The Hoosiers plan to take to the practice fields closer to spring break for camp, and when they do they’ll be with junior quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who missed the final six games of 2014 after undergoing surgery to repair a separated non-throwing shoulder in October.
Sudfeld will be held back in contact drills, but that’s not necessarily a major change considering quarterbacks don’t typically take hits during the spring.
“He’ll be limited,” Wilson said. “They’re not gonna be able to contact, but we don’t contact quarterbacks. There’s a point in time where it may be almost like they look like they always look because they have that blue (non-contact) jersey on.”
Sudfeld called Wilson last Thursday to tell him that he’s been working out as much as he can on his own and that he feels “OK.”
Based on his rehab thus far, Wilson anticipates that Sudfeld will go through a modified routine in weight training, which he said could lead to an imbalance in his physical stature.
The good news for Sudfeld is that it doesn’t appear to be hindering his throwing motion much as he begins his rehab process.
As a sophomore splitting time at quarterback with former-Hoosier Tre Roberson, Sudfeld completed 194-of-322 of his passes for 2,523 yards and 21 touchdowns.
In less than six games last season, Sudfeld threw for 1,151 yards and six touchdowns.
“I think Nate’s already throwing some,” Wilson said. “His issue is gonna be that on one side, he’s gonna be able to lift and do a lot, the other side he’s not with the development and the atrophy.”
Freshman backup quarterback Chris Covington, who underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL, is also expected to be available for practice. Wilson said Covington’s mobility and ability to make plays on his feet may be limited for the time being.
Other than Sudfeld and Covington, sophomore lineman Jacob Bailey appears to be the only other player dealing with a significant injury. Bailey will be limited throughout the spring with what Wilson said was a knee injury.
Wilson added that freshman running back Tommy Mister, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, is full-go moving forward.
UAB transfers arrive on campus
Three former University of Alabama at Birmingham players have arrived in Bloomington to immediately join the team for practice.
Junior running back Jordan Howard, sophomore wide receiver Marqui Hawkins and freshman walk-on wide receiver Kyree Hollis will all be looking to find roles on the team.
Wilson said there are no guarantees for either Howard or Hawkins to be starters, but both fill a void in the Hoosier lineup.
Howard, who rushed for 1,587 yards last season with UAB, appears to be a potential replacement for junior running back Tevin Coleman, who declared for the NFL draft earlier in December.
Both Hawkins and Howard will count against IU’s 25 available scholarships for 2015, which means IU has five more scholarships available, assuming all 18 verbal commitments sign on National Signing Day.
IU’s 2015 class is ranked No. 6 in the Big Ten and is closing in on No. 5 Nebraska, and that ranking doesn’t include the two UAB transfers. Before the class started to gain momentum just a few months ago, IU was ranked No. 13 out of 14.
Wilson said UAB’s offense was “very similar” to the types of things IU wants to run, which could help both Hawkins and Howard transition into the offense. Having said that, Wilson said both will need to earn their jobs.
“I will say this, they don’t have undue expectations,” Wilson said. “Let’s be real, to me you’ve got to earn these rights, earn the respect of your teammates and peers ... They do fill voids. It will be interesting to see how they take advantage of that.”
