Indiana Football Lands Texas Tech Defensive Line Transfer Philip Blidi

Former Texas Tech defensive lineman Philip Blidi announced on Sunday that he's transferring to Indiana with two years of remaining eligibility.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Coach Tom Allen said Indiana needed to add depth to its defensive line this offseason, and Sunday's transfer portal news should help do so.

Texas Tech defensive lineman Philip Blidi announced via Twitter that he's transferring to Indiana with two years of remaining eligibility. 

New location , same mission. #Committed @IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/T2FLM0Ae7G

— Philip Blidi (@62philip) January 8, 2023

Blidi is a 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive lineman with experience at nose tackle and defensive end. He made an immediate impact at Texas Tech, appearing in 10 games as a true freshman in a reserve role.

During his sophomore season on 2021, Blidi made a career-high six tackles against Oklahoma State. Blidi's two quarterback hurries helped Texas Tech defeat Mississippi State 34-7 in the 2021 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. 

Blidi had a dominant start to the 2022 season, posting three tackles for loss and two sacks in Texas Tech's season-opening 63-10 win over Murray State. He appeared in 12 games for Texas Tech this season and made 18 total tackles, three each against No. 25 Houston and No. 7 Oklahoma State. Blidi entered the transfer portal following the regular season, and he did not travel with the team to the TaxAct Texas Bowl against Ole Miss.

Philip Blidi (#96) causing a ruckus. pic.twitter.com/Qtkh5eZEOU

— Tech Hoops Guy (@TechHoopsGuy) September 16, 2021

Blidi attended Portales High School in eastern New Mexico, roughly 100 miles from the Texas Tech campus in Lubbock, Tex. He became the first football player from Portales to play for an FBS program since 2000. At Portales, Blidi was a two-time first-team all-state selection, and he was named Defensive Lineman of the Year for the state of New Mexico as a senior. Blidi helped Portales win the state title as a freshman, and he also lettered in basketball and track and field.

A consensus three-star prospect, ESPN ranked Blidi as the No. 2 player out of New Mexico. He chose to attend Texas Tech over offers from Kansas, Utah, UCLA, New Mexico, New Mexico State, SMU, Tulsa and UTEP.

Blidi joins an Indiana defensive line position group that lost Demarcus Elliott and James Head Jr. from the 2022 roster. JH Tevis, Sio Nofoagatoto'a, LeDarrius Cox, Beau Robbins and Patrick Lucas Jr. return as main contributors from last year along the defensive line. 

Indiana also added Western Michigan transfer Andre Carter, West Virginia transfer Lanell Carr and Texas A&M transfer Marcus Burris Jr. Class of 2022 recruits Nick James, a four-star prospect from IMG Academy, and Venson Sneed, a top-500 recruit from Winter Park, Fla., could also make an impact in 2023.

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