Loading ...Pike defensive end David Kenney commits to IU
17 comments
by Dustin Dopirak | Sunday, October 21, 2012 - 5:23 pm UTC
A week after de-committing from Iowa and making it very clear that Indiana was his destination, Pike defensive end David Kenney made it official on Sunday, telling several reporters that he had committed to the Hoosiers and then confirming it on his Twitter account.
More to come.
UPDATE: Pike coach Derek Moyers confirmed Kenney’s commitment. Though he said he hadn’t discussed recruiting much with Kenney, he said the decision to commit to Indiana after backing out of his commitment to Iowa had a lot to do with proximity to home.
“A lot of it is Indiana just being close to home and his parents being able to see his games,” Moyers said. “I think Indiana has eight home games next year, and his mom and dad being able to see him play in Bloomington eight times as opposed to travel maybe eight times to Iowa City. Plus, David looks at Indiana as an up-and-coming program with Coach (Kevin) Wilson and he thinks he can have an early impact on what they’re trying to do.”
Even if the Hoosiers don’t get the other players Kenney is hoping to bring with him, he could have an immediate impact on Indiana’s long-struggling defense himself. The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder has the sort of pass-rush skills Indiana has been lacking off the edge since former Hoosiers Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton exhausted their eligibility following the 2009 season. Kenney has recorded 22 sacks the past two seasons according to Moyers and has countless other tackles for loss.
“One of the things David has as a D-lineman is how athletic he is,” Moyers said. “He doesn’t look like a D-Lineman, he looks like a linebacker. He’s 6-2, 250, and there’s not an ounce of fat on the kid. He’s built pretty well. He has great quickness, and he anticipates the snap count better than any player I’ve ever been around. And he has a great motor. I think a lot of offenses try to run away from him, but that’s not always the best move. Sometimes he’s at his best when he can pursue down the line because he’s so quick and so fast.”
Kenney has accumulated astounding stats despite the fact, Moyers said, that Pike’s base defense isn’t the best fit for his skill set. The Red Devils run a 3-4 defense, which usually requires bigger defensive ends, because they play more inside and take on blockers. However, Moyers said Pike purposefully schemes to get Kenney on the edge and to put him in situations when he can pass rush.
But Moyers said Kenney will fit perfectly in Indiana’s 4-3.
“He is that prototypical D-End,” Moyers said. “He is that guy. He’s that Dwight Freeney coming off the edge, and he has an array of moves and techniques he uses on a pass rush. He never uses the same ones twice. … His go-to move is probably his swim move, but he can also club the hands down and rip through. He’s got a good spin move, and he can bull rush you if need be. He does a great job of mixing things up.”
UPDATE: Inside Indiana has done a solid job of following this story from the beginning and came up with a few interesting pieces on Sunday. Zach Osterman wrote this piece describing how Indiana hung in with Kenney for months after the Iowa commitment. They also posted the following video with some of his highlights.
AWESOME!!!!! Hope more of the Fab/Flip 5 follow suit soon too!!! LOVE IT! This team is so close to exploding for wins already! Next year should be grand!
Fantastic! We need players like Kenney to get the IU program turned around. It is clear that our Offense is on the right track, but we need more talent and speed on Defense. Welcome David Kenney…I’ll be looking forward to seeing you reck havoc on the opposing QB/RB for years to come!
Very Nice! Getting a highly rated DE with good size is great for the program.
Love it. I agree with Post 1. Something special is about to happen. Reminds me of the 10-11 Hoosier Basketball team. So close, but couldn’t win the games we should have. Brick by brick Coach Wilson is getting it done. It’s frustrating losing these games by close margins, but I love the fact we are competitive, and not being blowed out.
It is nice to get some good news after yesterday’s loss.
The thing I like the most about kenney is the fact that he seems to have a chip on his shoulder. Some idiot tweeted to him something along the lines of “going to indiana huh? Have fun never being heard of again” he retweeted it on his account. This kid takes the trash talk against his home state school personally. That’s the kind of recruit we need. Welcome to IU
That video sure makes you with he was in C&C this year.
…wish…might have been better…
That video …can you imagine being an assistant coach the first time you see this video? What is really beginning to become clear is that this staff can identify very solid players. Impressive!
HC, Podunker…beginning to sense the corner…a little, ehh? Podunker, you ok? Been sort of quiet. I’m sensing that toast may become real someday while we are still allowed to have a drink.
Ya, it’s full of corners around here… he, he.
Chet, Davis, a toast of finally something to look forward to, …said with optimism …and caution.
JPat…we are all beginning to feel some long overdue happiness our way. Hope you do as well. You have every bit as much right to enjoy them as anyone…enjoy the good times friend. Lord knows the frustration of the hard days of many a fall season. We will have earned and deserve the (hopefully) coming proud times.
Well…perhaps overstated. You can never have enough corners.
Hoosier Football Proud Times = ? = JPat’s Favorite 7-Eleven
This is from an upcoming HBO feature: The Tsao of Poop. It is.
Everyone looks good on their sample video, but there’s no mistaking that this kid shows some real quicks in pursuit & explodes through the point if impact, impressive.
Great news, regardless of the reason he changed his mind. Just a few more quality defenders, and we could begin to see some real improvement on defense.
From the highlight video, he sure seems to be efficient when he gets to the quarterback. Wow! As a junior in High School, he looked like a man playing against boys. I won’t be surprised if he’s a starter in his first game as a freshman at IU.