Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Reloading Up Front
4/6/2016 10:53:00 AM | Football
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Kevin Wilson has been bullish on his offensive line the last few seasons. He's had reason to be.
The Hoosiers' front line produced a pair of All-Americans in Jason Spriggs and fifth-year senior Dan Feeney last year alone and has been a cornerstone of Wilson's offensive vision since he arrived in Bloomington.
Spriggs and center Jake Reed may be gone heading into a new season, but Wilson said the position group hasn't shown signs of stepping back.
"I've had several guys watch practice and say, 'You know, you've got a couple good linemen but your line looks good,'" Wilson said. "So I think the line has a chance to continue to be consistent."
Indiana's strength and conditioning staff, led by first-year strength coach Keith Caton, named the offensive line the top position group after winter workouts. Entering the latter stages of spring practice, offensive line coach Greg Frey's group has continued to set the tone while it works out a few kinks along the way.
"We're still in that finding phase where it's like, hey, some guys are stronger than they were in the fall, some guys are better than they were in the fall," Frey said. "Guys are doing better things, worse things. Some are a little heavier. And we're still trying to figure out what the right chemistry and right mix is."
Replacing Spriggs is no doubt near the top of Frey's to-do list.
He'll have options in a group of young tackles like sophomore Brandon Knight, who actually played tight end a year ago and is still transitioning back into the offensive line. Frey and Wilson have both expressed openness to position changes too, which means any of IU's current linemen could wind up there if needed.
The other spot Indiana is working to address is center, a spot vacated by Jake Reed. In a perfect world, Frey said anyone in his two-deep could snap the ball, but he'd rather find one or two guys before too much time passes.
"You really want to have a handful of guys at that position," Frey said. "You've got to get the ball to the quarterback. It is what it is. If injuries happen, you better have an answer."
The answer Indiana will likely be leaning on early and often is Feeney, who's still a guard for now but has moved around as needed in the spring. IU's returning All-American drew some NFL Draft interest a year ago but opted to return to school to give Indiana some much-needed experience and skill on the offensive line.
Feeney, set to begin his fifth year in Bloomington, has taken 2,719 snaps over 37 games in Bloomington.
He's allowed just one sack.
The other day, Indiana's players were doing a pull-up exercise where the goal was to do 10. Meanwhile, Frey said Feeney was going to 21, 22 and daring fellow fifth-year senior Wes Rogers to keep up.
"That's Dan," Frey said. "He just goes."
If Frey and Wilson get their way, he'll bring the rest of Indiana's line with him.
Whether it's seniors Jacob Bailey and Dimitric Camiel or younger players like redshirt freshmen DaVondre Love and Simon Stepaniak or redshirt sophomore Tim Gardner, among others, Indiana is going to be relying on new faces come next fall to build on what it has established on the front line already.
And that's exactly what the Hoosiers say they intend to do.
"We've got a really good group coming back," Feeney said. "It's not really replacing anybody like it's a bad thing. It's just waiting for that next guy to take over."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Kevin Wilson has been bullish on his offensive line the last few seasons. He's had reason to be.
The Hoosiers' front line produced a pair of All-Americans in Jason Spriggs and fifth-year senior Dan Feeney last year alone and has been a cornerstone of Wilson's offensive vision since he arrived in Bloomington.
Spriggs and center Jake Reed may be gone heading into a new season, but Wilson said the position group hasn't shown signs of stepping back.
"I've had several guys watch practice and say, 'You know, you've got a couple good linemen but your line looks good,'" Wilson said. "So I think the line has a chance to continue to be consistent."
Indiana's strength and conditioning staff, led by first-year strength coach Keith Caton, named the offensive line the top position group after winter workouts. Entering the latter stages of spring practice, offensive line coach Greg Frey's group has continued to set the tone while it works out a few kinks along the way.
"We're still in that finding phase where it's like, hey, some guys are stronger than they were in the fall, some guys are better than they were in the fall," Frey said. "Guys are doing better things, worse things. Some are a little heavier. And we're still trying to figure out what the right chemistry and right mix is."
Replacing Spriggs is no doubt near the top of Frey's to-do list.
He'll have options in a group of young tackles like sophomore Brandon Knight, who actually played tight end a year ago and is still transitioning back into the offensive line. Frey and Wilson have both expressed openness to position changes too, which means any of IU's current linemen could wind up there if needed.
The other spot Indiana is working to address is center, a spot vacated by Jake Reed. In a perfect world, Frey said anyone in his two-deep could snap the ball, but he'd rather find one or two guys before too much time passes.
"You really want to have a handful of guys at that position," Frey said. "You've got to get the ball to the quarterback. It is what it is. If injuries happen, you better have an answer."
The answer Indiana will likely be leaning on early and often is Feeney, who's still a guard for now but has moved around as needed in the spring. IU's returning All-American drew some NFL Draft interest a year ago but opted to return to school to give Indiana some much-needed experience and skill on the offensive line.
Feeney, set to begin his fifth year in Bloomington, has taken 2,719 snaps over 37 games in Bloomington.
He's allowed just one sack.
The other day, Indiana's players were doing a pull-up exercise where the goal was to do 10. Meanwhile, Frey said Feeney was going to 21, 22 and daring fellow fifth-year senior Wes Rogers to keep up.
"That's Dan," Frey said. "He just goes."
If Frey and Wilson get their way, he'll bring the rest of Indiana's line with him.
Whether it's seniors Jacob Bailey and Dimitric Camiel or younger players like redshirt freshmen DaVondre Love and Simon Stepaniak or redshirt sophomore Tim Gardner, among others, Indiana is going to be relying on new faces come next fall to build on what it has established on the front line already.
And that's exactly what the Hoosiers say they intend to do.
"We've got a really good group coming back," Feeney said. "It's not really replacing anybody like it's a bad thing. It's just waiting for that next guy to take over."
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