Less than a month away from National Signing Day, Wilson is nearly there.
IU has landed 18 commitments to its 2015 class and has added two transfers from UAB who will be immediately eligible to play. Four of those additions came during break, and below is a breakdown of the four players who will be coming to Bloomington next season.
Brandon Wilson — 247Sports 3-star linebacker from Charlotte, N.C., committed Jan. 4, 2015
Wilson — no relation to Kevin Wilson — changed from Virginia to IU after originally committing to the Cavaliers in September.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound athlete is projected to fill one of IU’s spots as a bandit linebacker, a position which saw success in its first year of implementation in 2014. The linebacker-defensive lineman hybrid position was put into place with defensive coordinator Brian Knorr’s 3-4 base defense.
Wilson is a near-ideal fit for the bandit mold considering his past experience. He played linebacker his first two years of high school but moved to the defensive line for his junior and senior seasons after an ankle injury.
Jordan Howard — former UAB running back from Gardendale, Ala., announced his transfer Jan. 1, 2015
IU junior running back Tevin Coleman left a hole in the IU offense when he declared for the NFL Draft on Dec. 29.
That hole was almost immediately filled by Howard.
The 2014 First-Team All-Conference USA running back finished seventh nationally with 132.3 yards per game last season at UAB. He finished with 1,587 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
A true junior, Howard becomes the heir apparent to replace Coleman as IU’s starting running back next season. Although he said he’s excited for the opportunity to play in Bloomington, Howard said he’s not trying to replace Coleman, but rather just be a piece in the puzzle for an IU offense looking for a bounce-back year.
Howard will be joined in Bloomington by former UAB teammate Marqui Hawkins, a wide receiver who announced his transfer Dec. 9. Hawkins has three years of eligibility left.
Jonathan Crawford — 247Sports 3-star athlete from Largo, Fla., committed Dec. 18, 2014
Crawford wanted a chance to play with his cousin Donovan Hale (see below), and at IU, he’ll get just that.
Crawford, listed at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, and Hale committed to IU together after both visiting Bloomington Nov. 28.
A projected wide receiver, Crawford played both defensive back and wideout in high school. This past season, he had 300 yards receiving and two touchdowns on offense to go along with 69 tackles and two interceptions on defense.
Donovan Hale — 247Sports 3-star athlete from Largo, Fla., committed Dec. 18, 2014
Hale, a two-sport star being recruited as both a football and basketball player, committed with his cousin and tweeted that he would be playing quarterback at IU with a chance to also play basketball for IU Coach Tom Crean.
Whether or not he sees the basketball court remains to be seen. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete is missing his entire senior basketball season after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus just shortly before committing to IU.
In his senior football season, Hale threw for 1,488 yards and nine touchdowns.
