The Indiana University football program is deep into spring practice. There were a number of news items this week that we wanted to share. Next week we’ll have an overall spring practice report with the top themes, news and things to watch for going into the spring game.
THE ANNUAL SPRING GAME IS NEXT SATURDAY
The 2018 Cream & Crimson Spring Game is a week from today — Saturday April 14. The game will start at noon and admission is free. It will be the first chance to see the renovations to Memorial Stadium that include a now fully enclosed south end zone. You can see a photo of the progress further below.
🏈 #IUFB Spring Game
📍 Memorial Stadium
📅 Noon on 4/14Full details: https://t.co/ILP6Rv54Pd pic.twitter.com/DCcLrvdxCs
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) April 6, 2018
At halftime, Head Coach Tom Allen will recognize players for spring practice awards. After the game, the team will sign autographs on the field.
ZENDEN DELLINGER TRANSFERS TO INDIANA
Western Michigan tackle Zenden Dellinger has announced that he is transferring to Indiana.
Dellinger is a 6-foot-7 offensive tackle who was rated as a 3-star recruit by 247 Sports coming out of high school (Fort Wayne Snider). He was the No. 16-rated player in the state of Indiana for the Class of 2017.
Dellinger was with the Bronco program for one season. On March 28, he made a post on social media about pursuing opportunities with other teams. He red-shirted in 2017, and thus has four years of eligibility left.
DEFENSIVE LINE COMING TOGETHER
The IU defensive front is one of the big questions coming into the 2018 season. With the loss of Greg Gooch, Nate Hoff, and Robert McCray to graduation and Juan Harris to transfer (see below), the Hoosiers will be relatively inexperienced.
There is some experience returning, including Jacob Robinson, Michael Barwick, and Nile Sykes.
Former IU star and D-line coach Mark Hagen discusses the progress of the unit.
🗣🎙🏈 @CoachHagenIU talks the progression of #IUFB's defensive line. pic.twitter.com/d6X2VqN57g
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) April 6, 2018
JUAN HARRIS TRANSFERRING
As mentioned above, defensive lineman Juan Harris announced this past week that he is leaving the IU program. He later announced that he would be attending Iowa Western.
Harris was a four-star prospect in high school, and considered a big recruiting win for Indiana. He went back and forth with commitments and de-commitments at both Indiana and Iowa. At 6-foot-3, 357-pounds, Harris received a medical redshirt after missing IU’s final nine games in 2017.
INDIANA HOSTS PRO DAY
Indiana hosted a NFL Pro Day last week. Eleven former Hoosier players participated in front of NFL scouts and coaches. You can see video of the event and comments from the IU players and coaches here.
MEMORIAL STADIUM RENOVATION NEARING COMPLETION
The project to enclose the south end zone and add a large video board is nearly complete.
The project will be completed for the first game in September. Fans will be able to experience the enclosed feel at the Spring game. We will have a report on the new look and feel of the stadium after next Saturday’s spring contest.
RECRUITING UPDATE
You can find links to the 2018 and 2019 class, offers and rankings here.
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Main photo credit – Indiana University