For Indiana Football, Dual-Threat QBs Are Cool

There’s something about a dual-threat quarterback that can turn a Hoosiers thoughts to Antwaan Randle El.

Yes, that is a very good thing.

We mention this because Indiana has just received a verbal commitment from Lawrence Central quarterback Tre Roberson. Granted, he’s not the biggest guy at 6-1 and 170 pounds, but that’s not the point right now. His ability to throw and run is.

All Roberson did was throw for 1,008 yards and rush for 984 yards. That’s pretty impressive balance. He threw for eight touchdowns and ran for seven more TDs. That, too, is impressive versatility.

Roberson picked IU over Purdue and Toledo. He attended Saturday’s scrimmage at Memorial Stadium.

Randle El, in case you’re still suffering from the shock of Tigers Woods swearing at The Masters, ranked first in school history in career passing yards (7,469) and total yards (11,364), and second in school history in rushing (3,895 yards), points (270) and career touchdowns (45) and passing touchdowns (42). He’s now a NFL receiver back with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Roberson is the fourth Hoosier commitment and the second from the state of Indiana. The other in-state player is tight end Jake Reed of Columbus North. Also committed are offensive lineman Kirk Harris and linebacker Mike Replogle.

Roberson, by the way, won’t be the only dual-threat quarterback in the program. The Hoosiers already have Edward Wright-Baker from Jeffersonville. He’s battling Dusty Kiel for the backup quarterback spot behind Ben Chappell (who is definitely NOT a dual-threat QB). Wright-Baker figures to get plenty of action when IU goes to its Wildcat formation.

Players can’t actually sign until next February.

IU Basketball Hope Amidst Butler Glory

So here is forward Cody Zeller, looking to make a college choice and three questions looms over the in-state recruiting scene like Godzilla:

Can Indiana coach Tom Crean get him?

Is Purdue coach Matt Painter the forgotten wild card amidst Butler mania?

Why won’t Ohio State coach Thad Matta stay out of the state of Indiana? Raid Pennsylvania or Delaware or, say, the Buckeye state? Leave the Hoosiers alone.

Sorry. It’s just that every time Matta crosses over the border, some high-profile prep superstar seems to windup in Columbus. From Greg Oden to Mike Conley to DeShaun Thomas, Matta makes his Indiana mark, a testament to his recruiting skill and state connections from his Butler days.

Of course, nobody has made a bigger mark the last couple of weeks than Butler coach Brad Stevens. He just signed a 12-year extension for an undisclosed amount of money in the wake of the Bulldogs’ national runner-up finish. He already was making about $750,000 a year, so it’s safe to say he’s now a million-dollar-plus-a-year man. It’s also safe to say that Oregon, which contacted him three times this week, would have paid a lot more.

Stevens, just like Gonzaga’s Mark Few, values job-and-life quality over higher-profile opportunity.

Stevens may not be the charismatic recruiter that, say, John Calipari is, but he’s a strong talent evaluator who targets players who fit the Butler system and academic standards. Plus, he’s won 89 games in three seasons, the fastest start in NCAA history. In-state players looking for prime-time college opportunity are likely to give the Bulldogs more consideration.

That’s a long way of saying he has targeted Zeller and Zeller, according to the Indy Star, is impressed, although not surprised.

Zeller is one of the top players in the nation. Rivals.com has him at No. 35 in the Class of 2011. He’s No. 4 in the state (once again the in-state talent is impressive) behind Indianapolis Pike’s Marquis Teague (No. 2 nationally), Lawrence North’s Michael Chandler (No. 10) and Gary Wallace’s Branden Dawson (No. 16). Just about every top program in the country has offered Zeller a scholarship, including Indiana, Purdue, Butler, Notre Dame, Florida and, yes, Ohio State.

Like most top-caliber recruits, Zeller figures to cut his list to five by the end of the summer and make a decision well before the November signing period.

Purdue's Painter has thrived by recruiting in-state talent (13 of the 17 players on the roster were from Indiana this season, as are three of the four incoming recruits). The Boilers' success (four straight NCAA tourneys, two straight Sweet 16 appearances) will be hard for Zeller to ignore.

So where are the Hoosiers in all of this? Crean continues to make his pitch about being part of restoring the program to greatness. Zeller would get all the playing time his performance and effort would warrant. Plus, he’d get to play in the Big Ten and practice in IU’s brand new Cook Hall, also known the mother of all practice facilities.

While some bad-mouth Crean’s recruiting (will he ever again sign a big guy?), the fact remains he made his reputation as an outstanding recruiter. He’ll eventually get the talent to where it needs to be.

Hey, if you believe the rumors, Zeller’s older brother Tyler, now at North Carolina, might transfer to IU to give Crean the impact big guys he needs to really get the program rolling. If a transfer does happen, it likely would be within a month.

Rumor, of course, isn’t fact. But it does give Hoosier fans something huge in this month of Butler glory:

HOPE.

Indiana Football Is Showing Progress

Okay, as spring football practices go, it wasn’t Rembrandt or Picasso or DaVinci, but that wasn’t the point. After nine sessions Indiana coach Bill Lynch wanted to see progress, find young guys who can play and keep guys healthy.

So on an unseasonably warm afternoon beneath a blazing sun and cloudless blue skies at Memorial Stadium, the Hoosiers strutted their stuff.

“We put some new things in on both sides of the ball,” Lynch said. “We’re starting to get some guys dinged up so we played a lot of young guys in as practice went on. The more young guys you have in there the tougher it gets. It won’t be quite good. We put new things in on Tuesday, work on it on Thursday and Friday so by the time we scrimmage on Saturday’s it’s generally pretty clean.”

Clean is good, development is better. Lynch is building his program with the idea of redshirting as many freshmen as possible unless a new guy can come in and fill a need. He wants to make sure the young guys can handle what teams such as Ohio State and Penn State and even Michigan w

“Overall we’ve had a good spring,” Lynch said. “We’ve have a lot of young redshirt guys get in so we can see where they fit into it. One thing I can tell you, we’ve found more guys ready to play, whether it’s on offense or defense or special teams.”

This is huge given IU lost a ton from an already shaky defense. It lost some key offensive linemen. Lynch wants instant impact guys, players who will make a difference from their first snap, regardless of experience.

It’s about winning, of course, and after seasons of 3-9 and 4-8, the fans are way past the patient stage. They want to see IU upset somebody, be a Big Ten factor (upper third in the conference is fine) and make a bowl. You know, do what Ohio State does all the time.

Versatile Player Commits to Football Hoosiers

Jake Reed is a versatile guy, which means he fits right in with what Indiana football coach Bill Lynch likes in a recruit.

Reed, in case you missed it, is the 6-4, 231-pound Columbus North standout who just committed to the Hoosiers. He’s IU’s third commitment for the Class of 2011 and the first from Indiana.

That in-state label is important because Lynch targets Indiana hard and if he can consistently sign the state’ best talent, he’ll go a long way toward building a consistent winner. He and his staff hope Reed is the first of a strong group of in-state players who will commit in the next few months.

Reed is both a tight end and a defensive end. Which position he plays in college is uncertain. He’s taken a couple of unofficial visits to IU. At one, he spent time with the offensive coaches. During his latest one, last Saturday, he was with the defensive coaches. He’s fine with playing on either side of the ball.

At Columbus North, he’s been mostly a blocking tight end, although he did have eight catches for 147 yards last season.

His physical play could serve him well on defense at the college leve.The Hoosiers have gone to a 3-4 defensive scheme (three defensive linemen, four linebackers) and sometimes they want ends who are fast and agile rather than power guys. With a 4.88-second time in the 40-yard dash (bet the house Reed will improve that time in college), Reed is fast enough to be a speed rusher, yet athletic enough to drop back into pass coverage.

Reed, by the way, is a four-star player out of Rivals.com’s five-star system (UPDATED NOTE -- I might have jumped the gun on his rating. Let's just say he's well regarded). The Hoosiers need that kind of quality to get the program to bowl contending status.

Reed joins offensive lineman Kirk Harris and linebacker Mike Replogle as IU commitments. Figure IU will sign 20 to 25 players, so a lot of work lies ahead before next February’s signing day.

The Hoosiers are working now with spring practice development. Lynch continues to juggle the roster in the quest to develop depth, determine who the best players are and maximize potential. Freshman linebacker Jack Denton has moved to tight end. For now the move is temporary, but you never know. Denton, by the way, graduated high school last December so he could get an early jump in college.

In another move, redshirt freshman safety Nick Zachary is working with the wide receivers.

Finally, here are some players who are done for the spring: defensive tackle Jarrod Smith (back injury), safety Jarrell Drane (knee), offensive lineman Cody Faulkner (ankle), and cornerback Lawrence Barnett (wrist). Barnett is set to have surgery to fix ligament damage. He's had a strong enough spring to convince the coaches he's ready for a significant role next season.

Will Butler's Basketball Success Hurt Indiana?

So how big a worry is Butler’s success for Indiana? Will it hurt Hoosier recruiting? Will you suddenly see Washington’s Cody Zeller and other in-state kids prefer Butler over IU?

Not necessarily.

Butler proved with its national runner-up finish that it can thrive on the national scene as well or better than anybody. That it did so with unheralded recruiting classes -- at least compared to, say, Duke -- is testimony to Brad Stevens’ coaching ability, the toughness of its players and the importance getting kids who fit the Butler Way.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said making the title game will change the Butler program, in a good way. The Bulldogs, in fact, with four returning starters, assuming Gordon Hayward doesn't bolt for NBA riches, will certainly be a preseason top-5 team next season. Krzyzewsksi suggested they might even be No. 1.

But don’t expect the Bulldogs to go toe to toe with North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas and company in the recruiting wars. It’s not their style. It’s not what got them to this level, and it sure as heck won’t keep it there.

What will?

Basically, doing what it’s been doing – recruiting guys that get the “Butler Way” mentality, who put team over individual, who care about academics and who thrive in small-school, mid-major surroundings.

Oh, yes. Targeting in-state players.

Yes, the Bulldogs' NCAA tourney run will draw some in-state kids, but that was already happening. Junior forward Matt Howard, for instance, passed on Purdue, among others, to go to Butler.

But it likely will happen more now. Take Zeller, who has offers from Butler, Indiana and Purdue, among others. His choice could provide an indication of how much the Bulldogs’ March Madness run has had on the in-state recruiting world, Indiana and Purdue in particular.

But don’t take our word for it. Consider Dave Telep, the national recruiting director for Scout.com.

“I think it will always be Butler recruiting,” Telep said. “Just because they have a bigger profile doesn’t mean that they’ll skimp on their core values and recruit a bunch of different kids. You may see them going after a couple guys who are a little bit higher level, but for most part I can see Brad Stevens being true to his model.

“I believe the Butler Way is what has gotten them to this point. You might find that over the course of a few years they’ll do what Gonzaga has done -- stick their nose in with some higher-profile guys, but I don’t think Brad Stevens will trade talent for the proper fit for his program -- ever.”

In other words, Butler’s success will make IU coach Tom Crean sweat a little more on the top-level in-state kids, but it won’t keep him from his goal: restoring the program to championship caliber. He might have to work a little harder, but then, hard work has always been a key component to Crean's success.

And to Butler's.

Can Indiana Get Marquis Teague?

So now Indiana’s Hoosiers wait. Will Marquis Teague choose them? Will the nation’s second-ranked player in the Class of 2011 -- out of Indianapolis Pike High School, no less -- see the Cream ‘n Crimson light or will he succumb to the recruiting pitches of Kentucky, Purdue, Louisville or Cincinnati?

We’ll know soon enough.

Teague, of course, is not a big man, and IU absolutely needs a couple of good big guys, but if you get a chance to land an elite guard, even if he’s a potential one-and-done guy, you’ve got to take a shot.

And so coach Tom Crean has.

Yes, the fact Louisville coach Rick Pitino just signed a four-year extension, which keeps him there until 2017, hurts the Hoosier cause. So does the fact Teague’s father, Shawn, once played for Pitino. So does the fact that Kentucky coach John Calipari, fresh off an Elite Eight run, has a knack for signing and quickly developing guards who leave early for NBA riches. So does the fact Purdue has become a national power that in two years will need a powerhouse guard to replace E’Twaun Moore.

You could argue that Teague might not be a good fit at IU, that the leave-early-for-the-NBA attitude might be the last thing Crean needs for his rebuilding, that Teague will likely not come to Bloomington so it’s best to target others.

Crean, of course, is targeting others.

You could argue all that, but the bottom line is you can’t ignore a player this good who lives barely an hour from your campus, and Crean isn’t. Teague has the kind of skills his program needs and every program wants, and if they sometimes come with potential glitches, well, welcome to the world of big-time basketball.

Anyway, Teague will soon pick a school, and if it turns out to be the Hoosiers, it will be a huge boost for Crean’s program and recruiting. And if the odds don't favor IU, well, they didn't seem to favor Butler at the start of the season, and look where the Bulldogs are now.

End of argument.

What Was Indy Star Thinking?

By now you’ve probably heard of the little photo glitch at the Indy Star, the one that sent murmurs rippling through the Lucas Oil Stadium press room (we in the media love to ripple, by the way) as we braced for Final Four frenzy.

The Star ran a Friday story about the love-hate image of Duke. The story, written by veteran sports writer (and really good guy) Jeff Rabjohns, was fine. The photo of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski that accompanied the story was fine. The extra drawings/illustrations/really bad idea that were added to the photo wasn’t so fine. It portrayed Krzyzewski as the devil with drawings of horns, a bulls-eye on his forehead, glasses, a mustache and a goatee.

This might have been hilarious if done in a bar after midnight for the enjoyment of a few under-age-30 guys on their way to having their mothers do their laundry.

For it to appear in the state’s largest newspaper in front of the national media and as part of a major, national event was embarrassing, inappropriate, stupid –- pick your adjective.

Krzyzewski, as you might have guessed, wasn’t impressed.

“I did see that,” he said during Friday’s press conference. “I thought, that can’t be? How can a newspaper do that? I thought I looked better.

“But it was kind of juvenile. Not kind of, was. My seven grandkids didn’t enjoy looking at it. They said, That’s not poppy. You know what, it is what it is. It’s very juvenile.”

Star management agreed. They pulled the distorted photo for the final run. They came to Lucas Oil Stadium and personally apologized to the coach. They ran a story publicizing their apology.

As far as journalism sins go, it was minor. It was more of a school boy prank gone bad, although you’d expect better from such a paper.

Rabjohns has had to deal with the aftermath because many readers, not understanding the way newspapers worked, blamed him for the drawings. He had nothing to do with it. All he did was write a well-reported story that addressed the perception of the Duke program in the wake of its 11 Final Fours and three national championships in the last 24 years. Duke has seen dozens of such stories over the years. Like the New York Yankees, they are a successful team some people love to hate.

Some of those, apparently, work at the Star.

“We have great kids,” Krzyzewski said. “We go to school. We graduate. If we’re going to be despised because we go to school and want to win, that’s your problem. And you have a problem because we’ll go to school and we’ll try to win. If you don’t like it, keep drawing pictures. Try to do them a little better than that, though.”

This reminds me of an incident that occurred when I worked at a newspaper in Evansville many years ago. Somebody, as a joke, wrote a headline that included the F... word. It accidently got sent out to where the paper was being produced. It never got in the paper, but the headline appeared next to the layout. Some people might have gotten a chuckle about it. The managing editor did not. He tried to find out who did. No one admitted to it.

The editor found out which computer it had been written and sent on. Two people used that computer at about the time of the incident. The editor called both guys into his office. He said he knew one of them had written it and asked the guilty person to admit it. No one did. The editor said if no one admitted it, he would fire them both. The guilty person admitted it and was fired.

Thus, a harsh lesson was learned.

Hopefully, no one at The Star gets fired over this. It’s too hard to keep newspaper jobs these days. But hopefully the Star has no more such glitches. It has far too many quality people working there, it is far too good a paper, for something like this to happen again. So the next time the urge to do another lamebrain such stunt strikes, stop, think and do something more mindset appropriate -- like watch Porky's reruns.