Mangum-Farrar Wants More, Gets More
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Jacob Mangum-Farrar thought he knew what Indiana football coaches had in store for him, but conversations only go so far. Now that he’s experienced their plans, now that he knows the opportunities coming his way in the Hoosiers’ attack scheme, the transfer linebacker from Stanford is all in.
“I love it,” Mangum-Farrar says. “I have more responsibility. It allows me to make more plays and up my game.”
What’s not to love when you can get after the quarterback as well as stop the run, defend the pass, and wreck offensive plans?
“I didn’t know all the responsibilities I’d be taking on,” he says. “Then I started doing it, and it was like, I can play this, I can play that. It lets me stay on the field.”
Mangum-Farrar had more limited responsibilities in 26 games (9 as a starter) over four seasons at Stanford. Still, he made significant impact. He had 12 tackles against Oregon State two years ago, 10 against Notre Dame last season. He had 44 tackles last season with one forced fumble.
Now, as a Hoosier, he could play on the line as an edge rusher or drop back as a linebacker.
“Lining up in different positions allows me to be versatile and broaden my horizons, which I welcome,” he says. “I had a couple positions before at Stanford, but nothing like this.
“I have more responsibility. I’m getting more opportunities to pass rush, edge rush. I had some before, but not a ton. I usually was covering the tight end, covering the running back.”
Mangum-Farrar has added weight and strength to better handle the up-front role.
“That’s allowed me to come off the edge more.”
Co-defensive coordinator Chad Wilt, who also coaches linebackers, is his position coach, but Mangum-Farrar also works with outside linebackers coach Kasey Teegardin.
“Coach Wilt has a great mind,” Mangum-Farrar says. “He’s very personable and takes the time to make sure you understand what’s going on.
“Coach Teegardin is awesome, too. He’s super passionate and cares about his players.”
The coaches, and IU’s attacking scheme, were big reasons why Mangum-Farrar is a Hoosier.
“I enjoyed meeting the coaches, and how genuine they were. I like the scheme of the defense and how it allows linebackers to play free and instinctual.”
Veteran linebackers such as Aaron Casey eased the transition.
“Aaron is a soft spoken guy, but he’s a dog on the field,” Mangum-Farrar says. “He’s been super helpful in helping me learn, and he’s a friend off the field.”
In the aftermath of a 4-8 season, IU coaches hit the transfer portal hard. Defense was a top priority in head coach Tom Allen’s quest to turn things around after consecutive losing seasons.
“We tried to be very aggressive with that,” Allen says.
Mangum-Farrar is part of a wave of new talent pushing to get ready for the Sept. 2 season opener against perennial powerhouse Ohio State, and the rest of a challenging schedule that annually rates among the nation’s toughest.
“We have a lot of guys on the team who are competitors and push me to get better,” Mangum-Farrar says. “They are super competitive. That’s what we need to be a championship team.
“Everyone is striving to get better. If the guy next to me is going 10 times harder than me, I’m going to pick up the pace.”