Kaleb Banks had planned to use the month of July to increase his recruiting options but not to make any recruiting decisions. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound wing from Fayetteville, Ga., had never really been through a July evaluation period when college coaches flocked to see him — he got limited attention after his freshman season and COVID-19 ruined the evaluation period last year — so he wanted to see what would happen when his game got real national exposure. But about a week ago, Banks said, he decided that he already had the offer he wanted and knew where he wanted…
Author: Dustin Dopirak
Bailey Andison had to go somewhere else first. She wasn’t quite fast enough of a swimmer at Smiths Falls Collegiate Institute in Smiths Falls, Ontario to be able to start her college career at the sort of program that produces international champions. So she spent three years at Denver University to build herself up, then transferred to Indiana for her senior year in 2018 when she believed she had a real opportunity to become an Olympian. “A big part of my decision to transfer to IU was to pursue an Olympic dream,” Andison said on a Zoom press conference last…
Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was named one of 10 Big Ten football preseason honorees before the start of Big Ten Media Days Thursday. The league no longer does an official preseason all-conference team and has issued a much smaller group of honorees for most of the last decade. Penix was one of five players honored in the Big Ten East without regard to position. There were five more named in the west. Penix was a second-team All-Big Ten pick at the end of last season and is working his way back from an ACL tear suffered in November. He…
Kevin Warren says he doesn’t have a lot of regrets about how he handled 2020, even if a significant portion of the college football universe believes he should. The first-year Big Ten commissioner was thrust into an unprecedented position and tried to lead the way with how the conference handled the COVID-19 pandemic, only to find many of college football’s leaders decided to not follow him. After extensive conversations with stake holders and medical professionals, the Big Ten decided last August to cancel its season, presuming the rest of college football would see the risks of allowing the athletes to…
INDIANAPOLIS — During his opening press conference, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren announced the creation of the George and Viola Taliaferro Fellowship, which will promote diversity and inclusion in the Big Ten. Taliaferro starred at Indiana in the 1940s and became the first Black player to be drafted into the NFL in 1949. The Taliaferros’ four daughters were at Big Ten Media Days on Thursday and Warren expressed his gratitude to them and their parents when announcing the fellowship. “I just want to tell you from the bottom of my heart, I’m so grateful,” Warren said. “I am so honored.…
Indiana wide receiver Ty Fryfogle was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list on Thursday. The award goes to the top receiver in college football. Fryfogle earned third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press last season. He was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media and second-team All-Big Ten by the conference’s coaches. He caught 37 passes for 721 yards and seven touchdowns, and took advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted to players because of COVID-19 to come back for a fifth season at Indiana. The full release from IU Athletics follows. BILETNIKOFF AWARD ADDS FRYFOGLE TO WATCH…
Indiana begins one of the most important seasons in the history of its football program on Sept. 4. The Hoosiers are coming off a 6-2 campaign and an Outback Bowl berth in 2020 and are expected to be a preseason Top 25 team. We are profiling each of the 12 teams Indiana will face this season as they try to build on that momentum Opponent: Minnesota Date/Time/TV: Nov. 20, time and television TBA. Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington. 2020 record/bowl result: 3-4 overall, 3-4 in the Big Ten. No bowl game. Returning Starters, Offense (10): QB Tanner Morgan, RB Mohamed Ibrahim,…
Indiana running back and USC transfer Stephen Carr was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list Wednesday. The award goes to the top running back in college football. Carr rushed for 1,319 yards and 12 touchdowns in four seasons at USC and caught 57 passes for 421 yards and a touchdown. A former five-star recruit, Carr is battling for the starting running back spot vacated by former starter Stevie Scott, who left after three seasons for the NFL and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints. The full release from IU Athletics follows. CARR…
Indiana was picked to finish third in the Big Ten East behind Ohio State and Penn State in an unofficial poll of conference beat reporters compiled and published by Nathan Baird at Cleveland.com. The conference beat writers also picked quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to finish second in the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year race behind wide receiver Chris Olave of Ohio State. Indiana linebacker Micah McFadden was picked to finish fourth and cornerback Tiawan Mullen seventh in the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year race. Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph was picked to win the award. Ohio State…
Indiana begins one of the most important seasons in the history of its football program on Sept. 4. The Hoosiers are coming off a 6-2 campaign and an Outback Bowl berth in 2020 and are expected to be a preseason Top 25 team. We are profiling each of the 12 teams Indiana will face this season as they try to build on that momentum Opponent: Rutgers Date/Time/TV: Nov. 13, time and television TBA. Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington. 2020 record/bowl result: 3-6 overall, 3-6 in the Big Ten. No bowl game. Returning Starters, Offense (11): QB Noah Vedral, RB Isaih, Pacheco, WR…