IU football reshuffling the deck after losing offensive lineman Nick Kidwell for the season

IU football head coach Curt Cignetti addressed the news regarding offensive lineman Nick Kidwell on Monday, confirming the transfer would miss the entire 2024 season.

Kidwell is a transfer from James Madison and a key addition this offseason to bolster the Indiana offensive line. Across five seasons, he had totaled 34 starts with JMU and was an All-Conference performer in 2021 and 2022.

“On a personal level, it’s really hard because Nick’s been with the program really since 2019, was actually there in 2018 before I got hired,” Cignetti told reporters on Monday. “He’s started a lot of games, played a lot of football, he’s a good player. He really put a lot of time in, rehabbing, coming back, was rounding back into form, was a big part of our initial plans.”

In 2023, Kidwell suffered a season-ending knee injury just four games into the season. After transferring to Indiana, he received a medical redshirt and was eligible for the 2024 season.

Kidwell is a 6-foot-5 and 316-pounder who was projected to play right guard. Now, IU football will look to redshirt sophomores Bray Lynch and Drew Evans, and another JMU transfer in Tyler Stephens as the replacements.

Both Lynch and Evans have limited game reps in their career, but Stephens arrives in Bloomington with a good resume of experience. He actually took the spot of Kidwell after his injury last year, so this isn’t new to him. Over his career, he has started 31 games — at left guard, left tackle and right tackle. His versatile will likely be the separator when it comes time to filling that starting spot throughout the season.,

“As I look back since 2019, we’ve lost an All-Conference or All-American (player), one or two every year in camp or early in the season and usually on the d-line or o-line and had to overcome those and we have. So, it’s a next-man-up mentality and right now you’ve got Bray Lynch, Drew Evans and Tyler Stephens as sort of a triangle in there, three-for-two. They’re capable and I have confidence in them. So, we’ll see what the future holds for Nick.”

While Lynch and Evans are limited in their experience, it’s ‘their time’ says Cignetti. Even though Stephens brings the experience, Cignetti and Indiana are looking for the best combination and more competition under two weeks until kickoff in the season opener.

“Both those guys have played probably limited football up to this point. But it’s time, it’s their time,” Cignetti added when asked about Lynch and Evans. “Bray Lynch is a year older. Drew Evans is a real smart guy, he’s got a good natural strength, Bray Lynch has good movement. Tyler Stephens has started a lot of games at tackle, guard, is working some center now.

“They’re all capable, and we need them to step up.”

Carter Smith, Mike Katic and Wisconsin transfer Trey Wedig were all expected starters alongside Kidwell. Now, there will be some reshuffling to the group that is made up of entirely new faces from the previous season.

 “I definitely think we’ve made progress,” Cignetti said. “But we’re still in camp and we’re not there yet.”

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