So here we are, ready to see what kind of havoc the Big Ten can deliver in college football this week and, guess what, Indiana gets another oral commitment.
This time its Bernard Taylor, a 6-2, 281-pound defensive tackle from Michigan. He is IU’s 21st commitment for the Class of 2011 and the 14th defensive player. Taylor is a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com. If you believe the reports, he has a 34-inch vertical jump, can bench press 305 pounds and can squat nearly 500 pounds.
That’s impressive.
Of course, the Hoosiers can use all the impressive defensive players they can get. That has been an IU Achilles heel for the last 15 or so years and coach Bill Lynch and his staff are addressing it. Of course, that won’t help for this season. Indiana will be very young on defense, but at least on paper there appears to be a talent upgrade. We’ll see how that translate onto the field.
Also, in case you missed it, and you probably didn’t, forward Kenny Kaminski has orally committed to Michigan State’s basketball program. The 6-7 forward, who is on the 16U Indiana Elite team that also includes D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Peter Jurkin and Hanner Perea, picked the Spartans over Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio State.
Is this a big blow for Cream ‘n Crimson recruiting? Not a chance. IU is still in the running for a bunch of dynamic players, many of whom live in the state of Indiana.
Yes, that includes forward Cody Zeller. Of course, the Hoosiers need to start landing some of these players. That’s the quickest way to building, sustaining a powerhouse and keeping coach Tom Crean on good terms with IU’s passionate fan base.
Finally, Big Ten officials are in Chicago for the next couple of days taking a hard look at creating two six-team divisions for football, a conference championship game and, perhaps, more expansion.
It’s enough to almost make a Cream ‘n Crimson fan forget about basketball recruiting.
Almost.
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