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Signing Day Blog: Follow Indiana's Football Recruiting Activity in Real Time

Tom Allen is primed to sign the best recruiting class in Indiana school history on Wednesday on the National Signing Day. Here is all the breaking news as national letters of intent get signed, with bios on each player in the class.
Tom Brew|
Signing Day Blog: Follow Indiana's Football Recruiting Activity in Real Time
Signing Day Blog: Follow Indiana's Football Recruiting Activity in Real Time

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The momentum that Indiana's football program has built during record-setting seasons in 2019 and 2020 is set to continue on Wednesday when recruits can sign their national letters of intent for the first time.

The Hoosiers, despite struggling on the field in 2021, have been able to keep their record-setting recruiting class together, and that becomes official on the first day of the three-day December signing period.

 Indiana is outside of Sports Illustrated' top-25 rankings, but they check in at No. 19 in the 247Sports composite and No. 23 on the Rivals.com site. As many six four-star recruits are expected to sign with the Hoosiers on Wednesday.

There's been a flurry of activity in the past few days, and we'll bring it all together as letters roll in on Wednesday. The latest items will be at the top of the blog.

Enjoy the hectic day!

11:30 a.m. ET — Emery Simmons has been added to the fold as well. Simmons played three years at North Carolina and had 30 catches for a whopping 516 yards, a high  17.2 yards per reception. Simmons, a Parkton, N.C. native, is 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds and was once an Indiana commit coming out of high school. He'll have two years of eligibility remaining. 

11:05 a.m. ET — A huge surprise for Indiana, getting a commitment from standout Louisiana running back Jaylin Lucas. He's only 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, but a lot of experts say he might be the most underrated player coming out of the Bayou State this year. 

Certainly adds to a crowded and newly rebuilt running backs room, but he'll also likely be a massive addition to Indiana's woefully underachieving special teams. He was a Tulane commit until just a few days ago, when several Power 5 schools still showed plenty of interest.

Great job by Indiana running backs coach Deland McCullough in quickly rebuilding the running backs room. He got two great high school backs (Lucas and Gi'Bran Payne) and two backs out of the transfer portal this week. Add in true freshmen David Holloman and Trenten Howland, and that room is very solid once again.

A hilarious tweet from McCullough after the Lucas announcement, too. It's quite a day in that house, with son Dasan McCullough also signing.

10:06 a.m. ET — Offensive lineman Carter Smith, one the those several great recruits from the state of Ohio, has signed on the dotted line. The 6-foot-5 offensive lineman from Powell, Ohio, is a four-star recruit on some recruiting sites. "I love the culture there and the bonds between everyone in the program. I really wanted to be a part of that," Smith said last summer after his commitment.

9:30 a.m. ET — Jamari Sharpe is officially a Hoosier. A late addition to this 2022 class, the defensive back out of Northwestern High School in Miami, Fla., picked Indiana over Missouri, LSU, Mississippi State and Rutgers. Sharpe made an official visit to Indiana last weekend. Sharpe might need some time to develop, but he has blazing speed (10.69 in the 100-meter dash.) 

8:55 a.m. ET — Fort Wayne Snider offensive lineman DJ Moore is signed with the Hoosiers. Indiana is really looking forward to getting him on campus, because that position group really needs a big upgrade. 

Moore is already 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds and could play soon, which is rare for offensive linemen. He is the highest ranked offensive lineman recruit in Indiana history.

8:45 a.m. ET — Josh Henderson is in the books for the Hoosiers. He's signed his letter of intent as is ready to get to work. The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder played in 23 games over three seasons at North Carolina, running the bal 41 times for 209 yards (5.1 per carry) in a crowded running backs room at UNC. He has two years of eligibility remaining with IU, and maybe even a third year since he transferred in early October this year, playing only three games.

 

8:40 a.m. ET — Former Auburn running back Shaun Shivers has signed his letter with Indiana. He was a huge fan favorite with the Tigers, and will surely have an impact at Indiana as well. 

8:30 a.m. ET — Ohio linebacker Isaiah Jones has signed with Indiana. There's a lot to like about this kid, and it's definitely a position of need for the Hoosiers going forward. 

8:20 a.m ET — Bradley Jennings Jr., a transfer from Miami who's a Jacksonville, Fla., native,  has signed his letter of intent with Indiana. Jennings started all 11 games for Miami in 2020 and finished with 39 tackles, and came off the bench for much of Miami's 2021 season. His father, Bradley Jennings, played at Florida State. Indiana safety Devon Matthews was a high school star in Jacksonville the same time as Jennings.

8:10 a.m. ET — Ohio tight end Ryan Miller is in the books for Indiana. He's a winner. The northeast Ohio star has watched what Indiana has done with its tight ends through the years, most notably lately with Peyton Hendershot. “Indiana uses their tight ends very well,'' he said after committing during the summer. Miller is 6-foot-6 and missed some of his senior year with a back injury. He'll benefit from a year in Indiana's weight room for sure.

8:05 a.m ET — Indiana makes it official with recent flip Brody Foley. The tight end from Cincinnati was another Tennessee commit who changed his mind at the last minute to play at Indiana. The Hoosiers have recruited the state of Ohio very well this year. “Tom Allen is one of the best coaches in America because he is one of the best people,” Foley told USA Today. “I’ve felt that I’m a part of family already without being on campus. Coach (Kevin) Wright is a great coach and person, as well. I’ve built up a great relationship with him.”

8 a.m. ET — Arkansas linebacker Kaiden Turner was one of the first commits in Indiana's class and he has just signed his letter of intent this morning. He's had a great senior year at Fayetteville High School, and looks SO MUCH like a young Micah McFadden on film. Going to have a great career at Indiana.

7:55 a.m ET — Ole Miss transfer LeDarrius Cox has signed his letter with Indiana. That Ole Miss to Indiana pipeline worked great last year with defensive end Ryder Anderson. He was Indiana's second-best player on defense after linebacker Micah McFadden.

7:50 p.m. ET — Here's the first signing day surprise from Indiana. Cal transfer JH Tevis, a solid edge rusher, has signed this morning as well. Nice work in the transfer portal by the Hoosiers. Tevis earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors last year at California and hehas two years of eligibility remaining.

7:49 a. m. ET — Patrick Lucas Jr. is signed and ready to roll. An Ole Miss transfer who adds depth on the line.

7:45 a.m. ET — The latest Indiana commit is now signed as well. Venson Sneed was a huge get for the Hoosiers, who closed on him this week to add a big piece to the class. He's a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end who knows how to rush the passer and fills a huge position of need for the Hoosiers. He was a former Tennessee commit.

7:40 a.m. ET — It's official, the Mullen brothers are BOTH Hoosiers. Trevell Mullen of Coconut Creek, Fla., has signed his letter of intent with Indiana. His older brother, Tiawan, is an All-American cornerback with Indiana who just announced that he was be back in 2022 as well. They'll get to play together for a season, which is a family dream come true.

7:35 a.m. ET — The hometown kid is signed, sealed and delivered. Dasan McCullough, the most celebrated recruit in this class and the son of running backs coach Deland McCullough, is now a Hoosier. He's the highest rated recruit in this class and a former Ohio State commit.

He'll join his father and, eventually, both brothers at Indiana. It's quite a haul under one roof. Here's the story from last spring on how it all came together, through the eye of the Mom — Darnell McCullough. CLICK HERE

7:30 a.m. ET — Phillip Dunnam is in the books for Indiana. The North Miami Beach, Fla., defensive back has signed his letter of intent as well.

7:15 a.m. ET — Florida defensive end Richard Thomas has signed on the dotted line with Indiana. He was an impact at state power American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla.

He was an early commit to the Hoosiers, back in the spring. He loves everything about what's going on at Indiana. "I love their coaching staff. Coach (Kasey) Teegardin and the rest of the staff have been great with me. I know they'll always do what's best for me with both academics and football.'' 

7 a.m. ET — Vero Beach, Fla. cornerback James Monds III has signed his National Letter of Intent with Indiana on Wednesday morning. He's a 5-foot-10, 180-pounder with blazing speed and great ball skills. Opposing teams were afraid to throw on him in high school. As a junior he was targeted 10 times in coverage and he broke up nine passes and intercepted one, according to one scouting service. Size is an issue, but the Hoosiers have had great success with quicker, smaller corners through the years, most recently with All-American Tiawan Mullen, who's back for 2022 as well. 

6:30 a.m. ET — Indiana was able to flip tight end Brody Foley late on Tuesday night. The standout tight was had been a Tennessee commit. Once again, further proof that working all the way through signing day pays off.

 6:15 a.m. ET — Standout Cincinnati LaSalle running back Gi'Bran Payne announced that he will sign his NLI at a ceremony at the school at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Payne was featured in our "Next Generation'' series last summer after he committed to Indiana. Here is Tom Brew's takeout. CLICK HERE

UPDATE: Indiana has announced that Payne has indeed signed his letter of intent.

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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew has been the publisher of “Indiana Hoosiers on SI’’ since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as an award-winning reporter and editor for more than four decades, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He operates seven sites on the “On SI’’ network. Follow Tom on Twitter @tombrewsports.

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