IU football officially opened its 2015 season Thursday with its first spring practice.
Overall, IU Coach Kevin Wilson said he was pleased with where his team was at, but added there’s quite a bit of work to do.
Here’s a few more things we found out in the first spring practice.
Covington back at linebacker
IU sophomore Chris Covington has officially moved back to the defensive end as a linebacker after spending time at quarterback last season.
Covington is still limited after a tearing his ACL last season, but he is active in practice in his new position.
“It’s what he wanted,” Wilson said. “To me, you kind of go where your heart is. To me, if it’s good for you, it’s good for the team.”
Mangieri moves closer to the line
IU senior Nick Mangieri has moved from the bandit position to the defensive line.
Wilson said he expects Mangieri, who bulked up a bit in the offseason, to have a larger role closer to the line of scrimmage. He also said senior Zack Shaw was playing well enough in split time with Mangieri last year to take the position.
“(We) just thought he would help the team more,” Wilson said.
Keel, Hawkins injured
Redshirt freshman receiver Coray Keel and UAB transfer Marqui Hawkins are injured, but Wilson said neither injury was all that serious.
He did admit their absence will set them back a bit.
This is Keel’s first spring as a college player, and Hawkins is still adjusting to his new team.
IU sophomore receiver J-Shun Harris did speak highly of Hawkins’ play when he was active and said he’s going to be a solid addition to the roster.
“Man, the way he catches the ball is pretty amazing,” Harris said.
Dawkins ineligible
Redshirt freshman defensive back Will Dawkins is not eligible to participate in spring practice.
Wilson clarified that Dawkins is not sitting because of an academic issue or a bad standing with the team, but rather an NCAA issue he wouldn’t go into detail about.
Wilson was noncommittal about whether Dawkins would be with IU in the fall, but did not rule it out either.
