Indiana University Athletics
Mangieri Leading, Transitioning Back to Defensive Line
6/10/2015 10:21:00 AM | Football
Senior defensive end fired up for 2015 campaign
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
Heading into his senior season, Nick Mangieri had to hit the reset button.
Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson moved Mangieri to the defensive line in spring practice after playing in the bandit position last year.
Now Mangieri is learning--or rather, re-learning--how to play on the defensive line with goals of being named All-Big Ten and leading Indiana to the postseason.
He's still not where he wants to be, but he said he's getting closer each day. He's excited about the 2015 team's potential, and that excitement only amplified this week with summer practice starting up and all the incoming freshmen joining the team.
"There's a lot of excitement in the locker room now that everyone is back on campus," Mangieri said. "I kind of had a fresh start, not just with the position, but it's a different scheme, too. The biggest difference is learning all the new stuff."
Mangieri was referencing Indiana's switch to the 3-4 base defensive set from the 4-3 with now second-year defensive coordinator Brian Knorr.
Even though he has some familiarity playing on the defensive line, Mangieri said playing the position in the 3-4 isn't quite the same as playing in the 4-3. The 4-3 involves more vertical pass rushing while the 3-4 relies more on lateral movements and rewards speed.
"That change should work out in my favor as far my quickness and athleticism goes," Mangieri said. "Coming out of spring ball, I'm pretty comfortable with the transition. Once you get comfortable, you start looking at the offense and their tendencies. That's how you get better."
While he's doing work himself, Mangieri said he's also focused on getting his teammates better.
After spring practice ended, Wilson announced that Mangieri had earned the Defensive Leader Award. One of his closest friends and roommates, senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld, earned the Offensive Leader Award.
Mangieri said he likes being a leader to younger guys. He likes to lead by example, setting the tone early in practice.
"You just want to show them the right way and just be in their ear and let them know what the right thing to do is," Mangieri said. "But really, you've got to lead by example. Everybody can talk, but if you don't back it up by your actions, nobody is going to follow you."
Mangieri has seen firsthand the peaks and valleys the defense has had. He liked the way the defense ended last season, but he said the key to seeing steady improvement is playing more consistent.
"This spring, we kind of built off the last few games of the season where we started to come together and play as a defense," Mangieri said. "You can definitely see that growth continue so far and I'm definitely looking forward to it growing in the summer and into the fall."
Mangieri will have plenty of time to make the gains he wants. Indiana has eight weeks of limited summer workouts before fine tuning things when fall camp starts in August.
Mangieri, like many of his teammates, expressed excitement for the new season - three months away from the opening kickoff against Southern Illinois. He said the team has the pieces in place, but added the results will hinge on whether or not IU can get everything to line up on the field.
"My time is ticking," Mangeiri said. "You never think this time would come as a freshman, but now it's here."
