CHICAGO – Bill Lynch has heard the outsider view on Indiana’s defense: How are they going to replace all those defensive guys?

The Hoosiers’ football coach looks at the situation differently.

“I think we have a different personality on defense, which I think is a real positive,” Lynch said at Big Ten media day Tuesday at McCormick Place.

“We have that kind of wild-hair, fly-around group of guys that I think it will be fun to watch how they develop during preseason camp.”

IU has just four starters returning on defense. Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton, who finished tied for third on the school’s career sacks list with 23 apiece, are among the players the Hoosiers must replace.

“Everyone keeps talking about the guys we graduated, but we have a lot of young guys, especially at linebacker, and we have a couple of defensive ends to replace the older guys,” senior linebacker Tyler Replogle said. “We put in the 3-4 to help them out a lot. It allows some of the athletic defensive ends to play that linebacker/defensive end position and blitz from different angles.

“Hopefully, it allows the younger guys up there to get sacks and free up the linebackers to make some more tackles. Everyone keeps talking about all the guys that graduated, but we’ve got some young guys, and we are pretty excited to hit the field.”

Replogle’s younger brother, sophomore Adam Replogle, is a member of what Lynch considers the strength of the Hoosiers’ defense – the tackles.

Adam Replogle, Larry Black Jr., Nicholas Sliger and Mick Mentzer – a Dwenger graduate and redshirt sophomore – make up the group. Replogle had four sacks last year, and Black had 7 1/2 tackles for loss.

“What we did last year was rotate the four of them. But the four guys are as good as we’ve got,” Lynch said. “The idea is to get three of them on the field all the time.”

Adam Replogle will also see some time on the outside along with ends Fred Jones and Deonte Mack.

On the other end, Darius Johnson, Javon Cornley and Kevin Bush are competing for the starting spot.

Johnson played three games at linebacker last year before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

Cornley was redshirted, and Bush – a 25-year-old Homestead graduate who spent 3 1/2 years in the Army – sat out last year because of transfer rules.

“Those guys on the outside will give us something we haven’t had,” Lynch said. “In some ways they will be tougher to block and it will make us more versatile.”

Depth in the secondary, boosted by the arrivals of Mitchell Evans and Matt Ernst from the offense, will allow the Hoosiers to play more nickel and dime packages.

Wide receivers a year ago, the two are slated at starters at strong safety and cornerback, respectively.

Jeff Thomas, who played at Foothill Community College in Los Altos Hills, Calif., last year, eased any concern in replacing linebacker Matt Mayberry.

“Junior college recruiting is about as hit or miss as you can get. We hit a home run with Jeff,” Lynch said. “Not only is he a really good player, but he fits. He’s got Tyler’s mentality. He’s an intense, hard worker.

“He and Kevin Bush, those two guys alone can kind of reshape our personality along with Tyler. They are so intense.”

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