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Indiana football early signing period: Tennessee OT spurns South Carolina, Mississippi State for IU

Matthew Bedford will join a depleted IU offensive line that will need to work through the graduation of key players like Wes Martin and Nick Linder next fall.

By Auston Matricardi
Bedford’s recruitment had some twists and turns, but he’s officially a Hoosier.
@MatthewBedfor14

Offensive line recruits aren’t flashy. They don’t throw, catch, or run for touchdowns, but they’re important nevertheless and IU picked up a big one on Wednesday when Matthew Bedford signed his National Letter of Intent.

The three-star offensive tackle from Cordova, Tennessee had a bit of a wild recruitment. In June he committed to IU, but he continued making visits to other schools. There were attempts to flip Bedford by both South Carolina and Mississippi State and just a few days ago he named the Gamecocks the leader in his recruitment. Coming into the day the 247 Crystal Ball was stoutly in favor of South Carolina. He also had an offer from Memphis.

The 73rd-ranked offensive tackle in the nation, Bedford is listed at 6’6” and 260 pounds. He also played defensive tackle as a senior, recording four sacks and 22 tackles, six of those for a loss.

Offensive line was a priority for the Hoosiers in this recruiting cycle, as they’re losing upperclassmen Nick Linder, Wes Martin, Delroy Baker, and Brandon Knight to graduation.

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