2024 IU Football Position Preview: Tight Ends

As fall camp is approaching and Big Ten Media Days are done, an important summer for IU Football is ending.

Ahead of fall camp, HoosierIllustrated.com is looking at every position group for Indiana and breaking down the state of the position and potential impact players.

Now up are the tight ends.

In 2023 the tight ends did not play a big role in the offense. In total, the Indiana tight ends caught just 23 passes and two touchdowns during the 2o23 season.

The use of tight ends likely will change with Curt Cignetti installing a more pass-heavy offense.

What does the tight end group look like for IU football heading into fall camp?

More Indiana Football Position Previews: Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver

TE Room

Zach Horton Sr. 6-4 254

Trey Walker R-Sr.+ 6-6 247

James Bomba R-Jr.+ 6-6 252

Brody Koskin Fr. 6-6 237

Brody Foley R-S0. 6-6 253

Sam West R-Fr. 6-4 237

Indiana’s TE room could play a bigger role in the new look offense

© Rich Janzaruk/Herald Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Core Group

Zach Horton

Horton was one of the many impact players Cignetti brought with him for James Madison this offseason. The senior tight end is coming off of a First-Team All-Sun Belt season for JMU where he caught 27 passes for 275 and six touchdowns.

All three of those numbers surpassed last year’s IU Football tight ends’ total production.

In the spring game, Horton caught four of his six targets for 26 yards.

The 6-foot-4 tight end has played in 23 games and had 11 starts for the Dukes in two seasons. With eight total touchdown receptions, he is a proven red zone threat and should lead the tight end group for his final two seasons of eligibility.

Trey Walker

Walker was Indiana’s leading tight end a season ago after catching ten passes for 81 yards and a touchdown in 11 games, while starting in seven of them.

Indiana primarily used their tight ends as extra blockers which limited their production, but Walker will likely have more opportunities in the new offense.

The 6-foot-6 tight end reeled in three of his four targets for 13 yards in the spring game and should see the field as the second tight end behind Zach Horton.

Other Potential Impact Guys

James Bomba

Bomba is a legacy Hoosier as his father and both of his grandfathers played football for Indiana.

The redshirt junior is another experienced tight end who is returning to IU Football.

In two seasons with Indiana, Bomba has played in 20 games and he has caught 11 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.

While he has not been a key figure in the passing game, at 6-foot-6 252 Bomba has been a consistent run blocker for Indiana. There is potential for his role to grow, but with Horton and Walker ahead of him, Bomba will see most of his opportunities on the field in the run game.

SEE ALSO: ‘I’m really excited to get into that rivalry and try to get that Oaken Bucket back’: IU Football is looking to start a new chapter in the Indiana-Purdue rivalry under Curt Cignetti

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