Fan Q&A: Answering Readers' Questions About the 2023 Indiana Football Season
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The 2023 Indiana football season is right around the corner, with the Week 1 kickoff against Ohio State scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 2 at Memorial Stadium.
Coming off a 4-8 season in 2022, Indiana lost a major chunk of its roster to graduation, the NFL and transfer portal, forcing coach Tom Allen to overhaul the roster. And with new faces at seemingly every position, Indiana fans have plenty of questions about the Hoosiers.
Below, I answer a handful of reader-submitted questions regarding the upcoming Indiana football season.
"Is there real improvement in the offensive line, or are we being led to believe that a new coach is all that was needed?" Chuck Kirtman asked.
A new coach is not the only recipe for improvement, but it certainly helps. Indiana coaches and players have consistently noted Bob Bostad's attention to detail and demand for perfection since he was hired in December. Players have said Bostad often shows film from when he coached in the NFL. That has helped the offensive line buy in to what Bostad is teaching, knowing he's had success at the highest level. He produced All-Americans at Wisconsin, too.
But at the end of the day, it's up to the players to improve and execute on game day. Indiana lost starting left tackle Luke Haggard to the NFL, but the remaining players are largely the same. Zach Carpenter and Mike Katic are expected to retain starting roles on the interior, and the return of Matthew Bedford should be a huge boost. Bedford is widely considered Indiana's best offensive lineman, but he tore his ACL in Week 1 last season, which contributed to the constant offensive line shuffle throughout the 2022 season. Kahlil Benson, Carter Smith, Max Longman and Josh Sales seem to be competing for the final two starting spots. Benson and Sales played a good amount last year, and Indiana needs them to continue to grow. Smith, just a redshirt freshman, was a four-star recruit and ranked No. 207 in the nation out of high school. Longman transferred in from UMass, where he played for current Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell, who used to be the UMass head coach.
So how much improvement is reasonable to expect? I don't expect the Indiana offensive line to be a dominant unit, and they'll have plenty of tough matchups against the daunting front sevens of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. But with Bostad's vast knowledge and a healthy Bedford, Indiana's offensive line will improve and should not be the glaring weakness it was in 2021 and 2022.
"How are the front lines developing?" Mark Voyles asked.
I addressed the offensive line in the question above, so I'll focus on the defensive line here. The defensive line has a chance to be one of Indiana's most improved position groups. Indiana ranked 11th in the Big Ten in 2022 in both run defense and sacks. It wasn't much better in 2021, ranking 8th in run defense and last in sacks.
Allen and the Indiana coaching staff has used the transfer portal to revamp this position group, bringing in eight defensive line transfers and three outside linebacker transfers over the the last two offseasons. Western Michigan transfer Andre Carter was Indiana's defensive MVP of the spring, and he was recently named to the Bednarik Award watch list, given to college football's top defensive player.
Add transfers like Lanell Carr Jr. (West Virginia), Philip Blidi (Texas Tech), Marcus Burris (Texas A&M) and Anthony Jones (Oregon), and Indiana has built solid depth. Opponents should not be able to double-team Indiana's top pass rushers, which makes everyone more effective.
"With basically a new team, how much rope is Tom Allen going to get this season?" Scott Henderson asked.
CBS Sports published an article in July, claiming that Tom Allen's seat is as hot as any coach's in college football. Allen and West Virginia coach Neal Brown were the only coaches to receive a "5" rating, which equates to "win or be fired." The rating is quite vague, but you get the point. Indiana is 6-18 under Allen over the last two seasons, making his seventh year a crucial one.
There are multiple layers to this decision, starting with Allen's buyout. If Allen is fired without cause before Dec. 1, 2024, his buyout is $20 million. Firing Allen would, of course, also mean hiring a new coach and paying that price tag. Indiana isn't the most attractive job, and hiring an established winner would cost a hefty sum. The buyout money would also take away from the NIL fund, which could hurt both high school recruiting and roster retention.
So how many losses would it take? If Indiana goes 1-11, 2-10 or 3-9, firing Allen has to be a serious consideration. Four or more wins could be enough for Allen to keep his job.
Allen holds a 30-40 record at Indiana with two bowl game appearances, making him one of two coaches in program history, along with Bill Mallory, to coach in multiple bowl games. Allen's 14-7 record from 2019-20 remains one of the most successful two-year stretches in program history.
"Why does IU start the season off by playing Ohio State? What genius thought this would be a good idea?" Brian L. Tyree asked.
If this was Indiana's decision, they certainly wouldn't choose to play Ohio State in Week 1. Sometimes that's just how the Big Ten's scheduling works out. The Hoosiers do have a legitimate gripe with the Big Ten, though, as they will have opened five of Allen's seven seasons with a Big Ten opponent, including No. 2 Ohio State, No. 8 Penn State, No. 18 Iowa, Illinois, and this year, No. 3 Ohio State again.
"How do you think the portal transfers, especially on defense, will be integrated into the lineup?" Matt T. asked.
Transfers will play a big role all over the field.
In the secondary, expect Texas transfer Jamier Johnson and Texas Tech transfer Kobee Minor to start or play significant snaps at cornerback. Stanford transfer Nic Toomer and JUCO transfer JoJo Johnson will also mix in. At safety, JUCO transfer Tyrik McDaniel seems like the top transfer competing for a starting role.
Along the defensive line, expect Western Michigan transfer Andre Carter, Texas Tech transfer Philip Blidi and Texas Tech transfer Marcus Burris Jr. to all play a lot. At outside linebacker, coach Kasey Teegardin said West Virginia transfer Lanell Carr and Oregon transfer Anthony Jones will rotate in with Myles Jackson, who's in his second year at Indiana.
At middle linebacker, Stanford transfer Jacob Mangum-Farrar said he's playing the Mike, or strong-side linebacker, next to returning leading tacker Aaron Casey, who'll move back to Stinger, or weak-side linebacker. Austin Peay transfer Joshua Rudolph seems to be one of the backups for Casey and Mangum-Farrar.
Offensively, Clemson transfer E.J. Williams and Fordham transfer DeQuece Carter could be in line for starting wide receiver roles, with Williams on the outside and Carter in the slot. Indiana returns a lot of talent at running back, but expect Wake Forest transfer Christian Turner to get his fair share of carries. On the offensive line, coach Bostad said Aug. 2 that UMass transfer Max Longman is "right on the edge of being a starter."
Stanford tight end transfer Bradley Archer adds depth and blocking in an otherwise young room. And at quarterback, Tayven Jackson is competing with returning redshirt freshman Brendan Sorsby for the starting job. Allen said he has internally named a starter, but he will not announce the decision publicly prior to the season opener against Ohio State.
"Are they thinking about using packages for both QB's, or are they looking to have one main QB?" Matt Robling asked.
Ideally, Allen would always prefer to stick with one quarterback. That hasn't been the case in recent years due to injuries and unproductive play. A potential benefit with this year's quarterback room, though, is that each quarterback possesses somewhat similar skillsets.
Offensive coordinator Walt Bell said during fall camp that everyone in the room is a good athlete, and both Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby showed good mobility outside the pocket during the team scrimmage a few weeks back. Jackson or Sorsby are not quite as threatening in the run game as Dexter Williams II, but both are significantly more elusive than Connor Bazelak was last year. The most glaring question for each Jackson, Sorsby and Williams will be how effective they can be throwing the ball, which is obviously a major concern. Jackson and Sorsby have attempted a combined 10 passes at the college level, and Williams had his fair share of struggles in the pass game last year, as well.
Williams’ potential return from injury this season makes it likely that Indiana will play multiple quarterbacks at some point again in 2023.
“When do you think Dexter Williams will be starting at QB for IU again, and will he be at full speed after recovering from his injury?" Drew Miale asked.
Williams' timetable for return has seemingly moved up each time Allen has been asked about it, which is a promising sign. Originally, Allen thought Williams could miss the entire season after tearing his ACL, but Williams has participated in fall camp practices while wearing a brace.
"Midseason, to me, would be a good projection," Allen said Aug. 9 "But it may even continue, if he progresses at the rate that he is currently, he could be in a game or two before that as well."
Based on Allen's comments, we could see Williams return for an Oct. 14 road trip to Michigan or Oct. 21 home game against Rutgers. Indiana's bye week is Oct. 7, between the Sept. 30 Maryland game and Michigan game, so it might make sense to use the bye week as additional recovery time.
The second part of this question is what's most interesting. Williams' game is heavily reliant on the threat he poses as a runner, so it's fair to wonder how the injury will impact his mobility. Keep in mind, this is his second ACL injury since the spring of 2021. Indiana will not rush him back because of this, but it's possible he loses some of the elusiveness he had before the surgery.
"If both young QB’s have similar skill sets, what do you look for to decide who will start? Also, do you think that the non winner in the QB competition might enter the portal given that Williams should be back at full strength?" Martin F. Quinn asked.
Because both Sorsby and Jackson are unproven at the college level, how Allen and Bell view their ceilings and long-term potential will contribute to the decision. There will be growing pains with either option, but it's simply part of the process they must face eventually. Obviously, if one significantly outperforms the other in fall camp, the decision could be easy, but that certainly hasn't been the case during the practices we've been able to watch.
Decision making will also be another key factor. Indiana quarterbacks led the Big Ten in interceptions in 2021, and Bazelak threw 10 in 10 games last year. If one has had a noticeable advantage in that area, that'll be another deciding factor. Allen also noted leadership and how the rest of the team views the quarterback as an important factor in his decision. I don't think Allen promised Jackson the starting job when he transferred to Indiana, but I wonder if not starting an incoming transfer has a negative impact on attracting future transfers.
Addressing the second question, it's doubtful the loser of the quarterback competition will immediately enter the transfer portal. Transferring after the 2023 season seems more likely. Due to the inexperience of whoever wins the job, plus Williams' injury history, losing the Week 1 starting role doesn't completely close a quarterback's path to playing time.
“Will they win more than 2 games? I'm not seeing it." Chris Sorghum Hills King asked.
A 2-10 season seems to be the worst-case-scenario outcome for 2023. If I have to predict, I'll say Indiana goes 4-8 in 2023. The path? Pencil in wins against Indiana State and Akron, with sure losses against Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. That leaves seven games that could theoretically go either way.
The rest of Indiana's schedule includes Louisville at Lucas Oil Stadium, at Maryland, home against Rutgers, home against Wisconsin, at Illinois, home against Michigan State and at Purdue. Could Indiana go 0-7 in those games? Sure. Could they go 4-3 and make a bowl? It's possible. But ultimately, I'll predict a 2-5 stretch in those toss-up games, making for back-to-back 4-8 seasons.
