Indiana Football Position Preview: Tight Ends

With the loss of Peyton Hendershot and Matt Bjorson, Indiana will look to AJ Barner to step up as the leader of the tight ends room, coached by Kevin Wright.

Editor's note: In our nine-part "Position Preview" series, we'll break down the entire Indiana football roster leading up to the Hoosiers' season opener against Illinois on Friday, Sept. 2 at 8 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. In our eighth installment, let's break down the tight ends.

"Look around the room," Indiana tight ends coach Kevin Wright said to his group in January. "What's different?"

Peyton Hendershot and Matt Bjorson – two tight ends with over 80 games of combined experience – were gone. Hendershot joined the Dallas Cowboys as an un-drafted free agent, and Bjorson transferred to Miami (OH) for his fifth season of college football.

Hendershot finished his Indiana career as the program's leader in receptions with 136 and yards 1,479 among tight ends, and he finished second with 14 touchdowns. Bjorson played in every game since the start of 2018, earning the team’s Ted Verlihay “Mental Attitude” Award twice, as well as the Harold Mauro “Loyalty to IU Football” Award and Indiana’s Special Teams Player of the Year in 2021.

Wright views these as significant losses from both a production and a leadership standpoint, but he's thankful for the high standard Hendershot and Bjorson set for the position group moving forward. 

The Leader

After learning behind Hendershot and Bjorson for two seasons, Wright said it was a natural assimilation for AJ Barner to take over as the leader of the tight ends room. Wright said Barner stepped on campus as a freshman and immediately drew double teams when he ran down the field on Indiana's kickoff team. 

Wright could always tell Barner was going to be a good player, but it takes time for tight ends to develop physically in their transition to college football. Over the last two seasons, Wright has seen Barner learn the details of route running, blocking  schemes and understanding football.

And now, Barner is going to be relied upon to lead not just the tight ends, but the offense as a whole. The 6-foot-6, 252-pound Barner has only caught 14 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown as a Hoosier, but Indiana coach Tom Allen certainly thinks Barner is ready to take over.

"[Barner] has a chance to be the best tight end we've ever had at Indiana," Allen said.

What are your predictions for @IndianaFootball's AJ Barner? pic.twitter.com/mNSzf8ppVE

— Indiana On BTN (@IndianaOnBTN) August 5, 2022

Hometown Kids

Barner, a junior, is considered a veteran in what is a very young Indiana tight ends room. Ryan Barnes returns as a redshirt senior, but he didn't not see any game action in 2021. Redshirt junior Trey Walker appeared in two games last season, but the rest of the room are redshirt sophomores or younger with very limited in-game experience.

With this opportunity for playing time, two Bloomington natives have elevated their chances to see the field during fall camp. Aaron Steinfeld and James Bomba were mentioned by both Allen and Wright as important pieces to the position group for the 2022 season.

The 6-foot-5, 246-pound Steinfeldt was a two-time all-state selection at Bloomington North High School, where he was named the Indiana Football Coaches Association Mr. Football position award winner at tight end. 

He hauled in 94 receptions, which ranked second in school history, along with 1,444 yards and 12 touchdowns. Steinfeldt became the first Bloomington North student-athlete in 20 years to earn all-conference honors in three sports, and he arrived at IU as the No. 10 prospect in Indiana.

"Aaron Steinfeldt continues to develop and work hard, and as I’ve always said, his balls skills are elite," Allen said. "Just got to continue to develop him physically."

James Bomba, a Bloomington South graduate, began his collegiate career at Miami (OH), but joined Indiana as a walk-on last season. Bomba was a two-time all-state election in high school, and was named Bloomington South's Most Valuable Player as a senior. Wright envisions using the 6-foot-6, 251-pound Bomba alongside Barner when Indiana is in 12 personnel and short-yardage situations.

The Prized Recruit

Part of the highest-ranked recruiting class in Indiana football history, Brody Foley joins the Hoosiers from Anderson High School outside of Cincinnati, Ohio with a chance to contribute right away, according to Wright. At 6-foot-6 and 246 pounds, Foley was ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 12 tight end in the class of 2022 by 247Sports. He originally committed to Tennessee, but flipped to Indiana on the eve of National Signing Day.

Allen said Foley arrived on campus in January, but he did not participate in spring practice after having an offseason surgery. He's now fully recovered, and Wright said Foley shares a few similarities with Barner. 

"[Foley] played offense and defense [in high school], so he's used to mixing it up," Wright said. "He's a very physical kid with ball skills ... I think Brody's big thing is now 'I have to learn the details. I have to be a great technician. I can't overwhelm guys with my size and strength,' which is what he's tried to do a little bit, but you see him almost on a daily basis getting better."

Related stories on Indiana football:

• QUARTERBACK POSITION PREVIEW: Indiana coach Tom Allen has named a starting quarterback, but it won't be announced publicly until kickoff against Illinois on Sept. 2. Jack Tuttle and Missouri transfer Connor Bazelak have battled throughout fall camp for the starting job. Dexter Williams II, Grant Gremel, Brendan Sorsby and Will Jontz round out the room. CLICK HERE
• OFFENSIVE LINE POSITION PREVIEW: Starters Caleb Jones and Dylan Powell are gone, but the offensive line personnel is largely the same from 2021. Led by Matthew Bedford, Luke Haggard and Mike Katic, Indiana is hoping internal development under coach Darren Hiller leads to better protection in 2022. CLICK HERE
• WIDER RECEIVER POSITION PREVIEW: Indiana lost its top two receivers from 2021 – Ty Fryfogle and Miles Marshall – and coach Grant Heard left for UCF. D.J. Matthews returns to Indiana after tearing his ACL in week four, Donaven McCulley is making the switch from quarterback to receiver, and transfers Cam Camper and Emery Simmons have stood out in fall camp. CLICK HERE