having those bowl practices really helps you, and some of our young guys really jumped out at us playing corner,” Lynch said. “Some of those young guys who haven’t played much, so what we did is got as many good athletes as we could find.”\nLynch and his staff found many of these athletes at running back. Along with Willis, the Hoosiers signed running backs Shane Covington, Alex Hunt and Cortez Smith. Johnson said that while all four of them likely won’t finish their careers in the backfield, they’ll have the chance to see the field at other positions.\n“It never hurts to have too many good running backs,” Johnson said. “A lot of high school running backs you’ll find are the best athletes on their team. You recruit enough of those, you can fill a lot of other needs as well.”