Mayberry Pledges To Indiana

Coach Terry Hoeppner’s 2006 recruiting class got a big lift Tuesday night when Chicago area standout Matt Mayberry announced that he’ll be joining the Hoosiers next fall.

The 6-2, 205-pound athlete from Hinsdale (Ill.) South H.S. pledged to the Hoosiers during the Chicago area Preps Plus TV Show tonight. With more than a dozen scholarship offers from around the country, Mayberry eventually narrowed his list to four and picked Indiana over Northwestern, Georgia and Oklahoma State.

"Terry Hoeppner is doing a great job," said Mayberry, who said he visited IU within the last two weeks. "I felt really comfortable with them. Everything was great (on the visit)."

While Mayberry earned all-area honors as a junior after rushing for nearly 800 yards as a fullback a year ago for Hinsdale South, he’s expected to play either safety or outside linebacker in college. He played sparingly at linebacker a year ago, but is expected to start on both sides of the ball this fall.

Mayberry, who was recruited by IU Assistant Head Coach Bill Lynch, became a national recruiting target this summer after impressive performances at a summer combine in Chicago and at a series of summer camps. He was offered scholarships by Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Duke, Virginia, Maryland, Central Florida, Louisville and Minnesota.

Mayberry said that Lynch played a big role in his decision to become a Hoosier.

"He's just great - he's wonderful," Mayberry said. "I also really like Mr. Hoeppner, I like how the program is shaping up, and I really think it's going to turn out to be a great one."

HoosierNation.com will have more on Mayberry’s commitment – including additional comments from the soon-to-be Hoosier - later tonight.