BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana received signed letters Wednesday from 24 football recruits, including a pair whose decision may have been influenced by a promise from basketball coach Bob Knight.
Levron Williams, a highly recruited running back from Evansville Bosse High School, and quarterback Antwaan Randle El of Thornton, Ill., were told by Knight they would also have a chance to play for him next season as walk-ons.
“It was interesting for me to sit in that room and listen to coach Knight,” said new football coach Cam Cameron, who also played basketball for Knight. “We learned a few things about how you recruit.”
The 6-foot-4, 206-pound Williams rushed for 2,009 yards and finished his high school career with 4,269 yards. He was the runner-up for Indiana Mr. Football last season.
“He’s as talented a player as I’ve seen in a while,” Cameron said. “He can play fast. And I’ve seen him play basketball. … I think coach Knight, when he spent two hours with Levron, finalized his decision to come here.”
Randle El, a member of Thornton’s Illinois Class AA runner-up basketball team the past two seasons, passed for 32 touchdowns and rushed for 27 others last fall. His older brother, Curtis, was a freshman with the IU football team this past season.
Cameron, who succeeded the fired Bill Mallory in November, said his primary recruiting focus was on players from Indiana, then the Midwest.
Among his other top recruits is linebacker Devin Schaffer of Class 4A champion Indianapolis Cathedral, who first made an oral commitment to Purdue but earlier in the week changed his mind. Another, running back, Peter Harris of Brockton, Mass., was the Massachusetts player of the year and had more than 5,000 yards for his career.
“I think it’s an excellent recruiting class,” Cameron said. “It stacks up with everyone in the Big Ten Conference, which is important. No question, we think all 24 can play in the conference and give us a chance to get started competing the way we want to compete in this league.”