All-Indiana team: These are the best 2023 college football players from the state
The 2023 college football season starts Saturday for Indiana schools when Notre Dame kicks off in Dublin, Ireland this weekend. There are more than 230 players from Indiana playing for Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs.
Filling out our annual All-Indiana team, we were a little light at some positions and had to get creative, but we're loaded in the trenches and at linebacker. Punters, help wanted.
DATABASE: Search to find out where Indiana's FBS players are
OFFENSE
QB – Liam Thompson, Wabash (North Central): One of 30 quarterbacks selected to the Manning Award preseason watch list — and one of only two non-FBS players on the list — Thompson had a monster year last season, throwing for 3,588 yards with 34 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
RB – Devin Mockobee, Purdue (Boonville): Injuries and attrition unexpectedly thrust Mockobee into the spotlight, and he was a bright spot on the Boilermakers offense last season. He posted 968 rushing yards with nine touchdowns, while adding 32 receptions. The walk-on was so impressive, Purdue coach Ryan Walters' first official order of business after his hire was to put the redshirt sophomore on scholarship. Mockobee is now viewed as one of the top running backs in the Big Ten.
"In the grand scheme of things, that's what I hoped would happen, but there's still work to do," Mockobee told Sam King of the Journal & Courier. "I'm no great superstar by any means."
RB – Carson Steele, UCLA (Center Grove): From Greenwood to Westwood, college football’s most interesting man transferred to UCLA after rushing for 1,556 yards for Ball State last season.
“Going from Indiana to L.A. is a little different. So being out here, it’s awesome,” Steele told reporters Aug. 13. “Loving the weather, especially, too. And being able to go to the beach is cool.” (The Santa Monica pier is an early favorite.)
The 2020 IndyStar Mr. Football winner has impressed UCLA coach Chip Kelly, who expects the hard-nosed back to play a key role in the Bruins’ offense.
“His work ethic is kind of off the charts. He’s a really, really talented football player, but the thing that sticks out to me is just his work ethic,” Kelly said.
WR – Bryce Kirtz, Northwestern (Brownsburg): Kirtz would have been one of three Wildcats players chosen to represent the program at Big Ten Media Days if they had attended after hazing was revealed in the program. Kirtz is the team’s leading returning receiver (19 catches, 212 yards last season).
WR – Eli Pancol, Duke (Pendleton Heights): Pancol posted a career-high 347 receiving yards last season with 23 catches (15.1 per). Over his 44 career games for Duke, he has 70 receptions for 912 yards and seven total TDs. However, the fifth-year senior underwent surgery earlier this month and is “probably going to miss significant time this year,” per Blue Devils coach Mike Elko.
TE – Brady Hunt, Ball State (Delta) AND Tanner Koziol, Ball State (Mt. Vernon): The Cardinals’ top two returning pass catchers, Koziol (7) and Hunt (5) led the team in TD receptions. Hunt caught 46 passes for 498 yards and Koziol had 35 grabs for 373 yards.
OL – Blake Fisher, Notre Dame (Avon): He started all 13 games at right tackle last season as a sophomore and has legit pro potential, with some first-round projections floating out there.
OL – Josh Fryar, Ohio State (Beech Grove): He served as the Buckeyes’ top backup lineman a year ago and figures in the mix to start at right tackle. He filled in at right guard last season vs. Michigan and can play the left side if needed.
OL – Gus Hartwig, Purdue (Zionsville): A center who made 27 consecutive starts despite nagging injuries, Hartwig is working his way back from a leg injury. A two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, Hartwig’s experience on the line will be crucial in a new offense.
OL – Pete Nygra, Northern Illinois (Brownsburg): Another standout center, Nygra started 11 games last season as a redshirt freshman and was named NIU’s Freshman of the Year. He didn’t allow a sack on 328 pass attempts and allowed just one QB hit. He was second on the team in total snaps and led the Huskies’ offensive line with a 95% effort grade in 2022.
OL – Ethan Crowe, Ball State (Center Grove): A preseason first-team All-MAC pick and selected to Outland Trophy watch list for college football’s best offensive linemen, Crowe has started 21 straight games for the Cardinals at center and was second-team All-MAC after last season.
OL – Caleb Shaffer, Oklahoma (Carmel): A three-year starter at Miami of Ohio and second-team All-MAC pick last year, Shaffer transferred to Oklahoma this offseason and figures to battle for an open guard position.
“As a kid from Indiana, OU-Texas is like the pinnacle of college football,” Shaffer told All Sooners. “To receive that type of interest from the portal, I was grateful. It allowed me to reflect on the progress I’ve made coming out of high school.”
Honorable mention: Kolby Borders, Miami-Ohio (McCutcheon); Damon Kaylor, Ball State (Huntington North).
DEFENSE
DL Lawrence Johnson, Auburn (FW Snider): A three-year starter at Purdue, Johnson transferred to the SEC to test himself. “I wanted to do it to show my people I’m serious about it,” Johnson told the school’s website. “I moved from two hours away from my home to 10 hours, so I’m really on my own out here. It was a serious business decision.” Johnson, who was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick last year, had 88 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks as a Boilermaker.
DL Braden Fiske, Florida State (Michigan City): Another transfer lineman, Fiske is in Tallahassee after five years at Western Michigan. He made 30 starts there, recording 148 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks. Fiske was second-team All-MAC last season with 58 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and six sacks and was one of the most-sought after players in the portal (ranked No. 6 overall transfer by On3.com).
DL Deontae Craig, Iowa (Culver Academies): One of just six Big Ten players with at least 6.5 sacks last season, Craig did so mostly in a reserve role (behind NFL first-round pick Lukas Van Ness). His snaps-per-sack rate was third-best in the conference, per The Gazette. A projected starter this year, Craig is a preseason second-team All-Big Ten pick by Phil Steele.
DL Kenneth Grant, Michigan (Merrillville): This is more of a projection pick because Grant played in all 14 games as a true freshman last season and figures to be on the field more after shedding 20 pounds in the offseason. “I think Kenneth Grant’s gonna be a name everyone is gonna know about,” Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter told the Detroit News. “He’s a monster in the middle and has a chance to be a really dominant type of player here.”
Honorable mention: Aaron Barnett, UIndy (Fountain Central); Caden Curry, Ohio State (Center Grove); Peyton Price, Eastern Michigan (Lafayette Jeff); Tavion Woodard, Ball State (West Lafayette).
LB Dasan McCullough, Oklahoma (Bloomington South): A freshman All-American at IU, McCullough posted 49 tackles (32 solo), tied for the team lead with 4.0 sacks and was second with 6.5 tackles for loss. "Some people say, 'He’s coming from Indiana, so he certainly must not be any good,'" Oklahoma coach Brent Venables told The Oklahoman. "Well then you obviously haven’t done your research. You have no idea what his recruitment was all about. He could’ve gone anywhere in the country."
The highest-ranked recruit in IU history, McCullough committed to IU when his dad, Deland (who has since moved onto Notre Dame), was on the coaching staff.
"To me, wherever he is this year, a year from now, he's going to be in an even more enhanced role," Venables said. "He's made us better at linebacker.”
LB Clayton Coll, Ball State (Franklin): Ball State coach Mike Neu calls Coll “the unquestioned leader of our football team.” The second-team All-MAC pick led the Cardinals with 110 tackles (49 solos) last season, adding seven tackles for loss and two sacks.
LB Hugh Davis, Louisiana Tech (Cathedral): Davis, who started his college career at Boston College, led the Bulldogs with 79 total tackles last season. A team captain, Davis is a preseason second-team All-Conference USA pick by Athlon Sports.
LB Jack Kiser, Notre Dame (Pioneer): The 2018 IndyStar Mr. Football winner fought through nagging injuries to finish second on the Irish in tackles (58) while ranking 15th in defensive snaps (338). He added 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Kiser started six games and was a key piece on special teams. “We know Jack Kiser is going to be on the field,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said in April.
LB Craig Young, Kansas (FW Wayne): After playing sparingly over three seasons at Ohio State, Young transferred to Kansas and was a key piece on the Jayhawks defense last season with 60 tackles, 5.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble and interception.
Honorable mention: Jackson Barrow, Toledo (Cathedral); Jay Higgins, Iowa (Brebeuf Jesuit); Paul Moala, Georgia Tech (Penn); Ty Wise, Miami-Ohio (Carmel).
DB Maxen Hook, Toledo (New Palestine): A first-team All-MAC pick last season, Hook posted 81 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups. He enters this season on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list, the award given annually to college football’s best defensive player.
DB Daylan Carnell, Missouri (Ben Davis): The safety ranks fifth among SEC returning players in passes defended (9) and led the team with three interceptions. Per Pro Football Focus, Carnell didn't allow a touchdown or commit a penalty last season.
DB DeShawn Gaddie Jr., Ole Miss (Indianapolis): He went to high school in Texas but calls Indy home, so we’re glad to claim him because we’re a little light in the secondary. Gaddie transferred to Ole Miss this offseason from North Texas, where started 33 games and was first-team All-Conference USA last season with 61 tackles (43 solo) and 12 pass break-ups.
DB Michael Brown, UIndy (North Central): A two-time all-conference pick, Brown earned first-team All-GLVC honors last season, leading the Greyhounds with 93 tackles. Brown is a preseason Division II All-American, per CFB Network.
K – Harrison Mevis, Missouri (Warsaw): His 61 career field goals are tied for second-most in program history. Mevis was 22-of-28 on field goal attempts and 33-of-33 on PATs last season, earning semifinalist recognition for the Lou Groza award two years in a row. Nicknamed the “Thiccer Kicker,” the 243-pound Mevis has 10 made field goals of 50+ yards, most in school history.
LS – Isaac Hatfield, Northern Illinois (Floyd Central): The Huskies’ long snapper as a redshirt freshman, Hatfield snapped on 47 punts, 23 field goals and 31 PAT attempts last season and earned Academic All-MAC honors. Don’t believe me? “Isaac Hatfield is a fantastic snapper,” NIU coach Thomas Hammock said.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: College football: Top players from Indiana high schools for 2023
