Football adds 2015 offensive lineman

IU added its fifth member of the 2015 recruiting class with verbal commitment from offensive guard Hunter Littlejohn.

Littlejohn announced his decision Wednesday on his Twitter account.

“Proud and so excited to say that I have officially committed to play football at Indiana University #crimsonarmy15 #GoHoosiers,” he tweeted.

A Powell, Ohio, native, Littlejohn had IU at the top of his list after his visit to Bloomington in April. He considered offers from Illinois, Minnesota, Purdue, Duke and Cincinnati, among others.

Littlejohn becomes the second recruit from Ohio — joining offensive lineman Simon Stepinak — in the 2015 class, as well as the fourth on the offensive side of the ball.

Littlejohn, at 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds, is a three-star recruit rated 49th in the Rivals.com Ohio preseason top 60.

He will join an experienced group of offensive lineman, as IU will graduate just one member of its line after this season. Littlejohn is the next piece of the puzzle for an offensive group making huge strides during the past couple seasons.

In 2013, the IU offense set several single-season records including 6,102 total yards, 508.5 yards per game, 38.4 points per game and 62 total touchdowns.

The team averaged more than 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards for the first time in school history.

The offensive line, which led the Big Ten in 2012 allowing just one sack every 31.8 pass attempts, did not allow a sack in six games.

As a freshman, Littlejohn will play alongside senior Jason Spriggs and junior Dan Feeney, who both earned All-American honors as freshmen themselves.

Grace Palmieri