Nick Kidwell's injury increases competition in Indiana Football's offensive line

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana's offensive line had to adjust after an injury during fall practice.

Nick Kidwell was expected to be the Hoosiers' starting guard, but he will miss the 2024 season due to a knee injury. News of Kidwell's injury came to light on August 14, about two and a half weeks before the season opener against Florida International on August 31.

Kidwell transferred from James Madison to Indiana this offseason for his seventh and final collegiate season. Standing at 6'5″ and weighing 300 pounds, Kidwell appeared in 52 games for James Madison, 34 of them as a right tackle and right guard.

Kidwell was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association first team in 2021 and the All-Sun Belt second team in 2022. He was set to finish his college career at James Madison in 2023, but suffered a season-ending injury four games into the season. He received a medical exemption that granted him an additional year of eligibility for Indiana in 2024.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has spent almost his entire career with Kidwell, so the injury affects him in different ways.

“On a personal level, it's really hard,” Cignetti said Monday. “Because Nick has been in the program since 2019, actually he was there in 2018 before I was hired. [at James Madison]. And he started a lot of games, played a lot of football, was a good player.”

“He really invested a lot of time in rehab and his comeback. [He] Getting back into shape was a big part of our original plans. I felt sorry for him because I know what his goals were for the season.”

With Kidwell out, Bray Lynch, Drew Evans and Tyler Stephens are among the top candidates to replace him. Although he's used to having Kidwell as a anchor on the offensive line, Cignetti can draw on past experience to handle this situation.

“When I look back, every year since 2019, we've lost an All-Conference or All-American in camp or early in the season — one or two — and it's usually on the D- or O-line, and we've had to overcome those, and we have,” Cignetti said. “So it's a next-man-up mentality, and right now we have Bray Lynch, Drew Evans and Tyler Stephens as kind of a triangle, three for two [spots]. They are capable and I have confidence in them. So we will see what the future holds for Nick.”

Indiana lost offensive linemen Matthew Bedford (Oregon), Kahlil Benson (Colorado) and Zach Carpenter (Miami) after the 2023 season. But Mike Katic returned for his sixth season as a senior, moving to center after starting all 12 games at left guard last season. Carter Smith returned to Indiana for his redshirt sophomore season with 12 games of starting experience at left tackle under his belt.

Trey Wedig, who transferred from Wisconsin, is expected to be the Hoosiers' right tackle in 2024. He played 35 games at Wisconsin, including eight as right tackle, right guard and left guard. That leaves both starting guard spots up for grabs between Lynch, Evans and Stephens.

The most noticeable difference between Kidwell and the new potential starters is experience. Evans spent the 2022 season at Wisconsin, but he was deferred and did not play. He transferred to Indiana for the 2023 season, but also did not play. So if the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Evans is thrust into a larger role without Kidwell, he will make his first appearances at the college level this season.

Indiana offensive line coach Bob Bostad knows Evans from his time at Wisconsin from 2017-2022. He recruited Evans out of Fort Atkinson High School in Wisconsin, where Evans was considered a two-star recruit and the No. 225 interior offensive lineman in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports.

Lynch was part of former head coach Tom Allen's 2022 recruiting class and is now entering his third season in Bloomington. In two seasons, he has played 71 snaps in 10 games on the offensive line and special teams as a backup for the Hoosiers.

A three-star recruit ranked No. 1,033 nationally and No. 95 among offensive tackles according to the 247Sports Composite, Lynch attended Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, which won three consecutive state titles from 2019-2021.

“They've probably both played very little football at this point, but it's time. It's their time,” Cignetti said. “Bray Lynch is a year older. Drew Evans is a really smart guy, has natural power. Bray Lynch has good movement.”

Stephens is by far the most experienced of the three, having transferred to Indiana this offseason after playing 36 games in four seasons at James Madison, and his versatility could be valuable for the Hoosiers in this situation.

Stephens has started 13 games at left guard, 12 at left tackle and six at right tackle in his career. He was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association first team in 2021 and the All-Sun Belt second team in 2023.

“Tyler Stephens has started a lot of games at tackle and guard and now he's working at center as well,” Cignetti said. “Bob works with four or five different players at center. So like I said, they're all capable and we need them to step up.”