Indiana Football: Hoosiers land 2021 DE over Michigan, Ohio State

The Indiana football program continued its winning ways on the recruiting trail as it landed a top defensive end over big-time programs.

Tom Allen and the Indiana football program continue to be a force on the recruiting trail and once again the duo has beaten out some other notable programs for a talented class of 2021 prospect.

Winning in the trenches has been a huge point of emphasis for Allen since taking over the program a few years ago. While he has landed talented and versatile players for both the offensive and defensive line, it is depth that Allen has struggled with. With the Hoosiers’ latest commitment, however, they continue to address that issue.

Late Thursday night, 2021 defensive end Cooper Jones announced his commitment to the Indiana football program on Twitter.

Jones is a three-star prospect in the 2021 class and had offers from Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue and Iowa amongst others.

Jones broke down his commitment with 247Sports and touched on why he decided to join the Indiana program.

"“There are two big reasons why I chose Indiana,” he said. “The first one is how amazing Coach Allen is and how great everything he preaches is. The culture he has created there is one I want to be a part of. The other reason is Coach (Aaron) Wellman, the new strength coach.”"

As a junior, Jones finished with 56 tackles, six sacks, five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries for Valparaiso (IN) en route to making it to the state championship game.

Indiana’s 2021 class is expected to be smaller in size due to the number of underclassmen currently on the roster and expected to play big roles in the coming seasons. Because of that, addressing the depth on the line was crucial for the Hoosiers.

Cooper Jones is ranked the No. 379 player in the 2021 class and the No. 4 player in Indiana.

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