Harry Crider Offers Quiet but Effective Leadership for Indiana's Offensive Line

As Harry Crider moves back "home" to the center position this season for Indiana, his leadership has become an improved part of his repertoire.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A common misconception about Harry Crider is that he doesn't like to talk. At least that's what left tackle Caleb Jones had to say about his teammate. He says Crider is a funny guy when you get to know him, and he speaks up when he has to.

Crider, a senior from Columbus, Ind., is moving back to the center position on Indiana's offensive line this season, replacing the graduated Hunter Littlejohn. Deemed a quiet guy, the 6-foot-4, 311-pounder will now be the voice of the Hoosiers' front five.

"He's never going to be the most noisiest guy in the room," said Jones, Indiana's massive left tackle. "But when he talks, you better listen, because nine times out of ten, it's pretty important."

Sophomore right tackle Matthew Bedford, who played with Littlejohn last season, said Crider's moves are similar, so there hasn't been much of an adjustment.

"I don't really feel like there's been a change," Bedford said.

Crider appeared in all 13 games for the Hoosiers last season, starting 12 of them at left guard and one at center when Littlejohn missed the Maryland game with an injury. He was a part of the well-oiled offense of Indiana's that set a program mark with 3,931 passing yards and matched a school record with nine 30-point games.

"I'm super excited to be back at the center position. When I first moved to O-line in high school, all I played was center," Crider said. "The past two years were my only experience being outside of center, so center's home and I'm happy to be back in that more of a leadership role."

Harry Crider gets set to snap the ball at Indiana's practice on Wednesday, Sept. 30 / Indiana Athletics

A majority of Indiana's offensive weapons are returning this season, and for them to be effective, they'll need time, protection and blocking, which is where Crider's crew comes into play.

Indiana offensive line coach Darren Hiller said Crider reminds him a little bit of Wes Martin, who was at Indiana from 2014 to 2018 and now starts for the Washington Football Team in the NFL.

"Harry's awesome," Hiller said. "(He's) very steady, knows what to do, leads by example."

There are a lot of new pieces in new places to Indiana's offensive line this season, and Hiller said this upcoming week will be a big indicator of who gets the starting positions alongside Crider, Bedford and Jones.

But one thing is for certain, and it's that Crider has become more a vocal leader for the group.

"He's doing a nice job opening up with everything because at that position, he has to," Hiller said. "Everything starts with him."

Indiana will open its season against Penn State on Oct. 24 inside Memorial Stadium. The Nittany Lions were most recently ranked No. 10 in the AP poll, so the opportunity is there for Indiana to make a statement right out of the gates this season.

Just a few weeks out from Week 1, Crider admits things are starting to pick up around the team.

"We're just a few weeks out and it's getting a lot more real and people are starting to realize that and the sense of urgency is there," Crider said. "Guys are locked in. We're really optimistic about it."

As important as on-field production is for Crider, he has also made a difference off the field.

It was announced last Thursday that Crider was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy Award, which recognizes the college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance.

It's something that means a lot to Crider and what he's been able to accomplish over the last four years at Indiana.

"It means a lot to be recognized in areas like (community service) because, like Coach (Tom) Allen always preaches that football will end at some point, we're only here for so long and if we're lucky, only at the next level for so long,'' Crider said. "So being able to develop in other areas is really great and I'm happy to have been given opportunities to do that here.''

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