Indiana Football: ‘Dead period’ starts with a bang for Hoosiers

With the ‘dead period’ in the recruiting calendar underway, the Indiana football program secured multiple commitments for the 2020 class.

In one of the only slow periods with college football recruiting, the ‘dead period’ started on Monday meaning there can be no face-to-face contact between coaches and recruits.

Despite that, Indiana has had a terrific week on the recruiting trail and are up to 11 commitments in the 2020 class.

The Hoosiers not only have secured multiple commitments, but have still been active with extending offers to recruits.

Lets take a look at the past week for Indiana recruiting.

Commitments

Lemuel Neely-Watley: The first commitment of the week was from Neely-Watley who committed over the weekend following a June 21 visit. The Michigan standout was teammates with another Indiana 2020 commit, Rashawn Williams, last year at Martin Luther King H.S. Neely-Watley however, will spend his final year at Harper Woods.

While Neely-Watley plays both defensive back and wide receiver, there is a high probability that  he sticks to cornerback at Indiana after showcasing his corner skills at many camps. He still has the skills to play wide receiver in the Big Ten though.

Dexter Williams: The Hoosiers received more good news over the weekend as Williams committed on the same day as Neely-Watley. The dual threat QB threw for 1,023 yards and 13 touchdowns while rushing for 1,544 yards and 15 scores. Williams has good arm strength but is known best for his speed and agility on the perimeter and in open space.

Aamaris Brown: Hailing from the same high school as current Hoosier James Miller, Brown enters as another recruiting win for head coach Tom Allen in the Tampa Bay Area. The defensive back reportedly played the same defensive scheme at his high school as the Hoosiers do.

JeJuan Sparks: Just the other day, Sparks became the fourth commit of the week and the 10th overall in the 2020 class. At 6-foot-2 and 327 pounds, Sparks already has Big Ten caliber size for a defensive lineman. Another commit that followed the path of current Hoosiers from the same high school, Sparks followed both Sio Nofoagatoto’a and DK Bonhomme, 2019 commits, from Clearwater Academy International.

David Baker: The fifth commit in the last six days for Indiana came on Friday night with David Baker. The No. 6 ranked player overall in Indiana, Baker is a talented wideout who combined for 1,770 yards and 25 touchdowns over his last two seasons. Though he doesn’t necessarily have a quick first step, his breakthrough speed in the second level allows him to beat most defensive backs.

As it stands now, the Hoosiers currently have the No. 55 class in the country, and are off to a solid start for the 2020 class for it being just the end of June. Last year Indiana had the No. 36 ranked class and are looking to better that ranking this year.