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Peyton Hendershot’s recruitment wasn’t the smoothest, but ultimately he’s signed for the Indiana Hoosiers, giving their explosive offense yet another pass-catching weapon.
Originally committed to Ball State, Hendershot decommitted shortly after receiving an offer from Indiana. After James Patton’s departure from Bloomington, Penn State made a hard push for the Tri-West star, including an official visit to Happy Valley just this past weekend. But after it all, Hendershot stayed with the Hoosiers — and became the first to submit his LOI this morning.
Signed. Sealed. Delivered. #iufb officially welcomes tight end Peyton Hendershot (@P_hendershot5) to the family! #Breakthrough pic.twitter.com/i6SSrQHHyV
— Indiana Football (@HoosierFootball) February 1, 2017
HOW HE STACKS UP
According to 247Sports, Hendershot is the 50th best tight end in the nation and the 14th best recruit in the state. As a senior at Tri-West, he reeled in 67 catches for 896 yards and 9 scores.
He was named Indiana’s Mr. Football for the tight end position.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR INDIANA
It wouldn’t be a real Indiana football season without getting hyped for a tight end. Lots of promising guys have come through the program in recent years but, outside of Ted Bolser, they’ve failed to make an impact.
If the Foster Farms Bowl is any indication, you can expect Tom Allen to make sure the offense emphasizes the tight end in the pass game. Seldom-used Ian Thomas caught two passes in that game, and was often seen lined up as an H-back in several sets, a role Hendershot could translate beautifully to.
Similarly, Mike DeBord’s Tennessee offense saw a pair of tight ends team up for 64 catches last season. The 6’4”, 230-lb freshman could be in line for immediate action, as there might not be a position more wide open for Indiana heading into 2017 than his.