Indiana football: 4 Hoosier football players standing out at fall camp

#1. D.J. Matthews Jr. – WR – Grad Senior – 5’11” 160lbs

Last season, D.J. Matthews Jr. managed 13 receptions for 165 yards in just four games played in 2021, then suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Western Kentucky. Most believed, even Matthews himself, that the wide receiver was done with football and had little to no interest in coming back for his graduate senior year. But the only thing that changed Matthews’ mind, Tom Allen:

"““It was a tough decision, I was telling my parents that pretty much I was done. But the relationship I built with Coach Allen is very strong. He helped me through my whole process, with religion. He made sure I was a man of God and a man of my word and then on top of that, my children.”"

As an Indiana football fan, one of the best things to hear should be about the relationships that coaches are building with players and the trust gained from both sides. Though Matthews Jr. was still not healthy for the spring, he has showed out at fall camp and impressed Indiana football’s new potential starting quarterback, Connor Bazelak:

"“This was the first time I’d thrown to him. In practice No. 1 (of fall camp), I hit him on two deep throws. I was like, ‘Wow. This guy can play.’ I didn’t see that in the spring, it’s a relief to have him back.”"

Filling the shoes left by Indiana football’s two leading receivers last season, Ty Fryfogle (WR) and Peyton Hendershot (TE) will not be an easy task in the slightest. But if anyone has the firepower and ability to do so, it’s a healthy D.J. Matthews Jr.