Five prospects that the next Indiana coach should prioritize
Indiana fired Tom Allen on Sunday morning after a third-straight losing season. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove looks at five prospects that the Hoosiers' next head coach should prioritize.
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Inconsistent quarterback play has plagued Indiana since the departure of Michael Penix and is one of many reasons for the downfall of Tom Allen. While the other elite recruits in the state are committed to college football bluebloods and it would be hard to flip their commitments, Cherry has elite level potential and is currently committed to Duke - a programs with a coach that could be on the move and one Indiana can beat for an in-state prospect. The new coach needs to sell Cherry on an opportunity to be the face of the program and 2023 recruiting class.
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This is a perfect opportunity for Indiana's new coach to land an in-state playmaker as Smith backed off his pledge from Minnesota yesterday and is ripe for the taking. Smith has a chance to be an extremely productive pass catcher at the next level and should also be able to contribute in the return game. Furthermore, the next coach at Indiana needs to focus on keeping top talent home and landing Smith from a school that regularly produces FBS talent would be a great start.
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The Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) defensive back is tied with Judah Jenkins as the highest-rated player currently committed to the Hoosiers and I see him as a potential lockdown corner in the Big Ten. The staff did a great job landing Philostin in the first place and with the groundwork already having been put in, he is relatively low-hanging fruit and the new coach needs to capitalize on that. I have been critical of Indiana dedicating too many of its resources to recruiting Florida when it has prospects in its own backyard that can help them win games, but Florida is a place the new staff still needs to spot recruit and a player of Philostin's caliber is an immediate upgrade in talent.
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Kosin, another current Indiana commit, has the frame and upside to develop into an NFL player. Big and physical Midwest kids with high ceilings are going to be the key to Indiana's recruiting moving forward and the big tight end from Michigan embodies that. I am uncertain as to the direction the new head coach will go in terms of offensive scheme, but a roster of big skilled athletes like Kosin should be what they shoot for moving forward regardless of scheme and it will be important for the next coach to keep him in the boat.
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The Marshall commit is a Power Five prospect all day and Indiana's new coach would be wise to circle back on Hammonds who the Hoosiers offered back in February. A big and physical player who is equally capable of holding up against the run as he is rushing the passer is exactly what Indiana needs at this juncture and Hammonds should be within striking distance having currently committed to a non-Power Five program. Ohio will likely be a state of emphasis for the next staff as well and creating a pipeline to Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne could go a long way towards making a splash recruiting the state of Ohio.
