BLOOMINGTON — The Indiana University football team's offensive struggles have masked just how awful the defense has been in the final two seasons of coach Tom Allen's tenure.
Allen might even have been able to salvage his 2023 season with a few key defensive stops. The Hoosiers held late leads against Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue, but the defense gave up runs late in each loss and they finished the season 0-3.
The defense needed an overhaul, and it got it. Indiana may have fewer returning starters on defense than on offense. Taking into account experience, past performance and depth, here is how Indiana's new position groups rank heading into fall camp:
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1. Linebacker
Indiana's new staff brings in JMU starting duo Aiden Fisher and Jaylin Walker in the middle of the defense, and they played together more than 500 times last season on a Dukes team that was 30th in total defense (allowing 333.8 yards per game).
The coaching staff has enough confidence in both of them that they moved sixth-year linebacker Jacob Mangum-Farrar to defensive end.
According to Pro Football Focus, Walker was the fifth-highest-rated linebacker in the country in 2022, in part because of his outstanding coverage skills: He recorded four pass breakups and three interceptions and had a passer rating of 32.1 when opposing quarterbacks targeted him.
Walker wasn't as effective as he was last season, but he suffered an upper-body injury in Week 2 against Virginia that caused him to miss most of September.
Fisher and Walker cover a lot of ground, and Bryant Haynes' defensive experience will bring much-needed continuity to an IU defense filled with new faces.
Indiana added significant depth to the position by signing UMass linebacker Naji Logan during the spring transfer market. Logan took over from former Troy linebacker Jaeden McDonald, who was with the team for just three months.
Logan played a hybrid linebacker/safety position that the coaching staff dubbed the Viper last season and was UMass' leading tackler with 60. He could add depth behind Walker and also get a chance to play in IU's rover position, where he can play in the box and also take advantage of defenders who can drop back to coverage.
Linebacker Isaiah Jones, who returned from Indiana, may get a chance to play behind Fisher.
Jones was a standout player during the spring game while playing with the second-team defense. The 6-foot-2, 227-pound Jones appeared in just four games over his first two seasons with the team as a former three-star recruit.
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2. Defensive tackle
Due to the small number of scholarship players on IU's roster, the defensive tackle position would have ranked far and wide at the end of camp, but the additions of C.J. West (Kent State) and Tyriq Tucker (JMU) have completed a two-deep position.
West was one of the top players remaining in the transfer portal at his position.
He's built like a traditional nose tackle at 6-foot-2 and 315 pounds, but he's more than just a one-dimensional run stopper. He's a proven pass rusher and has a well-rounded skill set that could elevate IU's entire defense.
He will likely share the starting lineup with former JMU defensive tackle James Carpenter, while Tucker and returning tackle Marcus Burris will be a solid second-team pairing.
Carpenter has been JMU's defensive iron man the past two seasons and could be a glue that holds both sides together, leading the team in defensive snaps (625) in 2022 and third on the team (803) in 2023. He played the most snaps of any interior defensive lineman in the country.
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3. Cornerback
Indiana's cornerback corps is loaded with a variety of talent, from an FCS All-American (Sedarius Doss) to former Notre Dame commit JoJo Johnson and former Texas Longhorns player Jamie Johnson.
The room has potential but may face some growing pains.
It's not a very experienced group overall – Jamie Johnson is a redshirt junior who has played fewer than 300 defensive innings in his career and has only played a handful of games together in fall camp.
It's a big change from when the staff took over, with Indiana's top three cornerbacks (Coby Minor, Nick Toomer and Jamari Sharpe) all returning, though Toomer moved to safety and Minor entered the portal after spring training.
Minor's departure made the addition of James Madison University cornerback DeAngelo Pons a mandatory one, and Cignetti credited the freshman All-American, who was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 4, with revitalizing JMU's struggling secondary.
Pons had a stellar season last year, starting just nine games and throwing 10 passes and two interceptions. He allowed just 259 yards (30-of-65) and a quarterback rating of 59.7. His overall coverage grade of 88.6 was 12th among FBS cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
He's pushing the boundaries for the team, but Indiana needs the other players surrounding Sharpe and Ponds to stay healthy and continue to improve steadily.
Sharpe learned on the job last season as a redshirt freshman. He allowed the most touchdowns on the team and a string of big plays, including an 85-yard score against Louisville, but he bounced back from his mistakes and grew as the season went on.
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4. Defensive End
Indiana's new staff didn't get much done on the defensive end, despite revamping the roster.
The biggest move they made was acquiring Mikyle Kamara through the transfer portal, who was supposed to return as JMU's leading pass rusher in 2023 after recording 7.5 sacks and 41 quarterback pressures.
Kamara will immediately be the best pass rusher on IU's roster and will likely be a starter alongside Lanell Carr.
There will be legitimate questions about whether he can repeat that production against a Power 4 opponent, but he told reporters during spring training that he's the healthiest he's been in college and wants to prove he's not a one-hit wonder.
Another significant personnel move IU made was moving Mangum Farrar from linebacker to defensive end.
Mangum Farrar wasn't used much as a pass rusher at Stanford, but he showed some real talent for closing in on the quarterback last season as a transfer, totaling 21 pressures on 94 pass-rushing attempts.
The sixth-year defender will need time to become comfortable at the position, but his natural size and athleticism (he stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 252 pounds) could make him an imposing presence coming off the edge.
Mangum Farah has great potential but his lack of experience behind Kamara and Kerr is glaring.
Other defensive ends likely to make the rotation are Benson Snead Jr. and Taderius Collins. They're promising young players, but Snead has only played 127 career defensive snaps and Collins redshirted last season and didn't play at all.
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5. Safety
Indiana needs to sort out the three safety spots with Haynes relying on a rover-focused strategy, and Indiana's lack of depth means there could be some overlap between the spots.
Remaining members Josh Sanguinetti, Bryson Bonds and Amare Ferrell played key roles in the spring game, along with transfers Shawn Asbury II (Old Dominion) and Terry Jones Jr. (Old Dominion) and cornerback-turned safety Nick Toomer.
Indiana added some insurance in the spring by signing Arizona safety DJ Wornell Jr. Like Sanguinetti and Bonds, Wornell is a veteran who has never earned consistent playing time.
The combination of Asbury, Toomer and Ferrell may be the most promising one.
Michael Niziolek is an Indiana reporter for the Bloomington Herald Times. You can follow him on X. Michael Niziolek Click here to read his full article.
