Football team signs 26 recruits

IU football signed 26 new recruits Wednesday.

“We’re recruiting on paper as good as we have,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “Now we have to take what’s on paper and turn it into a better product on the field.”

According to recruiting database rivals.com, the class features two four-star recruits, 16 three-star recruits and eight two-star recruits.

Six defensive backs were signed, the most of any position. In total, the Hoosiers signed 14 defensive players and 12 offensive players.

IU signed six players from Ohio, the most from any state. The Hoosiers also welcomed five recruits each from Indiana and Georgia.


Dominique Booth
4-star wide receiver
Indianapolis

Wide receiver Dominique Booth, the only 4-star recruit, is one of the six recruits already enrolled for the spring semester.

Booth was originally committed to Tennessee. He then decommitted, citing his desire
to enroll mid-year at IU.

Booth is 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds. With the departure of Kofi Hughes, Cody Latimer and DuWyce Wilson, the wide receiver position is expected to become more open.

Kiante Walton
3-star cornerback
Columbus, Ga.

Wilson said Walton’s size is very valuable — the Georgia native stands 6-feet and weighs 200 pounds.

The two starting cornerbacks last year for IU were Tim Bennett (5-foot-9 and 190 pounds) and Michael Hunter (6-foot-1 and 190 pounds).

Walton was an honorable mention for the Georgia all-state team and recorded 47 tackles as a senior.

Greg Gooch
3-star linebacker
Longwood, Fla.

One of the main focuses of recruiting this year was “bigger, longer and faster dudes” on defense, Wilson said.

Gooch is a 6-foot-2, 245-pound linebacker from Florida. With the addition of defensive coordinator Brian Knorr, who has coached a 3-4 system in the past, the Hoosiers defense could change from a 4-3 to a 3-4.

But Wilson said they didn’t put a particular emphasis on 3-4 personnel, instead trying to get as many quality defensive football players as possible.

Gooch played both inside and outside linebacker in high school, but was named the No. 30 linebacker nationally by rivals.com.

Delroy Baker
3-star offensive lineman
Ocala, Fla.

Baker was another one of the six mid-year enrollees. Last year, the Hoosiers only took one offensive lineman because of the depth that was returning.

The Hoosiers signed four offensive linemen this year, headlined by Baker.

The 6-foot-6, 290-pound athlete was named the No. 31 offensive tackle in America by ESPN.com.

Tegray Scales
3-star linebacker
Cincinnati

Scales was called “the most athletic linebacker” by the IU coaching staff.

He is a 6-foot, 205-pound recruit that was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year of the Southwest District.

Scales was also named first-team all-Ohio by USA Today.