Indiana had one of its more productive portal seasons with the introduction of Curt Cignetti as head coach, and with it brought tons of talent on both sides of the ball, along with retaining some key pieces.
On offense especially, however, the Hoosiers are now equipped with a number of depth pieces that could provide an impact. Now heading into the fall camp period, it’s never too late for the football staff to find a diamond in the rough.
Since no official depth chart has been revealed, we will give our best guess on players who may not start week one, but would be a nominee for a strong season even with limited snaps.
Elijah Green
Indiana’s run game last season was nothing special. The Hoosiers ranked fourth-worst in total rush yards and rush yards per attempt in the Big Ten. Leading Indiana was Trent Howland, who had 354 rushing yards on 75 attempts in 2023.
The running back room got flipped upside down with the hiring of Curt Cignetti, with all of last year’s backs who saw snaps either transferring out or graduating, including Howland. Cignetti and his staff quickly responded by adding transfers Justice Ellison, Kaelon Black, Ty Son Lawton, and Elijah Green.
All had fairly good production at their previous schools, but nothing jumps off the page. Black had the most rushing yards out of the group at JMU last season with 637 yards on 142 carries, and found the endzone once. However, Justice Ellison was tabbed third team All-ACC two seasons ago, where he tabbed 707 yards on 170 carries. In that season, Ellison only started 10 games.
Signs point to Ellison getting the nod, with Black getting reps as the third down back.
Keep an eye out for the North Carolina transfer in Elijah Green. Green battled injuries throughout the 2023 season and was limited to only four carries in the season. Like Ellison, however, Green stood out in the season prior with 558 yards on 131 attempts and a team leading eight touchdowns.
If the Hoosiers look to keep utilizing their depth as much as possible, Green should have no trouble contributing when his number is called.
Omar Cooper, Jr.
The wide receiver room is possibly the most deep part of Indiana’s roster, depending on how you look at it. A number of names jump off the board, highlighted by 1,000-yard transfer Elijah Sarratt, the dynamic swiss army knife in Myles Price, and the four star quarterback prospect turned standout receiver with Donaven McCulley.
Do not forget about the other Lawrence North product at wideout.
Omar Cooper showed some flashes of impressive talent in his first full season as a Hoosier. He caught 18 passes for 267 yards and found the endzone twice. Although the numbers weren’t crazy, Cooper had the second-highest yards per catch average on last seasons squad. Perhaps the key to the statistic is his separation ability, which stood out the most in the former track star’s limited snaps.
Cooper will most likely be in a similar role to the one he had last year, with a bit higher of a snap count. Cooper did “start” the spring game for the offense, but reps were rotated heavily in that setting. Still, with Cooper being the #3 or #4 option, expect him to be a steady contributor throughout the season.
Andison Coby
Speaking of depth in the receiver room…
Coby has to be one of the more intriguing stories on the Hoosier roster. Although Coby appeared in all 12 games as a Hoosier in 2023, he caught just five passes for 41 yards. Yet again, similar to the running backs mentioned earlier, Coby’s best time as a Hoosier was in 2022, where he owned 18 catches for 237 yards and a tuddy (slang for touchdown, folks).
Coby also has the potential to be a dynamic player on the Hoosier offense, especially when moved around. His talent was put on display during the spring game, where he led all receivers in yards on the night with a number in the triple digits.
You could also put Coby into a similar role as Myles Price, who can be used in a variety of different spots on the offensive side on the ball. Coby has speed no doubt, so the possibility of utilizing him in the backfield could open an entire new door of opportunity for the offense to look at.
Deebo Samuel-esque skill player or not, if Coby can return on a similar trajectory during the beginning of the 2022 season, Indiana will have yet another trusted option in what is looking to be a very pass-heavy and explosive offense.
