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• When new Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis talked about a need for speed, wideout Keenan Davis listened.
• Andy Staples writes that justice must be done at Penn State -- by the courts, not the NCAA. The child sex abuse scandal at PSU is new territory for the NCAA.
• Danny Hope sees "big things" ahead for Purdue in 2012.
• Michigan recruit David Dawson carries his father's memory with him on the field. Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon weighs in on schedule strength and the B1G-Pac-12 partnership.
• Michigan State's assistant pay raises help maintain continuity on Mark Dantonio's staff.
• After landing a pledge from Christian Hackenberg in February, Penn State turns its attention toward a 2014 QB recruit. An interesting piece on ex-Penn State player Shawn Oakman and his life after being dismissed from the team.
• Minnesota needs to create a football-centric culture around the program.
• Indiana's Jake Reed endured a bout with mono this spring and is ready to compete for field time.
• Media members might be allowed to observe the playoff selection committee in action.
• Nebraska beats Penn State for linebacker recruit Marcus Newby. The Huskers will hold fan day Aug. 3.
• Urban Meyer might be building an SEC-caliber defense at Ohio State. Ohio State administrator Pat Chun becomes Florida Atlantic's new athletic director.
• Northwestern's season-ticket sales are on the rise. Check out how Northwestern's new Under Armour unis are coming along.

Indiana coach Bill Lynch remembers eleventh-hour recruiting.

Until recent years, he found himself right in the thick of it.

For decades, Lynch anticipated his schedule in late January and early February to be consumed with finding high school players to fill the final few spots of a recruiting class. It was standard procedure during his tenure as Ball State's coach from 1995-2002. The down-to-the-wire scramble continued when Lynch arrived at Indiana in January 2005, and remained for several years as the program made another transition from Terry Hoeppener to Lynch.

"Shoot, man, we were looking for guys the weekend before signing day," Lynch recalled. "We were scrambling to fill a class."

Of the 24 players Indiana signed in 2005, 14 committed in January or early February and another didn't sign until after National Signing Day. Things improved for the 2006 class, but Indiana still got seven commitments after Jan. 1, plus a junior college addition in June.

Back then, the idea of wrapping up a recruiting class in July or August sounded laughable.

Fast-forward to last week, as Lynch talked about where Indiana stood for its 2011 recruiting haul.

"We're right at the end," he said.

The calendar read July 15.

Indiana has turned heads in Midwest recruiting circles by already collecting 20 verbal commitments for the 2011 class. The Hoosiers' total leads the Big Ten and ranks among the national leaders. Indiana has 17 more commits than Penn State and 14 more than archrival Purdue.

Although the class likely won't rank among the national leaders come February, Lynch and his staff have unquestionably upgraded their overall talent, landing decorated prospects like linebacker Zack Shaw, athlete Raymon Taylor, tight end Jake Reed and running back D'Angelo Roberts, who pledged last week.

"We've been fortunate to kind of jump ahead," Lynch said, "but throughout the process, we felt like there were kids we had targeted who we felt like we could get. We felt like we could get a good number."

(Read full post)

It's no longer a coincidence.

Indiana's approach to recruiting can now be labeled a strategy, and it appears to be paying off.

Of the 25 players Indiana signed in February, 21 made verbal commitments before the 2009 season kicked off. Head coach Bill Lynch and his staff received six commitments last June and a whopping 11 commits last July. Tight end Paul Phillips was the only Hoosiers recruit to say yes after the calendar flipped to 2010. And Indiana's total doesn't even include players like Jibreel Black, a decorated defensive end who committed to IU in June before re-opening his recruitment and eventually landing at Michigan.

The Hoosiers once again have started extremely fast for 2011 recruiting, landing their 17th verbal commitment Tuesday from offensive lineman Jalen Schlachter, who had offers from Wisconsin and Missouri, among others. Indiana has surged past Ohio State (15 verbals) for the most in the conference. The Hoosiers have more commits than Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Penn State combined. They have 16 more verbals than the Nittany Lions (1).

Does a bunch of early verbals equate to a great recruiting class? No. But Indiana seems to be doing a job of not only targeting solid prospects, but ones who will say yes early in the process. The Hoosiers also have covered themselves if a few commits decide to sign elsewhere.

Colleague Bill Kurelic writes:

Other than Schlachter, Lynch's other big commitments include one of the top athletes in the state of Michigan in defensive back Raymon Taylor (Highland Park, Mich./Highland Park) who picked Indiana over Wisconsin and Illinois, linebacker Max Pirman (Orrville, Ohio/Orrville) who turned down offers from Nebraska and Kansas, as well as in-state prospects quarterback Tre Roberson (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central), defensive back Ken Mullen (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Luers), tight end Jake Reed (Columbus, Ind./North) and defensive back Nick Stoner (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove).

Lynch and the Indiana staff have a very solid base of commitments. They can now hone in on prospects to fill their remaining open spots and have plenty of time remaining to do so.

The (Bloomington) Herald-Times' Chris Korman further explains Indiana's approach (subscription required):

Five years into the post-Gerry DiNardo era -- and those years, of course, were not stable due to the illness and death of Terry Hoeppner -- this staff has established strong roots in the area around Detroit. It has mined Ohio heavily, and especially the smaller schools; several of IU’s coaches played college ball in the state and most of them coached there. That they have an intimate knowledge of parts of the state that aren't tread upon regularly by other major programs has become quite apparent.

The final verdict on Indiana's recruiting class won't be known until February. But you have to like the aggressive approach and early scouting from a program that doesn't have the luxury to sit back and wait for prospects to come knocking on its door.