The Indiana football program is just a few days away from the start of spring practice but will have to enter the next phase of the offseason without a key returning member of its defense.
On Monday night, defensive tackle Philip Blidi announced that he would be entering the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-3, 295-pound Blidi played in 12 games and had 11 starts last year. He finished with 30 tackles and four tackles for loss. He had eight games with multiple tackles and three games with at least four tackles.
Blidi played just one season for Indiana after transferring in from Texas Tech.
In four seasons at Texas Tech and Indiana, Blidi has combined for 69 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
The defensive line as a whole, but especially the defensive tackle position, has been a concern heading into spring camp. It was thin on numbers and depth was going to be a major issue heading into the summer, despite what happened in the spring. This decision by Blidi only heightens that potential depth concern.
Currently, Marcus Burris Jr. and James Carpenter are the only defensive tackles that have any prior experience and production. Burris had 20 tackles a season ago after transferring in from Texas A&M. Carpenter is in his first year with the Indiana football program after transferring from James Madison this offseason to follow new head coach Curt Cignetti. He’s a sixth-year senior with 141 career tackles, 28.0 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in 40 career appearances.
Șpring practice starts on March 21 and its spring game will take place on April 18.
The Indiana football program is looking to bounce back from a 9-27 record over the last three years, with only three Big Ten wins across that span.
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