Indiana athletic director Fred Glass is pleased with the buzz around his department as the IU Tailgate Tour begins. And that energy was palpable at the tour’s first stop in Fort Wayne on Tuesday.BLOOMINGTON – The questions came quickly from Adam Replogle.
“How are the practices?”
“What is the coaching staff like?”
“Where do you think the program is going?”
Replogle trusted the source. It was, after all, his brother Tyler.
“He raved about the coaches and the facility and where IU is going,” Adam Replogle said. “It felt right.”
Adam and Tyler are starters on Indiana’s defense. Tyler, a 6-foot-2, 238-pound senior linebacker, said he stayed out of Adam’s recruiting process for the most part. Adam, a 6-3, 290-pound sophomore defensive tackle, said the final decision to become a Hoosier was his own.
“I love it. It’s a great experience,” Adam Replogle said. “Not many brothers can say they played on the same Big Ten team (Indiana’s roster also includes defensive backs Aaron and Adrian Burks, who are twins). It’s a great experience.”
They both provided a lift to the defense last season.
Tyler Replogle is the top returning tackler from a year ago.
“(Tyler) is what you’re looking for in a Big Ten linebacker,” Indiana coach Bill Lynch said.
Adam Replogle finished third on the team with four sacks in 2009. Lynch likes Adam’s versatility so much, the Hoosiers plan on rotating him at defensive end this year as well.
“He’s the one guy who can play both inside and outside. We’re going to play him some at both,” Lynch said. “We have four pretty good guys inside and if he can play end, then we’ve got three of them playing at the same time. It will be the same position (at end) as (former Hoosier Greg) Middleton last year, just with a 290-pound body.”
Adam Replogle is just one of six Hoosiers who played as a true freshman in the last three years and had to grow up quickly.
“I learned the speed is a lot faster and the guys are a lot bigger and stronger,” Adam said. “The game slowed down for me for a little bit; I think that will help me out going into my sophomore year.”
Adam appeared in all 12 games, starting the final 11. He had five tackles for loss and 32 tackles on the year, including seven at Iowa on Oct. 31.
Tyler Replogle also had seven tackles in that loss to the Hawkeyes. Tyler finished with 80 tackles. He was 12th in the Big Ten with 7.3 tackles per game.
Like Adam, Tyler played as a true freshman. He appeared in the first six games of the 2007 season before suffering a season-ending ACL injury against Minnesota. He bounced back in 2008, appearing in 11 games at linebacker and on special teams.
Tyler never envisioned playing with his brother in college.
“It has been exciting,” he said. “It’s something I got to do in high school (at Centerville (Ohio) High). I didn’t really think I was going to get the same opportunity to do it in college. Seeing your brother in front of you, it was a neat experience.”
Adam is ready for a new experience at end.
“Defensive tackle is a little more confined,” he said. “You are used to bigger guys. At end, you work with a whole lot of space. … I just want to be successful no matter what I do. Whether it be at defensive end, defensive tackle, special teams. I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”
