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Complete breakdown of the 2015 recruiting class

IUNavy Football

IU football signed 22 players Wednesday, officially finalizing IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s newest group of weapons at his disposal.

Now that the papers have been signed and faxed in, let’s take a look at each of IU’s future freshmen with rankings via 247sports.

Joe Belden, Avon, Ind. 

6-foot-2, 250 pounds 

Position: Defensive end 

Rank: 3-star, No. 63 weak-side defensive end nationally by 247Sports 

About: Belden made it no secret that IU was his No. 1 choice of school, and stuck true to his commitment. He’s had experience playing multiple defensive positions in high school, where he had 62 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks, six quarterback hurries and three pass breakups as a senior. 

Quote: “Joe’s not the biggest guy, but what we saw in camp was that he played with an extremely high motor,” IU defensive line coach Larry McDaniel said.

Andre Brown, Decatur, Ga. 

6-foot, 190 pounds

Position: Athlete 

Rank: 3-star

No. 36 athlete nationally by 247Sports

About: Brown put up big numbers on both sides of the ball as a quarterback and defensive back in high school. At IU, he projects to end up as a defensive back. A former Georgia Southern commit, Brown posted 70 tackles, three tackles for loss, three interceptions, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and four pass breakups as a high school senior. 

Quote: “Andre makes you really excited,” IU cornerbacks coach Brandon Shelby said. “He does a great job being physical on the run.”

Jameel Cook, Missouri City, Texas

6-foot-1, 190 pounds

Position: Defensive back

Rank: 3-star, No. 84 safety by ESPN.com 

About: Cook switched to IU from Maryland just last weekend, giving IU safeties coach Noah Joseph another young player to add to his safeties room. Cook’s father, Jameel Cook Sr., played fullback at Illinois before a nine-year NFL career. He won a Super Bowl in 2003 with Tampa Bay. 

Quote: “(He) comes from great stock,” IU cornerbacks coach Brandon Shelby said. “His dad played in Big Ten country, so he grew up knowing what type of league this is and how to be physical.”

Jonathon Crawford, Largo, Fla.

6-foot-2, 175 pounds

Position: Athlete, projected safety

Rank: 3-star, No. 45 safety nationally by 247Sports

About: Crawford committed with his cousin Donovan Hale in December. He played on both sides of the ball in high school playing wide receiver and cornerback. He had two interceptions and 75 tackles as a senior and had 12 picks in his high school career.

Quote: “I’ll tell you what, we’ve done a great job going down South,” Shelby said. “He’s a guy who has a big frame. He’s a receiver as well, so he has great hand-eye coordination. He can get in the box and he’s physical.”

Austin Dorris, Shadyside, Ohio 

Position: Tight end

Rank: 3-star, No. 25 tight end in the nation by Scout.com 

6-foot-5, 225 pounds

About: Dorris played everywhere in high school, spending time at running back and quarterback on top of his time lining up at tight end. As a senior, Dorris threw for 1,100 yards and rushed for 1,250 more. The IU coaching staff repeatedly said Wednesday that they were recruiting the best athletes regardless of position, which Dorris seems to be a prime example of.

Quote: “He’s really a tremendous athlete,” Johns said. “We’re excited really about the weight and the strength that we can put on his frame.”

Tyler Green, Hyattsville, Md.

6-foot-2, 190 pounds

Position: Safety

Rank: 3-star, No. 19 safety nationally by 247Sports

About: The top-ranked Hoosier commit according to 247Sports,Green was another future Hoosier who flipped commitment. He decommitted from Ohio State in December and a week later gave his pledge to Wilson’s Hoosiers. Green helped his DeMatha High School team to back-to-back championships in 2013 and 2014.

Quote: “He’s got a bigger frame, a guy we can definitely go man-to-man, but also to be able to blitz and make tackles and by physical in the run,” Shelby said. “We’re excited and expect great things from him early in his career.”

Donovan Hale, Largo, Fla.

6-foot-4, 205 pounds

Position: Quarterback

Rank: 3-star

About: Hale committed to IU saying he would like have an opportunity to play football and basketball at IU. On the gridiron, Hale threw for 1,488 yards and nine touchdowns as a high school senior. A dual-threat option, Hale finished with just more than 2,000 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns last season.

Quote: “A true dual-threat quarterback,” Johns said. “He can do a lot of things when you put the ball in his hands.”

Isaac James, Carmel, Ind.

5-foot-11, 180 pounds

Position: Athlete, projected wide receiver

Rank: 3-star, No. 5 overall prospect in Indiana

About: James was named an All-Star wide receiver in Indiana last season where he caught 28 passes for 188 yards, rushed for 841 yards and six touchdowns and passed for 225 yards. The last two seasons, James helped his Carmel High School team to state championship appearances after he was on the state-winning team in 2011.

Quote: “Really can just do it all,” Johns said. “Just a tremendous young man.”

Reakwon Jones, Lynn Haven, Fla.

6-foot-2, 205 pounds

Position: Linebacker

Rank: 3-star

About: Jones has the build of a linebacker, but played mostly safety in high school. The hard-hitting linebacker prospect had 124 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, six forced fumbles and two interceptions as a high school senior last year.

Quote: “We really look forward to the great things he can bring,” IU linebackers coach William Inge said. “He has the speed we need from him to be able to make plays in space.”

Austin King, Alpharetta, Ga.

6-foot-2, 190 pounds

Position: Quarterback

Rank: 3-star, No. 29 pro-style quarterback by 247Sports

About: A quarterback can oftentimes make or break a signing class, and IU feels like it has a good one in King. The former N.C. State commit switched to IU shortly after former-Hoosier commit Tommy Stevens flipped to Penn State. A true dropback pocket passer, King threw for 4,400 yards over the last two seasons with 41 total touchdowns. He completed 168-of-298 passes for 2,370 yards and 21 touchdowns to just six interceptions as a senior last season and already has coaches talking about his leadership potential.

Quote: “Austin’s a strong-armed young man, probably a true pocket, drop-back-and-pass quarterback,” Johns said. “We’ve been recruiting him a long time ... We’re definitely going to feed him as much as he can early on and see what he can handle.”

Brandon Knight, Noblesville, Ind.

6-foot-5, 265 pounds

Position: Offensive lineman

Rank: 3-star, No. 41 offensive tackle nationally by 247Sports

About: The second-highest ranked prospect in the 2015 class by247Sports, Knight was drawing quite the attention from a number of BCS programs including rival Purdue. During his senior season, Knight did not allow a single sack. 

Quote: “He’s a special kid and a special family,” IU offensive line coach Greg Frey said. “To me, an undervalued recruit ... We’re excited that he helped us develop a great recruiting class.”

Hunter Littlejohn, Powell, Ohio

6-foot-3, 285 pounds

Position: Offensive line

Rank: 3-star, No. 51 offensive guard nationally by 247Sports

About: Another highly-sought lineman, Littlejohn committed to IU back in June. A two-way lineman, Littlejohn played on both the offensive and defensive lines in high school but will stick to the offensive line in Bloomington. After his senior season, Littlejohn participated in the U.S. Army All-American Combine.

Quote: “We’re getting an athletic kid,” Frey said. “He’s gonna project at that guard/center position.”

DaVondre Love, St. Louis

6-foot-7, 290 pounds

Position: Offensive line

Rank: 3-star, No. 22 prospect in Missouri by 247Sports

About: The Hoosiers’ biggest commit, in terms of size, said IU first jumped near the top of his radar after he watched the Hoosiers upset then-ranked Missouri on the road last season. Love was on an offensive line that helped his high school team to 3,700 yards and 57 touchdowns last season. 

Quote: “He’s going to project at tackle for us,” Frey said. “He moves pretty well. He’s a kid who has good development and a good work ethic.”

Mike Majette, Woodbridge, Va.

5-foot-10, 195 pounds

Position: Wide receiver

Rank: 3-star, No. 16 prospect in Virginia by 247Sports

About: Majette is yet another commit who played everywhere in high school. He totaled 2,106 all-purpose yards and 23 touchdowns as a high school senior playing wide receiver, running back and quarterback. A former Maryland commit, Majette flipped to IU after visiting Bloomington in December.

Quote: “He’s a lot like Isaac (James) where he can do a lot of different things,” Johns said. “He’s a really smooth athlete.”

Jacob Robinson, Westfield, Ind.

6-foot-4, 235 pounds

Position: Defensive end

Rank: 3-star, No. 49 weak-side defensive end nationally by247Sports

About: A representative of Team USA in the International Bowl, Robinson had 58 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and three pass breakups as a senior in high school. He moved from linebacker to defensive end as a sophomore, which means he still has a bit of versatility and speed from his time playing a bit further away from the line of scrimmage.

Quote: “Another hard-nosed football player from in-state,” McDaniel said.

Camion Patrick, Knoxville, Tenn.

6-foot-2, 215 pounds

Position: Wide receiver

Rank: 3-star, No. 8 JUCO receiver by 247Sports

About: Patrick spent last season winning a junior college national championship at East Mississippi Community College and will now be taking his game to Bloomington. He caught 42 passes for 631 yards and a team-leading 12 touchdowns last season. He also had offers from the likes of Tennessee, Kansas State, Alabama and Ole Miss.

Quote: “He’s going to be a couple years older,” Johns said. “Really, just a tremendous young man. Just a great personality. Just excited about his strength. He catches the ball really well ... We expect him to come in and compete right away.”

Simon Stepaniak, Hamilton, Ohio

6-foot-4, 285 pounds

Position: Offensive lineman

Rank: 3-star, No. 36 prospect in Ohio by 247Sports

About: Stepaniak was ranked by most recruiting websites as one of the best offensive linemen in the state of Ohio. He was the first player to commit to the Hoosiers back in May and has held true to his initial commitment despite being chased by a few other programs including Louisville and Illinois.

Quote: “Reminds me a lot of (to-be junior) Dan Feeney,” Frey said. “Same style of player, same build, same temperament.”

Omari Stringer, Crete, Ill.

6-foot-4, 205 pounds

Position: Linebacker

Rank: 3-star, No. 28 prospect in Illinois

About: Stringer played mostly safety in high school, but will be playing linebacker at IU, potentially as a bandit linebacker — a hybrid between a conventional linebacker and a defensive lineman. According to IU, Stringer played against former-Hoosier Tevin Coleman in youth football. Stringer was also selected to the U.S. under-19 national team.

Quote: “We’re really looking forward to having him out on the edge,” Inge said.

Leon Thornton, Lombard, Ill.

6-foot-1, 195 pounds

Position: Wide receiver

Rank: 3-star, No. 12 prospect in Illinois by 247Sports

About: Thornton finished his senior season of high school with 66 catches for 945 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 30 times for 85 yards and five touchdowns. Thornton hauled in a late-touchdown grab in the Illinois state championship game last year in what was ultimately a losing effort. 

Quote: “When you bring a young man who knows how to win and knows what it takes, he brings a lot of value to your team,” Johns said.

Nick Westbrook, Lake Mary, Fla.

6-foot-3, 205 pounds

Position: Wide receiver

Rank: 3-star, No. 152 wide receiver nationally by 247Sports

About: Watching Westbrook’s highlight film is basically like watching a parade of touchdowns. Westbrook had 21 scores in his senior season on 84 catches, meaning he scored once every four times he caught a pass. He also added 1,853 total receiving yards en route to being named first team all-state, all-district and All-Central Florida as a senior.

Quote: “He’s as long and explosive as anyone we’re bringing in this year,” Johns said. “I really think the sky’s the limit for Nick.”

Devonte Williams, Potomac, Md.

Position: Running back

Rank: 3-star, No. 67 running back nationally by 247Sports

5-foot-10, 170 pounds

About: The latest high school recruit to join IU’s class, Williams flipped from Marshall to IU on Monday. The only running back in the class, outside of UAB transfer Jordan Howard, rushed for 1,899 yards and 23 total touchdowns as a senior. He visited IU last weekend and said he was excited and eager to help IU both running the ball and through the passing game. IU running backs coach Deland McCullough said IU was so high on Williams that they offered him a scholarship on signing day last season.

Quote: “You can expect versatility and explosion,” McCullough said.

Brandon Wilson, Winter Graden, Fla.

6-foot-3, 240 pounds

Position: Defensive end

Rank: 3-star, No. 50 strong-side defensive end nationally by247sports

About: Wilson flipped to IU on Jan. 4 after initially committing to Virginia. He had 81 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks and five pass breakups as a senior in high school. He’s a natural pass rusher that could help out a new-look 3-4 defensive line.

Quote: “What Brandon gives us is that pass rush,” McDaniel said. “He’s lean, he bends well, all those things you want out of a defensive lineman.”

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