National Signing Day comes to a close with 25 players committing

Offensive Line Coach Greg Frey has been known to set 11 alarms for himself on National Signing Day. Now that it has come and gone, he can sleep in.

IU had 25 players sign letters of intent Wednesday, and they faxed them to IU Coach Kevin Wilson and his staff in a span of three and a half hours, ranging from a 5-foot-10-inch, 170-pound wide receiver to a 6-foot-seven-inch, 300-pound offensive tackle.

Quarterback Cameron Coffman was among the first to fax his letter of intent to the coaching staff around 7 a.m., and Wilson said he will help fill the void left by three departed quarterbacks from last year’s depth chart.

Coffman transferred from Arizona Western Community College and will begin as the backup to freshman Tre Roberson.

“He throws the ball well. He’s intelligent, and he’s a very, very bright kid,” Wilson said.
“He comes from a football family and is a winner. We look forward, as we go through spring, to getting him in the mix for competition for Tre.”

Another quarterback, Nathan Sudfeld, entered the recruiting picture when Offensive Coordinator Seth Littrell — who previously recruited Sudfeld to Arizona when he worked there — accepted the position at IU.

Sudfeld committed Jan. 25 and was the final recruit to sign his letter of intent Wednesday.

Thirteen of the 25 members of the recruiting class will line up on the defensive side of the ball.

Wilson said players such as defensive back Antonio Marshall will help IU at cornerback and in special teams play.

On the defensive line, Wilson said the size of players, such as defensive tackle Ralphael Green, will help IU’s line compete with physical Big Ten competition.

“The first word in Big Ten is ‘big,’ and Ralph is a big man,” Wilson said. “He could be an offensive player, but we see him as a 320-pound d-tackle.

He’s actually lost weight to be at 320. He’ll be a big force inside.”

Wilson also said the coaching staff isn’t finished with recruiting the 2012 class quite yet, and they might seek out another cornerback, offensive lineman or linebacker.

In 2011, running back Stephen Houston was a late commitment to the team. He committed July 7 and ended up leading the team in rushing with 802 yards and eight touchdowns in the 2011 season.

Offensive players of note included running back Tevin Coleman, wide receiver Kevin Davis and offensive tackle Dimitric Camiel, who committed to IU on Monday night.

Between the three of them, they turned down offers from Michigan State, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Cincinnati.

Rivals.com rated Coleman and Davis at the top of IU’s recruiting class, and Wilson said he was impressed by Davis’ physical and mental traits.

“He’s a very mature kid mentally, got a great look in his eye, great demeanor in the way he goes about his business, and he’s got some speed and it’s evident on tape,” Wilson said.

Davis’ brother, linebacker Jordan Wallace, was the only high school linebacker the Hoosiers recruited.

The other two, Jacarri Alexander and David Cooper, are transfers from junior colleges.

Wilson praised Wallace’s ability to use social media to help in the recruiting, and Wallace said he is ecstatic for the chance to make IU football comparable to the basketball program in prominence.

“I’m proud to be a Hoosier,” Wallace said via text message Tuesday. “We WILL get Memorial Stadium like Assembly Hall.”