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Iowa Football: Examining Indiana’s Depth Chart Ahead of Week 1 Matchup With Hawkeyes

The Hoosiers come to Iowa City with loads of experience - something Iowa appears to be lacking in several position groups.

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2021 Big Ten Football Media Day
Tom Allen has laid the foundation for an upperclassmen-heavy Hoosier team in 2021.
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes open up the 2021 season with not only a top-25 showdown, but an early season matchup with a Big Ten foe as #17 Indiana comes to Iowa City. The Hawkeyes and Hoosiers haven’t seen each other since 2018 and it’s safe to say this is not the same team Iowa saw the last time out.

However, a number of players in the recently released two-deeps were on the roster the last time these two teams faced off. That will happen when you have a depth chart that’s loaded with upperclassmen.

Indiana’s official depth chart for week one was released on Monday and it includes several names Hawkeye fans will remember from the headlines in 2020 and Iowa coaches will recognize from the recruiting trail as well as the sidelines the last time these two met. Beyond that, however, Tom Allen’s squad also features several new faces from the transfer ranks.

Here’s a look at how things stand in the IU two-deeps entering Saturday’s showdown between #17 Indiana and #18 Iowa.

The picture can be a bit difficult to read as it’s not grabbed from a digital note, so for those having a difficult time discerning names, etc. please see the reprint below.

OFFENSE

LT
77 Caleb Jones, 6-8, 362, Sr.
70 Luke Haggard, 6-7, 305, Sr.

LG
56 Mike Katic, 6-4, 312, So.
73 Tim Weaver, 6-6, 315, So.

C
50 Zach Carpenter, 6-5, 320, So.
79 Charlie O’Connor, 6-2, 303, Jr.
62 Cameron Knight, 6-3, 281, Fr.

RG
72 Dylan Powell, 6-3, 310, Gr.
71 Randy Holtz, 6-7, 340, Fr.

RT
76 Matthew Bedford, 6-6, 310, Jr.
66 Aidan Rafferty, 6-6, 298, Jr.

WR
13 Miles Marshall, 6-4, 212, Jr.
18 Javon Swinton, 6-2, 187, So.
1 Camron Buckley, 6-2, 198, Gr.

WR
7 D.J. Matthews Jr., 5-11, 160, Gr.
12 Da’Shaun Brown, 6-2, 180, So.

WR
3 Ty Fryfogle, 6-2, 205, Sr.
2 Jacolby Hewitt, 6-1, 198, Jr.

QB
9 Michael Penix Jr., 6-3, 218, Jr
14 Jack Tuttle, 6-4, 212, Jr.

RB
5 Stephen Carr, 6-1, 215, Gr.
20 Tim Baldwin Jr., 6-0, 211, So.
10 David Ellis, 6-0, 214, Jr.

TE
86 Peyton Hendershot, 6-4, 254, Sr.
89 Matt Bjorson, 6-3, 241, Sr.
88 AJ Barner, 6-6, 245, So.

DEFENSE

DE
10 Ryder Anderson, 6-6, 266, Gr.
6 James Head Jr., 6-5, 262, Sr.

DT
94 Demarcus Elliott, 6-3, 307, Sr.
99 Weston Kramer, 6-2, 290, Gr.

DT
50 Sio Nofoagatoto’a, 6-3, 315, Jr.
55 C.J. Person, 6-3, 292, So.

BULL

92 Alfred Bryant, 6-2, 250, Sr.
13 Jaren Handy, 6-6, 255, Jr.
87 Michael Ziemba, 6-3, 260, Sr.
42 D.K. Bonhomme, 6-3, 235, Jr.

LB
47 Micah McFadden, 6-2, 232, Sr.
8 James Miller, 6-2, 223, Jr.
44 Thomas Allen, 6-3, 240, Sr.

LB
4 Cam Jones, 6-3, 224, Sr.
46 Aaron Casey, 6-2, 228, Jr.

HUSKY
9 Marcelino McCrary-Ball, 6-0, 214, Sr.
31 Bryant Fitzgerald, 6-0, 208, Sr.

CB
2 Reese Taylor, 5-11, 185, Sr.
23 Jaylin Williams, 6-0, 182, Sr.

S
1 Devon Matthews, 6-2, 205, Sr.
19 Josh Sanguinetti, 6-1, 185, So.

S
0 Raheem Layne, 6-1, 200, Sr.
5 Juwan Burgess, 6-1, 199, Sr.
17 Jonathan Haynes, 5-11, 205, Gr.

CB
3 Tiawan Mullen, 5-10, 180, Jr.
7 Christopher Keys, 6-0, 185, Fr.

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK
93 Charles Campbell, 5-9, 175, Jr.
80 Chris Freeman, 6-2, 190, Fr.

KO
90 Jared Smolar, 5-11, 221, Sr.
80 Chris Freeman, 6-2, 190, Fr.
93 Charles Campbell, 5-9, 175, Jr.

P
94 James Evans, 6-1, 222, Fr.
92 Chase Wyatt, 5-11, 196, So.

LS
95 Sean Wracher, 6-4, 200, Jr.
97 Jake Wellmann, 6-1, 225, Fr.

H
92 Chase Wyatt, 5-11, 196, So.
90 Jared Smolar, 5-11, 221, Sr.

KR
10 David Ellis, 6-0, 214, Jr.
2 Jacolby Hewitt, 6-1, 198, Jr.

PR
2 Reese Taylor, 5-11, 185, Sr.
7 D.J. Matthews Jr., 5-11, 160, Gr.

Observations

  • Indiana is heavy on upperclassmen at a time when Iowa is heavy on underclassmen. There are a total of eight underclassmen on the week one two-deeps for IU - five on offense and three on defense. By contrast, the Hawkeyes listed 20 underclassmen in their two-deeps released Friday.
  • Tom Allen hit the portal hard. Indiana has four transfers listed as starters this week. That includes RB Stephen Carr (Southern California), C Zach Carpenter (Michigan), WR D.J. Matthews (Florida State) and DE Ryder Anderson (Ole Miss). Two others, DT Weston Kramer (Northern Illinois) and Bull Jaren Handy (Auburn), are listed as backups.
  • The aforementioned Carr is expected to be the lead guy out of the Indiana backfield. His name should be somewhat familiar to Hawkeye fans. A former 5-star prospect, Carr was USC’s 2nd-leading rusher in 2019 and 2020. He ran for 24 yards and a TD on 5 carries with 3 catches for 6 yards in Iowa’s 49-24 demolition of the Trojans in the 2019 Holiday Bowl.
  • This is not your father’s Indiana defense. The Hoosiers lost some key pieces, but return a slew of talent from a defense that finished top-20 in scoring defense in 2020. That includes a trio of All-Big Ten defensive backs, led by Tiawan Mullen.
  • Cash isn’t king? Hawkeye fans know all about the “cash” position in Phil Parker’s 4-2-5, but Indiana has a different name for what appears to be a similar position. The Hoosiers play a 4-2-5 base defense that makes use of a “husky” (no, that’s not just the term used to describe yours truly during the pre-teen and early teen years), which appears to be very similar to cash. They also employ a “bull”, which the Indy Star describes as sort of a hybrid LB/DE that is used for pass rushing or dropping in coverage depending on the package.