Tom Allen’s recruiting is on a roll

In a normal timeline, Indiana would be gearing up for its annual Cream & Crimson game next week. There is, of course, nothing normal about the current timeline. So IU is like every other football program in the country right now, and with no practices, scrimmages or workouts to plan for, the focus turns to recruiting.

And Tom Allen and his staff just so happen to be on a roll.

IU now has five players committed for 2021, four of whom have committed within the past eight days. Valparaiso defensive end Cooper Jones got the run started when he pledged on April 2, Bloomington North tight end Aaron Steinfeldt joined the class last Friday, Fort Wayne offensive lineman (and IU legacy) Vinny Fiacable added his name to the bunch on Monday and Florida defensive back Larry Smith committed to IU on Friday. The first member of the class, Elkhart defensive end Rodney McGraw, committed in January.

Here’s a snapshot look at IU’s three most recent additions (listed in order of commitment):

Aaron Steinfeldt

Position: Tight end
247 Sports Composite ranking: ★ ★ ★ (0.8527)
Hometown: Bloomington, Ind. (Bloomington North)
Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 230
Reported offers: Cincinnati, UCF, Virginia, Ball State, Boise State, Central Michigan, Indiana State, Miami (Ohio), Penn, Toledo
Outlook: The first offensive player to join IU’s 2021 class, Steinfeldt has the body for his position. That’s the product of good bloodlines, as his father, Jesse, was a former three-sport athlete at Yale. Steinfeldt has high school experience at receiver, which Bloomington North coach Scott Bless says has helped him develop good hands and good route-running ability. In eight games as a junior, Steinfeldt caught 40 passes for 547 yards and five touchdowns. IU currently has four scholarship tight ends on the roster (redshirt junior Peyton Hendershot, junior Matt Bjorson, redshirt sophomore TJ Ivy and redshirt freshman Gary Cooper) and a fifth, three-star Ohio native AJ Barner, locked into its 2020 signing class.

Vinny Fiacable

Position: Guard
247 Sports Ranking: ★ ★
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind. (Bishop Dwenger)
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 290
Reported offers: Cincinnati, Louisville, Eastern Michigan, Western Kentucky, Western Michigan, Ball State, Columbia, Fordham, Illinois State, Indiana State, Ohio, Princeton, San Jose State, Yale
Outlook: The Fiacable family has deep ties to Indiana University. Vinny’s father, Steve, along with brothers Steve and Mike all played for the Hoosiers. Another brother, Nick, served as a student assistant. Vinny didn’t wait long to add his name to the list, committing to IU five days after receiving his offer on April 1. Fiacable appears to be a good redshirt candidate, especially after IU added seven offensive linemen this offseason. IU projects to have 17 scholarship offensive linemen on its roster in the fall, with only two of those players (Mackenzie Nworah and Harry Crider) on track to depart the program after the 2020 season.

Larry Smith

Position: Defensive back
247 Sports Composite Ranking: ★ ★ ★ (0.8649)
Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla. (Oakleaf)
Height/weight: 5-foot-10, 170
Reported offers: Ole Miss, Duke, North Carolina, Charlotte, Arkansas State
Outlook: It should be noted that Rivals views Smith, IU’s first commit from outside the state, as a four-star prospect. He made 52 stops and intercepted five passes as a junior, claiming a spot as the No. 34 overall safety in the 2021 recruiting class.