#12 Indiana Hoosiers

Big Ten & Notre Dame Rankings Indiana #12 - Summary -Indiana’s Terry Hoeppner went out this year with the intentions of finding big bodies to protect his quarterback and he did just that. Indiana landed several solid offensive lineman led by Cody Faulkner, a three-star, all-region, selection, according to Scout.com.

Faulkner is joined by three potential tackles from the Buckeye State in Jarrod Smith, Pete Saxson and Rodger Saffold. Illinois tackle Alex Perry, helped lead his Morris, Ill., team to a state championship this past season. Hoeppner has laid the groundwork for future recruiting classes by getting the in-state prospects to believe in Hoosier football. Greg Middleton (Purdue) and Cody Faulkner (Wisconsin and Northwestern) both had other Big Ten offers besides Indiana but chose to play their college football for Indiana and Terry Hoeppner.

Big Fish - FB/LB – Matt Mayberry, 6-2, 205, 4.5, Hinsdale (Ill.) South

Mayberry could be and probably should be a three-star prospect but was just edged out in the Scout.com “Midwest Hot 100” rankings. Mayberry attended the Scout.com combine last April in Champaign, Ill., and ran a 4.5 40-yard dash. Mayberry is a terrific athlete that was named all-state in 2005. Mayberry rushed for 2,152 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior. Matt could be a fullback, h-back or linebacker for the Hoosiers. Several schools offered Mayberry a scholarship including Georgia, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State. Penn State came in the picture in December and tried to get Mayberry to visit Happy Valley but they weren’t successful.

Players to Watch - TE Jeff Sanders, 6-4, 235, 4.7, Springfield (Ill.) Sacred-Heart Griffin. All-State selection in 2005, deceptive speed and excellent hands. WR Ray Fisher - 5-9, 170, 4.5. Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville. Ted Ginn will send several prospects to the D-1 ranks and Fisher, although a little undersized, is a very talented young man that has game breaking ability. Fisher is being recruited as a cornerback but he could also be a slot receiver.

One That Got Away - Obi Ezeh, a talented running back prospect, from Grand Rapids, visited the Hoosiers in early December and he would’ve been a great addition to this recruiting class but Ezeh visited Michigan a week after Indiana and gave the Wolverines his verbal commitment.