Bob Bostad’s crew keeps growing in year two under his watch.
Indiana’s offensive line has been the most scrutinized position group for the past few seasons.
That ultimately resulted in a coaching change last offseason when Tom Allen hired former Wisconsin lineman guru Bob Bostad, who Curt Cignetti decided to keep on board when he took over in Bloomington. And for good reason.
No line is perfect and it wasn’t going to happen overnight, but Bostad’s group absolutely improved during his first year both from day one and throughout the season. You need a good line to compete in the Big Ten, no matter the era, and Indiana is on its way to getting better and better.
Last year’s roster featured experienced and some rising pieces, most of which stuck around through the offseason with a few additions here and there.
Indiana football 2024 position previews
- Vincent Fiacable – R-Jr
- Jack Greer – R-So
- Nick Kidwell – R-Sr+ (JMU)
- Mike Katic – R-Sr+
- Drew Evans – R-So (Wisconsin)
- Mitch Verstegen – Fr
- Carter Smith – R-So
- Austin Leibfried – Fr
- Evan Lawrence – Fr
- Adedamola Ajani – Fr
- Austin Barrett – R-Fr
- Bray Lynch – R-So
- Trey Wedig – R-Sr (Wisconsin)
- Tyler Stephens – Sr+ (JMU)
- Cooper Jones – R-Jr
- Max Williams – R-So
It’s a group with a decent amount of youth but enough experience to get through the season and form a reliable core.
The group loses contributors like Zach Carpenter (Miami-FL), Kahlil Benson (Colorado) and Matthew Bedford (Oregon) but brought in some talent through the portal and has some rising underclassmen.
With all the freshmen coming in and rising sophomores, keeping Bostad was a wise move by Cignetti. There’s enough of a draw in the portal with the Big Ten opportunity and Bostad’s experience and a rebuild in progress that’ll help shape the line for years to come.
Vincent Fiacable is a legacy athlete at Indiana. His father, Steve, was an offensive lineman and two of his brothers, Steve and Mike, also suited up for the Hoosiers. He’s appeared sparingly, but is still just a redshirt junior.
Nick Kidwell is one of the most experienced members of the room and followed Cignetti over from JMU. He has a track record of reliable production with the Dukes and figures to receive snaps for the Hoosiers this season.
If this group has a leader, on and off the field, it’s Mike Katic. The senior has been an underrated part of the team for a while now and has gotten better each and every year he’s been in Bloomington. He took snaps at center in the spring game and could take on that responsibility full time this fall.
Drew Evans joined Wisconsin as a walk-on but transferred to Indiana ahead of last season and earned a scholarship, redshirting the year.
Mitch Verstegen was a consensus three-star prospect who committed to the Hoosiers out of Kaukauna, Wisconsin.
Carter Smith emerged as one of the top linemen on the team last year before entering the portal following the firing of Tom Allen. The Hoosiers were able to retain him, which will prove huge for the group this coming season. Smith was a highly coveted prospect on the transfer market and has NFL potential. He’ll start again this year at one of the tackle spots.
Austin Leibfried was a consensus three-star prospect who committed to the Hoosiers out of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.
Evan Lawrence was rated as a three-star prospect by On3, ESPN and 247Sports, joining the program out of Danville, Indiana.
Adedamola Ajani was rated as a consensus three-star prospect and joined the program out of Speedway, Indiana.
Austin Barrett was rated as a consensus three-star recruit and redshirted this past season.
Bray Lynch appeared in five games for the program last year and figures to be a piece of the line this upcoming season. He drew praise out of 2023 fall camp and will look to improve further this summer.
Trey Wedig spent four years with Wisconsin before opting to transfer to Indiana this past season. He was a particularly reliable member of the line in 2022 and his experience should give him a lane to a starting spot for the Hoosiers this fall.
Tyler Stephens comes to Indiana from JMU, where he spent years earning high snap counts on the line. He’ll be a factor somewhere this Fall, as a depth piece if not a frequent appearance.
Cooper Jones moved from the defensive to the offensive line ahead of the 2023 season and appeared occasionally on special teams.
Walk-ons: Jack Greer, Max Williams
Indiana’s starting group for the spring game was Smith-Evans-Katic-Lynch-Wedig. Evans as a starter was a bit interesting, but that spot could ultimately end up being Kidwell’s once he’s available.
It could take this group a few games to figure eachother out. Katic’s presence at center could serve to help them gel. One way or another, the future at the position looks reasonably bright.
Offensive line is probably the most difficult group to build through the portal. It’s much more advantageous to have a group grow together as underclassmen for a few years than just adding pieces here and there. Indiana looks poised to do the former in the coming years.