Trying to turn around Indiana football is a thankless job. It is one that many Big Ten observers believe is destined to end in failure. Hoeppner, however, is not one of those people.

He does not believe the Hoosiers have to be a low second-division dweller in the Big Ten nor does it have to take a back seat to Hoosier basketball. All it takes to turn everything around is a couple of good recruiting seasons and a change of attitude.

Strong recruiting may be a year or two away, but Hoeppner is already improving the atmosphere surrounding Indiana football. More than 6,000 fans attended the Indiana spring game, and there was far more interest in the game than there had been during Gerry DiNardo's tenure.

RB Chris Taylor stood out with an 85-yard TD run and gave a full stamp of approval to Hoeppner's approach.

"It was just great to get out there and play, and to see all those people here tonight just made it that much better," Taylor said. "I kind of thought there was going to be a good crowd because of the way coach Hoeppner has been pumping this game up. But it was fun. It's always fun when you're on the football field."

Well, at least in the beginning of an enthusiastic head coach's tenure. However, this team finished 3-8 last year and it will take quite a bit for fans to forget that the Hoosiers gave up 63 points in their season finale against Purdue. Hoeppner is trying to get his players to believe and he seems to be having some success.

Hoeppner has generated some legitimate enthusiasm in his first few months on the job and will try to build around an offense that has surprising strength at the skill positions.

-- Chris Taylor figures to be the No. 1 running back since BenJarvus Green-Ellis transferred out of Indiana. Taylor ran for 119 yards in the Indiana spring game and looked very fast on an 85-yard TD run.

2006 DRAFT PROSPECTS: DE Victor Adeyanju -- A big-play presence on the defensive line, Adeyanju has already attracted the attention of pro scouts. He had 40 tackles (9.5 for loss) and 4 sacks. Adeyanju is very quick to find the ball carrier and forced 3 fumbles a year ago.

LB Kyle Killion -- The leading tackler for the Hoosiers, Killion has the ability to make big plays sideline-to-sideline.

WR Jahkeen Gilmore -- The team's second-leading receiver a year ago, Gilmore is expected to become a star. If he catches 40 or more passes this year, he should be in the scouts' radar next season.

OL Isaac Sowells -- Big and powerful at 330 pounds, Sowells looks like a solid run blocker. While he has much work to do on his technique, he could become an interesting prospect.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I had spent an hour and a half with Dr. Herbert and so I told Bill Lynch that (Herbert) had the next call. That play he called the touchdown pass to Marcus Thigpen. That's why you saw me going over there high-fiving him. Hey, I think the guy has a future. When he gets done being president, I think he's got a future (in coaching)." -- Head coach Terry Hoeppner on the TD pass that IU president Adam Herbert called in the team's spring game.

The first thing he has to do is choose a quarterback. Graeme McFarland and Blake Powers will likely battle it out through the summer before Hoeppner makes his final decision. Both performed well in this year's spring football game and Powers saw game action last year behind former QB Matt LoVecchio. Powers completed 9-of-22 passes in a very limited role.

The running game took a bit of a hit when RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis decided to transfer away from Indiana. However, Chris Taylor and Yamar Washington should be able to give the running game a lift. Taylor ran for 329 yards on 82 carries a year ago and scored three touchdowns. Taylor also had an 85-yard run in the team's spring football game.

Sophomore Kenni Burns could also figure into the gameplan. He ran for 2,444 yards as a high school senior (Springfield, Ill.) and has explosive speed. He redshirted in 2003 (arm injury) and has shown big-play potential in practice.

At the receiver spot, the Hoosiers have to replace the departed Courtney Roby. Jahkeen Gilmore was the team's second-leading receiver last year and should become the team's leader this year. Rhett Kleinschmidt was little-used last year -- just three catches -- but he will be asked to pick it up.

Freshmen James Bailey and Isaac Price were each ranked among the nation's top 75 wide receivers as seniors at Detroit Denby and Southfield (Mich.) High Schools in 2003. They have a legitimate chance to play a significant role in Hoeppner's gameplan.

TE Chris Rudanovic takes over for Aaron Halterman, who moved on after the end of the 2004 season. Rudanovic caught 6 passes last year, but the coaching staff believes he knows how to get open and make plays.

On the offensive line, senior Adam Hines, junior Chris Mangiero, senior Brandon Hatcher, junior Justin Frye and senior Isaac Sowells have a collective 94 starts between them. This group should develop some cohesiveness and show the ability to sustain drives.

DEFENSE: There is little chance that the Hoosiers have the defensive personnel to match up with the upper-echelon teams in the Big Ten, but there may be some surprising strength on the defensive line.

The unit will be led by senior DE Victor Adeyanju, who has a legitimate chance to play for pay in 2006. Adeyanju had 40 tackles and 9.5 more behind the line of scrimmage a year ago to go with 4 sacks. Junior Kenny Kendal will also be a presence. Kendal had 8.5 TFL last year and 5.5 sacks. Kendal has a very quick first step and could develop into an explosive player.

LB Kyle Killion is the key to this defense. He is a tackling machine who led the Hoosiers with 107 tackles with 16.5 behind the line and 5 sacks. Killion is instinctive and reads blockers well. As a result he knows what play is being called even before the snap. Hoeppner will depend on him to do at least as much he did a year ago.

Jake Powers will line up next to Killion. Powers had 22 tackles last year and needs to produce even more next season.

John Panozzo will fill the other linebacker spot after doing a solid job on special teams last year. His memorable stop on Michigan PR Leon Hall was one of the most explosive tackles in the Big Ten last year.

In the secondary, Tracy Porter should be a major playmaker. He had a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown in the season opener last year and had two more interceptions before getting injured against Ohio State.

He was replaced by Leslie Majors, who proved to be an adequate tackler with 38 stops last year. Majors should join Porter in the secondary this fall.

Punt and kick returns are the domain of Lance Bennett and he does very well in that area. He averaged 29.95 yards per kickoff return in 2004 and had a 98-yarder for a TD vs. Oregon last year.