Few position groups will have as much direct impact on Indiana’s season as the offensive line.
A good offensive line is always a big difference-maker for any team, and a bad line is typically just as problematic. But with so many new pieces on offense, the offensive line play will be particularly crucial for the Hoosiers this year. It’s the only position on the team with coaching continuity from last year, with Bob Bostad back on staff, and some key returnees paired with transfer portal additions and promising younger players put the group in a big spot this year.
If the offensive line can improve, Indiana’s offense has a chance to make some noise in the Big Ten. But if the group struggles, IU’s offense could have trouble getting into any sort of groove this year.
Prior previews:
Roster turnover — who’s gone
- Max Longman (exhausted his eligibility)
- Matthew Bedford (transfer — Oregon)
- Kahlil Benson (transfer — Colorado)
- Zach Carpenter (transfer — Miami)
- Joshua Sales Jr. (transfer — Purdue)
- Bubba Jeffries (transfer — Chattanooga)
- Will Larkins (transfer — Georgia State)
- Josh Witt (entered transfer portal)
- Garrett Brown
- Noah Bolticoff
- Robby Kowalewski
Roster turnover — who’s back
- Mike Katic (sixth-year senior)
- Carter Smith (redshirt sophomore)
- Bray Lynch (redshirt sophomore)
- Drew Evans (redshirt sophomore)
- Austin Barrett (redshirt freshman)
- Vince Fiacable (redshirt junior)
- Cooper Jones (redshirt junior)
- Jack Greer (redshirt sophomore)
- Max Williams (redshirt sophomore)
Roster turnover — who’s new
- Trey Wedig (transfer — Wisconsin)
- Tyler Stephens (transfer — James Madison)
- Nick Kidwell (transfer — JMU) (out for the season with a knee injury)
- Austin Leibfried (3-star, Mount Horeb, Wis.)
- Evan Lawrence (3-star, Danville, Ind.)
- Adedamola Ajani (3-star, Indianapolis, Ind.)
- Mitch Verstegen (3-star, Kaukauna, Wis.)
Projected depth chart
Here’s our best estimate of Indiana’s offensive line starters and who the other key players will be.
- Left tackle: Carter Smith, redshirt sophomore, 6-foot-5, 308 pounds (12 career starts)
- Left guard: Drew Evans, redshirt sophomore, 6-foot-4, 306 pounds
- Center: Mike Katic, sixth-year senior, 6-foot-4, 318 pounds (37 career starts)
- Right guard: Bray Lynch, redshirt sophomore, 6-foot-5, 307 pounds
- Right tackle: Trey Wedig, redshirt senior, 6-foot-7, 319 pounds (eight career starts at Wisconsin)
- Key reserve: Tyler Stephens, fifth-year senior, 6-foot-5, 311 pounds (31 career starts at JMU)
- Key reserve: Austin Barrett, redshirt freshman, 6-foot-6, 308 pounds
Kidwell was set to start at right guard, but his reported season-ending knee injury changed IU’s plans. Curt Cignetti said during a media availability that Evans, Lynch, and Stephens will share responsibilities at both guard spots to fill the void. From the limited amount of practice that media has been able to observe, Lynch and Evans have worked with the first team more often than Stephens, so we’re putting them atop the depth chart for now. Stephens was also getting work at center, which could give the Hoosiers flexibility to slide Katic over to a guard spot, if they want. But Katic will be a fixture on the offensive line either way. The two tackles should be pretty locked in: Wedig was Indiana’s key transfer portal addition on the offensive line, and Smith made a lot of positive strides last season, with potential to continue developing into one of the better tackles in the Big Ten.
Quotable
Curt Cignetti on Bob Bostad:
“He’s a veteran with a great reputation. He really works his guys, he’s a tough guy. Bob is a little bit old school, which I like. But that’s such a critical position. And it takes a while to kind of mesh in terms of things I’m used to doing or we’re used to doing offensively versus what he’s done, coming together. And I like the way that process has gone. He’s a real asset, his winning edge. I know he’s going to get the most out of the offensive line.”
Carter Smith on the offensive line’s progression in fall camp:
“Keeping two guys on the same offensive line with a complete staff change, it’s huge for us. Me and Mike, we’re kind of the front-runners right now, but we have a lot of older guys that came in from JMU as well, so it’s all on us to lead the way for all the young guys. And I feel like they’re progressing pretty well, too. As a whole unit, it’s been going pretty good for us. We’re making progress every single day, new installs. We’re getting rolling.”
Curt Cignetti on Tyler Stephens, Bray Lynch, and Drew Evans:
“Well both those guys (Lynch and Evans) have played probably limited football up to this point. But it’s time, it’s their time, Bray Lynch is a year older. Drew Evans is a real smart guy, he’s got a good natural strength, Bray Lynch has good movement. Tyler Stephens has started a lot of games at tackle, guard, is working some center now. Bob’s working four or five different guys at center. So like I said before, they’re all capable, and we need them to step up.”
Why it will work
Indiana underwent so much turnover across the board from last year to this year, both with the roster and the coaching staff. But Bostad returning as offensive line coach provides some critical continuity for a group that showed some signs of improvement last season. The line still had a lot of work to do to get where it needed to be, and steps forward were often followed by quick regression. But the growth Smith showed at left tackle last year shouldn’t be overlooked, and it made his return to Bloomington after entering the transfer portal one of the biggest moves of IU’s offseason. IU lost some pieces from last season’s offensive line, but Katic finished with the highest PFF pass-blocking grade of any Hoosier lineman last season, and Smith may be the brightest star in the entire position room.
With the way the Hoosiers played on the offensive line last season, despite some positive signs, it feels unlikely they could become one of the best units in the Big Ten this year. But if things go well, they could climb more towards the middle of the pack, which would be a huge boost for IU’s offense.
Why it won’t
With Kidwell’s injury, Indiana is turning to two players in Evans and Lynch who have little to no game experience at the collegiate level. That could obviously go a number of different ways, and there are plenty of scenarios where that becomes problematic. And with offensive line, it can sometimes take just one weak link to bring down the performance of the entire group. If Evans or Lynch underperforms, the Hoosiers could cut them out of the shared guard duties and lean more heavily on Stephens. But if both players have trouble, it could spell trouble for IU.
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