Versatility in the trenches gives IU football options on both sides of the ball

IU football at Fall Camp in Bloomington, 2026.

Joe Brunner has spent most of his college career at guard. This fall, Indiana is asking him to do something different.

Brunner has moved outside to tackle during fall camp, adding another position to an Indiana offensive line that already has plenty of experience and flexibility.

“Going out to tackle, it’s new,” Brunner, a transfer from Wisconsin, said Tuesday. “You’re facing a different type of player … speed, not as much strength, not as big, but it’s also fun. It’s a part of the experience of learning a new position and just learning how good of a football player you are yourself.”

Brunner isn’t completely unfamiliar with tackle. He played there in high school and occasionally earlier in his college career, but his past two seasons for the Badgers were spent almost exclusively at guard.

Now, he’s relying on offensive line coach Bob Bostad and fellow lineman Carter Smith as he adjusts. Smith gives Brunner an experienced tackle to learn from, while veterans Drew Evans and Bray Lynch provide even more stability up front.

“You got a guy like Carter Smith on your offensive line, one of the best players in the country, you got to lean on him,” Brunner explained. “For me, taking on a new role in this offense to have that source there, it’s every single day in the film room, on the field, asking them questions.”

Brunner has also leaned on the experience throughout Indiana’s offensive line room since arriving in Bloomington in January. He pointed to Smith, Evans and Lynch as players who have helped him adjust through both their on-field work and their approach to preparation.

“When I first came here and I saw that, you can tell why they were so good last year,” Brunner said. “They took me in and they allowed me to step into that role with them.”

That support has also helped Brunner grow into a leadership role despite being one of the newer pieces of the group. He credited Indiana’s culture with making the transition easier, saying it quickly felt as if he had been around his new teammates much longer.

And that aforementioned versatility isn’t limited to Indiana’s offensive line.

On the other side of the ball, defensive lineman Joe Hjelle sees a group with similar flexibility across the front.

“We’re fortunate enough to have a lot of really good players, both on the edge and interior, that can play both edge and like a defensive end, you tackle, you bump down to the nose,” Hjelle said. “Especially with Daley and Wyatt coming back, I feel like that’s gotten even deeper.”

Hjelle joins Curt Cignetti’s program after a freshman season at Iowa Western Community College and two years at Tulsa.

The transfer believes that depth can help Indiana keep fresh bodies on the field and consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks.

That becomes especially important in a defense that asks its front to be active. Hjelle said one of the things that initially attracted him to Indiana was how much its defensive linemen are asked to attack rather than occupy blockers.

“You’re getting vertical, you’re trying to cause as much havoc as you can, really just playing off your teammates,” Hjelle said.

With players capable of moving between different spots along the defensive front, Indiana has several ways to create that disruption. More options also allow the Hoosiers to rotate players and keep fresh legs on the field throughout games.

During fall camp, Indiana’s two lines get to test that depth and versatility against each other every day.

Hjelle called IU’s offensive line one of the best in the country, saying the challenge of facing it each day has helped him improve. Brunner offered similar praise for Indiana’s defense after facing it as an opponent last season.

As Indiana continues through fall camp, that daily competition between two experienced, versatile groups in the trenches gives both sides an opportunity to get better.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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