TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – It doesn't matter which side of the ball you're on, if you ask Indiana State head coach Curt Mallory or his staff where it all begins, they'll all have the same answer: up front.
 
We've previously delved into one half of ISU's solid front-seven on defense with our look into the linebackers last week. Today, we take a look into the Sycamore defensive linemen.


 
The change to the 4-3 affects the entire defense, but the change from a three-man front to a four-man attack is perhaps the most striking. Whereas the 3-4 stresses lateral quickness and an outside pass rush, the 4-3 prioritizes getting downhill into the backfield to stop the run head-on and pressure the QB from within.
 
"They've done a great job working very hard," said assistant head coach and defensive line coach Mark Smith. "I think it's exciting for them. I've been real happy with their work ethic and their commitment, and they seem to be pulling together as a group pretty good."
 
Smith inherits a deep group mixed with experienced veterans like seniors Norvell McGlaun and Kenyota Rollins, incoming transfers like Rex Mosley and Evan Gill, and younger contributors like sophomore Inoke Moala.
 
Smith – who previously coached at Indiana State from 1988-2002 – leads the group with an incredible career of experience under his belt. Most notable on his resume was becoming a key member of the Brady Hoke coaching tree, joining Hoke on staff at Ball State in 2003 and following him to San Diego State in 2009 and Michigan in 2011.
 
Anyone who has witnessed Smith at practice can see that experience first-hand, as he leads the linemen with an almost Phil Jackson-esque zen master calm and confidence. And, as his linemen can attest, he's a bit of a jokester.
 
"He's a clown," Moala said. "He's funny, he'll always get on you, but it's all love."
 
McGlaun and Rollins enter their final year as Sycamores as the elder statesmen of the group, having played in a combined 47 career games (with 24 career starts) with a combined 102 career tackles, 14.0 TFL, 5.5 sacks three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
 
"I want to bring all the seniors out in the right way, and go out with a ring on our finger like Coach (Mallory) says," Rollins said.
 
This is also the final season for senior defensive end Evan Gill, but also his first as a Sycamore. Gill was one of four to transfer to Indiana State this season from Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Ind., following the school's closing in the spring. Gill, who accumulated 78 tackles, 12 sacks, 22 TFL and two All-Conference honors as a team captain at Saint Joseph's, has impressed throughout camp and is happy to have a home in Division I for his final season.
 
"Coming in here my senior year after Saint Joe's closed, these guys welcomed me with open arms and I can't be more thankful for that," Gill said. "Coach Mallory definitely brings a different kind of energy that I've never seen before."
 
Redshirt junior Rex Mosley also brings some outside experience – two seasons of significant action in the MAC at Northern Illinois. Mosley played in 20 career games with the Huskies in 2014 and 2015 before redshirting the 2016 season and transferring to Indiana State.
 
Coach Smith likes the depth he has, and has said that he will keep his linemen fresh, rotating up to eight or 10 linemen per game. But when all is said and done each week, he only wants to see one thing in the film room: effort.
 
"You want them to turn the film on and say, wow, look at how hard those guys play," Smith said. "And that's why it's going to be key for us to keep fresh guys in there on the defensive line and rotate players."
 
Stay tuned to GoSycamores.com – as well as our Facebook and Twitter pages – for extensive coverage and position previews this season, including video content courtesy of Luke Martin.