BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — Coach Tom Allen said Indiana needs to deepen its defensive line this offseason and Sunday’s transfer portal news should help with that.
Texas Tech defenseman Philip Blidi announced via Twitter that he is moving to Indiana with two years of remaining eligibility to play.
Blidi is a 6ft 3, 295lb fullback with experience in nose tackle and defensive end. He made an immediate impression at Texas Tech, appearing in 10 games as a true freshman in a reserve role.
In his sophomore season in 2021, Blidi hit a career high with six tackles against Oklahoma State. Blidis’ two quarterback rushes helped Texas Tech defeat Mississippi State 34-7 in the 2021 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Blidi had a dominant start to the 2022 season, recording three losses and two sacks in Texas Tech’s 63-10 opening win over Murray State. He appeared in 12 games for Texas Tech this season, making 18 total tackles, three each against No. 25 Houston and No. 7 Oklahoma State. Blidi entered the transfer portal after the regular season and did not travel with the team to the TaxAct Texas Bowl against Ole Miss.
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Blidi attended Portales High School in eastern New Mexico, about 100 miles from the Texas Tech campus in Lubbock, Texas. He was the first footballer 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 New Mexico State as a senior. Blidi helped Portales win the state title as a freshman, and he also played in basketball and track and field.
ESPN, a consensus three-star prospect, ranked Blidi the No. 2 player from New Mexico. He chose to attend Texas Tech through offers from Kansas, Utah, UCLA, New Mexico, New Mexico State, SMU, Tulsa and UTEP.
Blidi joins a position group on the Indiana defensive line 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 key players from last year along the defensive line.
Indiana also added Andre Carter from Western Michigan, Lanell Carr from West Virginia and Marcus Burris Jr. from Texas A&M. Class of 2022 is recruiting Nick James, a four-star inductee from IMG Academy, and Venson Sneed, a top 500 recruit from Winter Park, Fla., could also make an impact in 2023.
- JACOB MANGUM-FARRAR TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Indiana Football added linebacker Jacob Mangum-Farrar, Stanford’s sixth-best tackler of 2022, via the transfer portal on Saturday. CLICK HERE
- LANELL CARR TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Lanell Carr, a former West Virginia defenseman, announced Saturday that he is moving to Indiana. CLICK HERE
- EJ WILLIAMS TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Indiana Football landed wide receiver transfer EJ Williams, a former top 100 draft from Phenix City, Alabama, who spent the last three seasons with Clemson. CLICK HERE
- CHRISTIAN TURNER TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Former Wake Forest and Michigan running back Christian Turner is joining the Indiana football program for his final season of eligibility, it announced Friday. CLICK HERE
- NICOLAS TOOMER TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Indiana Football has made its third signing of the day via the transfer portal in Stanford cornerback Nicolas Toomer. CLICK HERE
- TRANSFER FROM DEQUECE CARTER TO INDIANA: Wide receiver Dequece Carter gained over 3,000 yards at Fordham, but on Saturday he announced he was moving to Indiana for his final year of eligibility. CLICK HERE
