2023 SEASON RECAP
In 2023, Lanell Carr Jr., the 6’2’’ 246 pound DL from St. Louis, has a solid and respectable season. Carr appeared in all 12 games for the Hoosiers, starting in 10 of them, while also racking up 33 tackles on the season, making him sixth on the roster in the category. 12 of those were solo tackles, while 8.5 of those were tackles for a loss.
In his first season at Iu after three seasons at West Virginia, he sacked the opponent 5 times for 37 tackle yards, both being the second-most on the team. Being second in sacks and sack yardage, while also being second third in tackles for loss and sixth in total tackles means that 2023 was a very solid season for Carr.
While it was the first season he got to be a starter, he took the opportunity and made the most of it, performing in a defense that was not a solid group all around. In his first season as a starter, he learned under experienced lineman like Andre Carter and linebackers like Aaron Casey, allowing him to make the jump he did from 2022 to 2023.
With all that being said, Carr is one of only two returnees out of the top 13 tacklers from last season, giving him a unique opportunity to help the 2024 defense in a way that his former teammates assisted him in 2023.
2024 SEASON OUTLOOK
In 2024, Carr is the only projected starter to return to the defensive line, giving him a role as a leader, especially as a fifth-year senior. This role goes beyond the field as, with so many transfers, Carr is one of the very few to have been in the IU program for at least one year already.
He and the other veterans have already shown in camp that this is a very good group, especially compared to the Tom Allen era, which speaks volumes about not only the players but new head coach Curt Cignetti.
As for on the field, Carr is coming into 2024 after taking a big leap in 2023, making IU fans wonder if he can do the same this season. After having the second most sacks and third most tackles for loss, Carr is expected to follow up on those high-ranking stats and be one of the leaders in those categories once again.
This defense should be much improved, making it more difficult for Carr to follow up his ‘23 season on the stat leaderboards, but with another year under his belt, he should be able to do it, while being a pivotal leader in the locker room.
FROM CIGNETTI
Cignetti hasn’t addressed Carr directly, but he has discussed how he decided who from the Hoosiers’ 2023 team he wanted to bring back.
He said “They put it on my desk so the minute I walk in my office, I sit there, and this guy is the No. 1 rated guy on the team and this guy is the No. 50 rated guy on the team. I get a good feel for the roster right there. Now, some of those guys are in the portal. Some of them aren't,” alluding to the fact that he and his new staff did not want everyone from the 2023 team on their 2024 roster.
Carr being one of the players that Cignetti was willing to have return shows that he thinks highly of Carr, meaning that Carr should be a big piece of IU’s 2024 defense.
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