September Recruiting Report

There are a number of new offers to highlight this young September. Take a look, along with my evaluations...   <ul> <li>DL [player_tooltip player_id="39042" first="Joe" last="Strickland"]- Brebeuf Jesuit, 2022 (Arizona State & Stanford)</li> </ul> Joe is one of the top DL prospects in the nation, so it should come as no surprise when he picks up offers on a regular basis. The more surprising part of this, is that both offers came from Pac 12 teams who do not recruit the state of Indiana often. That should give you an idea of how impressive of a prospect Joe is. At 6’4" 245 he has the frame to play multiple positions on the DL, can hold up against the run, and has a high level of pass rush ability. This is a prospect with a ton of twitch, plays the game fast, and he has a ton of growth potential. When college coaches are evaluating DL, they are not looking for a player that has reached their max potential in high school. They are looking for guys that will continue to develop once they get them on campus. Joe checks that box as a player, and to me, that is quite impressive for a 2022 prospect that is already close to being college ready. I believe we will continue to see him pick up offers from teams that don’t traditionally recruit the state. It takes a special player for a team to go out of their traditional recruiting grounds and do that. <ul> <li>OL [player_tooltip player_id="39050" first="Landen" last="Livingston"]- Leo, 2022 (Ball State & Toledo)</li> </ul> Landen has a number of Power 5 offers, so it is interesting to see some of the Group of 5 teams come in and offer him after the fact. I do not blame them though... When I was coaching, my mindset was that you have to shoot your shot at the best players, or you have no chance at getting the best players. Also, with both teams being relatively close to home, that can always be a factor in the recruiting process. Landen is a big body that plays under his pads and has great foot drive. He is a grown man in he trenches physically, but also has the athleticism of your longer and skinnier OL prospects. In my mind... his frame, intensity, and style of play are perfect for the Big Ten. His recruiting should continue to roll and I wouldn’t be too surprised to see some teams from outside the region come in and try to scoop him. Overall a high ceiling prospect that can slot into a few different spots on the OL. <ul> <li>OL [player_tooltip player_id="39043" first="Demon" last="Moore"]- Snider, 2022 (Minnesota)</li> </ul> Minnesota did a great job in Indiana with picking up a commitment from PRZ Indiana’s #1 2021 player, [player_tooltip player_id="38894" first="Austin" last="Booker"], so it makes sense that they would try to keep the Indiana pipeline going with Moore. Minnesota DL coach, Chad Wilt, spent some time in Indiana while coaching for Ball State. I think the trend of Minnesota recruiting top players from Indiana will continue. Sporting offers from Ohio State and two national programs that don’t traditionally recruit Indiana (Oregon & Texas A&M), Moore is one of the top interior OL in the entire country. He is a thick body prospect that moves incredibly well at his size, has a great punch, and impressive lateral movement. There is obviously a trend with teams coming from all over to recruit the Midwest for OL/DL prospects, and Moore will continue that trend. <ul> <li>LB [player_tooltip player_id="39054" first="Domanick" last="Moon"]- Snider, 2022 (Ball State)</li> </ul> Domanick followed up an impressive start to recruiting in August, with an offer from Ball State to start this month. It was his second in-state offer after Purdue offered last month. Moon is your prototype when it comes to frame for the Mike LB position. He is a player with great lateral movement, can play sideline to sideline, and he is physical at the point of attack. I love his block destruction, and ability to diagnose/react to plays as well. This is a prospect that is fundamentally sound for his age, and the type of player that college coaches can be confident in succeeding when he gets on campus. You will see him continue to pick up more Power 5 offers over the next year, and he is definitely one of Indiana’s best in 2022. <ul> <li>QB [player_tooltip player_id="39049" first="Tayven" last="Jackson"]- Center Grove, 2022 (Rutgers)</li> </ul> Let me start out by saying that I love Tayven as a prospect. He is the exact type of player that I hated game planning against when I was a college coach. His combination of mobility and passing ability are sure to give defensive coordinators headaches for years. Quarterback is the one position that you can talk to 10 QB coaches and get 10 different opinions about a prospect’s ability, but Tayven is the type that can make QB coaches unite in their agreement that he will perform at the next level. With a great frame, ability to extend plays with his feet and throw against his body, plus the ability to make every level of throw... Tayven is without a question one of the Midwest’s best 2022 QB’s. I imagine that you will see the majority of the Big Ten follow suit with offering, and you will see some teams from outside of the region recruit Jackson as well. <ul> <li>DB Kalen Carroll- Brownsburg, 2022 (Boston College & Indiana)</li> </ul> Kalen is a new name to many in Indiana because he played his sophomore season at Oak Ridge HS in Florida. It obviously didn’t take teams too long to find him at his new home, as he picked up two Power 5 offers since season started. I have talked about it before, but height and length are 2 characteristics that college teams are looking for when recruiting DB’s. Kalen brings that to the table and more. With great bend, efficiency out of his breaks, and the ability to play against the run as good as the pass... He has a chance to grow into a big time player at the next level. His development from sophomore to early junior film is outstanding. If he can continue to develop that same way over the next two season, I think you will see a prospect that draws attention from across the nation. There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to Kalen’s size and game! <ul> <li>WR/TE Jeffery Simmons- Fishers, 2022 (Cincinnatti)</li> </ul> The big WR prospect kicked off September with offer #2, coming from Cincinnatti. When you turn on the film, it only takes a few plays to see that Cincy won’t be his last offer. The 6’6" Simmons is really impressive physically, but his ability to move like a smaller player is even more impressive. Unlike many tall receiver prospects, he has the ability to line-up just about anywhere on the field. Whether it is the slot, or on the outside, he presents matchup nightmares for defensive backs and linebackers. The fact that he can potentially grow into a an athletic TE is another trait that adds value. I love his ball skills, ability to find holes in zone coverage, and body control as well. Having been a DB coach in the past, I am partial to big WR prospects, because of the mismatches they can create with their size. With that being the case, Simmons is a player that I would rather have on my team than coach against. You will hear plenty more of this name in the coming years.  