Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Indiana Football: Hoosiers on preseason watch lists for major awards

By Adam Childs

BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 23: Stevie Scott III #8 of the Indiana Hoosiers runs the ball during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 23: Stevie Scott III #8 of the Indiana Hoosiers runs the ball during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Indiana football team has a lot of talent returning for 2020 and they are being recognized on some preseason watch lists.

Indiana is finally starting to get some notice from the country and have a lot of skilled players returning for 2020. Everyone knows about the offense but they have some players on defense also.

One of those is Tiawan Mullens who is a sophomore defensive back for the Hoosiers. He was recently named on the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is awarded to the top defensive player in college football. Mullens is just one of 11 sophomores on the list.

He was a force as a freshman leading the Big Ten with 13 pass breakups and was named to the freshman All-American team by The Athletic and 247Sports. He is the anchor for the Hoosiers defensive secondary and will hopefully have the chance to have an even better sophomore year.

On the offensive side of the ball, Stevie Scott III and Whop Philyor also made national watch lists heading into the 2020 season.

Scott is on the Doak Walker watch list for the second straight year. The Doak Walker Award is given to the top running back in the country.

Scott led the Hoosiers with 862 yards rushing with 10 touchdowns in 11 games. He averaged a respectable 4.7 yards per carry and was a workhorse for the Hoosiers. He gave Indiana balance and kept the opposing defenses from keying in on the passing game for the Hoosiers.

The passing game was led by breakout receiver Whop Philyor who had an awesome Junior season. Philyor’s huge Junior season is getting recognized and he is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list. The Biletnikoff is awarded to the top receiver in the country.

Philyor might not be a household name outside the Big Ten, but anyone paying attention knows who he is. He had 70 catches last year for 1002 yards. He had huge games against Michigan State, Nebraska, and Rutgers when he recorded double-digit receptions.

Next. 5 teams the Big Ten absolutely needs to consider NOT adding. dark

The Hoosiers are ready for 2020 and so are their fans. They may not be viewed as a football power, but they are trying to change that and they are starting to get recognized. The watch list for these awards is a big list, but it is still great to be thought of this highly.

Keep up with Hoosiers State of Mind for news on the Hoosiers. Check us out on Twitter and Facebook.

Home/Indiana Football