Hoeppner snags top in-state prospect

From the time he was introduced as IU's football coach, Terry Hoeppner has talked about building the Hoosiers into a team that competes for Big Ten championships.\nHoeppner helped his cause over the weekend by receiving verbal commitments from a duo of defensive players with championship experience.\nTwo Indianapolis Warren Central High School stars -- safety Jerimy Finch and defensive tackle Jeff Boyd -- announced their intent to play at IU after taking official visits Friday.\nBoth Finch and Boyd chose IU over opportunities to play at bigger-name programs.\nBoyd spurned interest from Louisville and West Virginia. Finch -- the No. 1-ranked player from Indiana and a four-star recruit, according to recruiting Web site Rivals.com -- originally gave a verbal commitment to play at Michigan.\n"This is one of the biggest prospects (IU) has been able to land in the last five to seven years," said Tom Luginbill, a recruiting analyst for ESPN's Scouts Inc. "I think we've seen Terry Hoeppner and his staff last year trying to get the ball rolling a little bit, and this year doing the same. Jerimy Finch is a potential difference-maker on the defensive side of the ball."\nBoyd and Finch will be joined by two other Warren Central teammates in Bloomington. Offensive lineman Andrew McDonald and defensive back Chris Adkins have both already given their verbal commitment to Hoeppner. Finch, Boyd and McDonald were each named to the first-team all-state team and Adkins received an honorable mention.\nWarren Central is the four-time defending Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 5A state champions, the first team in the history of the tournament to accomplish that feat. Boyd says he thinks the success he and his teammates had in high school can continue in college.\n"We've been winning," Boyd said. "So we're going to keep on winning wherever we go."\nThe Warriors went through their 2006 regular season unbeaten and didn't slow down at all in the IHSAA playoffs, outscoring opponents in their six games by a score of 271-27. Warren Central coach Steve Tutsie said he believes his players' success will prepare them for what's next in Bloomington.\n"They know how to win, so that will help," Tutsie said.\nIn the state championship game, a 35-14 win over Carmel High School, Finch led the Warriors with 10 tackles and recorded one reception on offense for 15 yards. In addition, he was on both sides of the special-teams unit, taking on both punting and punt-return duties.\nFinch was unavailable for comment at press time.\nESPN's Luginbill said Finch's versatility to play at different positions could come in effect before he finishes at IU. While Rivals.com lists him as the No. 2 high-school safety in the nation, Luginbill said it won't necessarily be the only position he will play on the defensive side of the ball.\n"(Finch) could be a guy that in times grows into being an outside linebacker," Luginbill said. "You have that type of range and versatility with him to play him at multiple positions."\nLuginbill said he was surprised Finch switched his commitment from Michigan, especially since it happened so late.\n"You see a lot of kids switch their commitments late in the game, but it's usually from two programs that are on equal par with each other," he said. "Obviously, Indiana is improving greatly, and more importantly, what I think is taking place here is that Michigan is loaded up at safety right now, and I think he's looking at IU as an opportunity to play right away."\nHoeppner and his staff are not permitted to talk to the media about Finch or any of the other recruits until they sign their national letter of intent Feb. 7.