Three thoughts on Indiana football's defensive line going into fall camp.
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football opens fall camp on July 30 as Curt Cignetti and crew look to build on the foundation they laid with an historic run to the College Football Playoff.
The Hoosiers were once again active participants in the transfer portal, but they also retained many of the key faces behind last year’s success. We’re taking a position-by-position look at their roster this week that continues with a breakdown of the team’s defensive line.
Meet Indiana football’s defensive line
Defensive ends
- Returning: Mikail Kamara (R-Sr), Mario Landino (So), Daniel Ndukwe (So), William Depaepe (R-Fr)
- Transfers: Stephen Daley (Sr), Kellan Wyatt (Sr)
- Early enrollees: Keishaun Calhoun (Fr)
- Fall enrollees: Tyrone Burrus Jr. (Fr), Triston Abram (Fr)
Defensive tackles
- Returning: Tyrique Tucker (R-Jr), J’mari Monette (R-Jr)
- Transfers: Hosea Wheeler (R-Sr), Dominique Ratcliff (R-Sr)
- Early enrollees: Kyler Garcia (Fr)
- Fall enrollees: Jhrevious Hall (Fr)
Will Indiana football defensive end Mikail Kamara reach all-time status?
Indiana defensive end Mikail Kamara is already in rarified air as one of six Hoosiers to put up double-digit sacks.
He’s got lofty goals for 2025 that include winning a national title and breaking Greg Middleton’s single-season sack record (16). He could also become the first player in program history with more than one double-digit sack season.
Kamara also wants to be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, a distinction that eluded him last year even though he led the FBS with 68 quarterback pressures.
The coaching staff wants him getting to the quarterback more than ever as well — they shifted him from field end to stud while limiting the amount of snaps he plays on the interior. Last year, he took more than 200 snaps at one of the defensive tackle positions.
Kamara is locked in, but a key ingredient to achieving that level of success will be making sure IU has as many impact players up front as it did last year. He talked a lot at Big Ten Media Days about that very topic.
He spent a lot of time this summer passing down the lessons he’s learned about Bryant Haines’ defense to recent transfers Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, along with sophomores Mario Landino and Daniel Ndukwe.
Can Hosea Wheeler or Dominique Ratcliff play bully ball?
There’s an argument to make that Indiana defensive tackle CJ West was the most impactful player on the team during the stretch run last season. He was nearly unstoppable once he got comfortable in Haines’ system as an elite run-stopper capable of getting up field on passing downs.
Indiana will also miss James Carpenter, a long-time starting presence for the staff going back to their time at JMU, but West’s athleticism put him on another level for a 316-pound defender.
Wheeler and Ratcliff make the jump to the Power Four having shown flashes of what West provided for their former teams. Wheeler played more than 600 snaps last season for Western Kentucky and had the second most run stops on the team. Ratcliff had 17 quarterback pressures each of the last seasons for Texas St.
They will benefit from having a full offseason with IU under their belt — West was a transfer out of the spring window — and there’s plenty of room for both of them to have prominent roles for the Hoosiers this fall.
Is Mario Landino poised for a breakthrough?
Mario Landino’s commitment went under the radar amidst a flurry of roster moves after Cignetti’s staff came to Bloomington. The former JMU commit ended up as one of two true freshmen (Rolijah Hardy) to play more than 100 snaps on offense or defense.
He’ll face stiffer competition in the fall for playing time with IU signing Daley and Wyatt, but don’t discount the first-team reps playing opposite Kamara in the spring. He’s capable of moving around the defensive front as well — he had a near even split between defensive end and tackle last year — and has added 20 pounds since last season.
Predicted depth chart for Indiana’s defensive line
Defensive end
- First team: Mikail Kamara, Stephen Daley
- Second team: Kellan Wyatt, Mario Landino
Defensive tackle
- First team: Hosea Wheeler, Tyrrique Tucker
- Second team: Dominique Ratcliff, J'Mari Monette
Indiana football position preview roundup
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football 2025 position preview: Defensive line
Category: General Sports
