Indiana Recruiting: Allen Likes Final Few Pieces of Southern Charm

Indiana added two more players to its 2020 recruiting class on Wednesday, both from the Deep South as a trend continues.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — For many, the first Wednesday in February used to be a national holiday of sorts. For college football fans, National Signing Day ruled the roost.

It's still a big day, but nothing like it used to be now that the Early Signing Period in December now dominates the recruiting landscape. Indiana is the perfect example. The Hoosiers added two players on Wednesday, but they are just two of 20 in the class. The first 18 all signed in December.

But for the two guys who did sign with the Hoosiers on Wednesday, it was a huge day, with HUGE being the operative word. Added to the fold were 6-foot-6, 332 pound offensive tackle Kahlil Benson from Southaven, Miss., a Memphis suburb just across the Tennessee/Mississippi state line, and Jalen Malaya, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end from Dacula, Ga., a bit northeast of Atlanta.

Both are 3-star recruits with high upsides.

"We had a couple spots to fill today, and we were able to fill both of those,'' Indiana coach Tom Allen said. "We're excited about how this class has rounded itself out.''

Allen had made offensive line a priority in this cycle, and they've done a nice job of filling that at every level. Seven of their 20 signees are offensive linemen, and that includes a graduate transfer (Dylan Powell of Stanford), a junior college transfer and five high school kids. That's helped balance out the classes.

"It gives you a couple of older guys as well as five younger guys,'' Allen said. "We definitely needed to replace guys (Coy Cronk, Simon Stepaniak and Hunter Littlejohn) that we're losing at those positions. The O-line is a very important part of our team, and they're all really guys that you want to get in here and start developing. That's why it's nice to get some of those guys here mid-year as well.

"It was obviously a big focus for this class, and we're excited about the guys we brought in.

There's a lot to like about Benson, Allen said, even beyond his actual size.

"You want them big, and recruit them big,'' he said of Benson. "He's long and has really good size, already 330 pounds plus. But just comes from a really, really great family.

"I loved getting to know him. And when you go to the school and just the kind of young man he is and the way he's viewed by the principal, AD, counselors, teachers, you're just really impressed. No question we're getting a first-class young man that's going to come here and work extremely hard. And he's got tremendous ability to grow and develop in our program.''

Malaya is long and lean and will have some filling out to do, but he has the frame that cane handle it. He's the speedy pass-rushing defensive end that Indiana wanted in this class.

"(Malaya) just continues to give us more length on the defensive line, and an ability to create a pass rush, which we're trying to get to,'' Allen said. "He just adds to the small group of D-linemen that we brought in, but there's also a lot of young guys in that room already.''

Nine of the 20 recruits are already on campus, which is huge for getting a head start in the weight room ahead of spring practice.

"We've been really encouraged by the nine guys that have been here already, the nine mid-year enrollees that are working very, very hard in the weight room,'' Allen said "We're excited about their growth and their attitude and mindset that it takes to be a Big Ten football player.

"Getting these guys enrolled early is very big for us. I'm just really encouraged by their progress so far, getting them indoctrinated with their classes and their schedules and all the things we do, and more importantly just getting them used to being a college student-athlete, going into the workouts and managing their schedule and managing everything you have to do coming from straight from high school.''

Seven of the 20 recruits are from the South, including Malaya and Benson. Indiana's efforts have paid off in the Deep South, and it will continue to be a point of emphasis. There were no Florida recruits, but it wasn't from a lack of trying. It remains a priority going forward.

"We didn't get the same signings this year out of that (Florida) group, but it's a cyclical thing that sometimes can change,'' Allen said. "We're still spending a lot of time down there, and we'll continue to moving forward.

"But I think the South in general, just in regards to the connections on our staff, I think that's a big part of it. I think that helps in a big way. But we have a good foundation here in the Midwest, too, and that will never change. Indiana will always be my first priority. We have a specific goal that we have for this program. And if you go through and look and see how our team has been shaped and the guys that are making plays and doing great things, a lot of those guys have come from the South.

Related Indiana football stories

• MEET THE NEW HOOSIERS: Biographies on all 20 Indiana recruits in the Class of 2020. CLICK HERE
• COACHING MOVES FOR HOOSIERS: Indiana defensive line coach Mark Hagen taking same job at Texas CLICK HERE
• PEYTON RAMSEY TO TRANSFER: Indiana's quarterback is graduating in May, so he has entered the NCAA's Transfer Portal. CLICK HERE