Transition is the theme for Indiana, both on the field and on the sideline. Cam Cameron’s five-year run at the school ended without a bowl berth, despite his best season last year when the Hoosiers won four of their last five games, including Cameron’s first victories over Purdue and Kentucky to close the season.

Former LSU coach Gerry DiNardo took over on Jan. 8, and he didn’t exactly inherit a full cupboard. The Hoosiers will return only 37 players with collegiate experience and will have only 70 scholarship players on the roster, and that’s not the worst of it -- they also graduated their leading passer, rusher, receiver and tackler.

But DiNardo has used that chance to put his own stamp on the team, including dumping the option offense in favor of a more passing-friendly set. After spring practice he assessed his team’s progress with enthusiasm.

"Any transition is tough, and guys get taken out of their comfort zones," DiNardo said. "Given that, it was a good spring. I think the great majority of our team has accepted what we’re trying to do and has bought into it. Whether you’re in a place a year or 10 years, there are always some people who don’t buy in. But the majority of guys have, and are approaching it enthusiastically."

DiNardo’s staff conducted a hard-hitting spring practice that focused on conditioning, and he learned a great deal about his new players along the way.

"I think we know who our players are, the guys who can be our players if they continue to develop within the game," DiNardo said. "I think we have a good handle on the guys who really are competitive enough to get this done. It’s not everybody’s cup of tea, what we do. But we have to know who our core guys are that we can go to war with, and I think we definitely made good strides in that regard."

DiNardo helped Colorado win a national championship as an assistant there in 1990 and led LSU to 10 wins in 1996. He was chosen the SEC Coach of the Year in his first season as the head coach at Vanderbilt in 1991. He was an All-America guard at Notre Dame, where he also won a national championship in 1973.

It’s hard enough for a program to replace its quarterback, and even more difficult when that quarterback was a four-year starter.

But when the player in question was the identity of the program, and arguably the best player in school history? That’s the task facing the Hoosiers -- filling the shoes of Antwaan Randle El.

Of course, they tried to do just that last year, at least for a game. Cameron shuffled Randle El to wide receiver for the season opener at N.C. State, hoping to take advantage of his superior athletic skills. The experiment lasted just one game, a 35-14 loss in which the offense managed just 18 first downs and 170 yards passing.

Randle El moved back to quarterback the next week and finished out the season as the IU signal-caller, putting the final touches on a career that put him among the greatest offensive players in college football history. He became the only player in Division 1-A history to top the 6,000-yard mark passing and total 3,000 yards rushing. He’s also the only player to pass for and score at least 40 touchdowns each.

Truly, it will take more than one player to replace those numbers, that leadership, the experience and excitement that Randle El brought to the field every time he put on the uniform. The first shot at quarterback will likely go to senior Tommy Jones (6-5, 241), who started last year’s opener before returning to the sideline for the balance of the season.

Jones completed 18-of-31 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown in that lone start, then battled tendinitis in his shoulder the rest of the season and saw action in only one more game. He had surgery on that shoulder in February, but returned in time for the spring game in April, where he led the Crimson squad with a pair of touchdown passes and a 12-of-20, 162-yard performance.

Jones’ top competition for the starter’s job will come from fellow senior Gibran Hamdan (6-6, 240). Hamdan opened eyes in the spring game when he led the Crimson on a two-minute drill before throwing the game-winning touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining.

Hamdan finished 16-for-33 for 198 yards in the spring game, after playing for the baseball Hoosiers earlier in the day. Hamdan has been the holder for the IU kicking game for the last three seasons, but depending on Jones’ shoulder, he could get to do more than squat on one knee this fall.

Sophomore Patrick Thompson (6-3, 229) and freshman Mike Donnelly (6-5, 193) will battle for the third-string slot at quarterback and, quite possibly, the leg up on the starting job next year when Jones and Hamden are gone.

Randle El’s aren’t the only big shoes DiNardo has to fill this year. Also gone from last year’s team is leading rusher Levron Williams, who rumbled for 1,401 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2001. His conference marks of 1,197 yards, 16 touchdowns and 7.0 yards per carry topped the Big Ten, and he was also the Hoosiers’ leading receiver, with 26 receptions for 289 yards and a pair of scores.

With Randle El’s 964 rushing yards also gone, the Hoosiers have to replace nearly 80 percent of their ground attack this year. The leading returning rusher is senior fullback Jeremi Johnson (6-1, 279), who chipped in with 546 yards and seven touchdowns on 95 carries last year. Johnson, however, has battled weight problems during his career and didn’t dress in the spring game. He says he wants to get down to around 255 pounds in order to take advantage of his offensive skills -- this after reporting as a freshman at 290 and ballooning back up to 280 this spring.

If Johnson isn’t the man in the IU backfield this fall, look for junior Brian Lewis (5-10, 208) and red-shirt freshman Yamar Washington (5-10, 199) to carry the load. Lewis was IU’s special-teams player of the year last season and also carried the ball 21 times for 92 yards and a score on the season.

Red-shirt freshman Jason Sullivan (6-1, 250) is listed at the top of the depth chart at fullback, and he will be pushed by junior Rashon Myles (6-2, 212), who moved from tailback after his freshman year and spelled Johnson last season, and senior Rob Bouchard (6-1, 248).

Another red-shirt freshman, Courtney Clency (5-11, 181), had a strong performance in the spring game.

The Hoosiers didn’t put the ball in the air much last year, so it’s difficult to accurately gauge what kind of talent they have coming back at the receiver positions. We do know this however -- they didn’t lose much.

Gone are Henry Frazier (16 catches, 271 yards, two touchdowns) and L.J. Parker (6-107-0). And that’s it. The returnees will benefit from DiNardo’s new offense and will fight to become favorite targets of Jones or Hamdan.

The top returning receiver is junior Glenn Johnson (6-0, 196), who snared 21 balls for 229 yards and a score last year. He played as a freshman, then red-shirted in 2000, and with two years of eligibility remaining, he could emerge as a star in the new system.

Two other receivers caught 11 passes for the Hoosiers last year and will battle for the No. 2 spot -- sophomore Travis Haney (6-5, 196), who has the height and speed to be the prototypical wideout in the right offense, and sophomore Courtney Roby (6-1, 177), an Indianapolis native who played all 11 games, including two starts, as a freshman last year.

Other receivers in the program are sophomores Matthew Foss (5-11, 185) and David Lewis (6-1, 185) and red-shirt freshmen Luke Dean (6-1, 186), Rhett Kleinschmidt (6-1, 188), Michael Robinson (6-6, 206) and Ryan Seydel (6-2, 174).

One big change for the Hoosiers this year will be at tight end, where senior Kris Dielman (6-5, 284) has moved to defensive end. Dielman led all IU tight ends with 14 receptions as he started all 11 games last year, but he is on the other side of the line.

Candidates to replace him are sophomore Aaron Halterman (6-6, 257), who caught 10 passes for 127 yards as a second-stringer last year, and senior Stephen Anthony (6-4, 280), who himself switched from defense to tight end last season and saw most of his action on the special teams. Junior Matt Buchholz (6-4, 265) provides depth at the position.

Although the offensive skill players will be relatively inexperienced, the Hoosiers won’t have to worry about an offensive line that returns four starters. Only center Craig Osika is gone from a line that cleared the way for the No. 1 rushing offense in the Big Ten last season.

The line will be anchored by senior Enoch DeMar (6-5, 315), a second team all-Big Ten selection last year by the coaches and media. A starter since day one at Bloomington, the versatile DeMar has played every spot on the line except center, and settled in at left tackle in spring ball after shining at left guard last year. He has also received Big Ten academic honors three years running, and his leadership will be key to the Hoosiers’ success.

Another senior, A.C. Myler (6-5, 350), moved from left tackle to right tackle in spring ball. Myler has started 22 straight games at left tackle after playing defensive tackle as a freshman. His massive size and intelligence have made him a true pro prospect.

Last year’s right tackle, senior Bobby Brandt (6-8, 322), missed spring practice with a bad back, but he should be ready for the season. A converted tight end, Brandt was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection as a junior in his first year at the position.

Also back is right guard Anthony Oakley (6-4, 305), a junior who also earned honorable mention all-conference honors last year. He’s started 22 straight games and will be a valuable asset to help cover for an inexperienced center position this year.

The top candidate to replace Osika at center appears to be sophomore Craig Jahnke (6-6, 305), who was No. 2 on the depth chart last year and saw action in two games. His top competition likely will be red-shirt freshman Brandon Hatcher (6-3, 280), who started for the Cream squad in the spring game after being recruited as a defensive tackle.

To say kicking was a problem last season for Indiana would be an understatement. The Hoosiers made just two field goals all season, missing seven along the way, and they converted only 33-of-41 extra-point kicks.

Junior Adam Braucher (5-8, 179) hopes to improve on his performance of last season, when he hit 25-of-29 extra points and converted just one of six field goals. His main competition last year was sophomore Bryan Robertson (5-11, 158), who won the job in the third week of the season but hit only 1-of-3 field goals and was 8-for-12 on extra points. Robertson suffered a back injury in October, however, and was sidelined for the rest of the year.

Also in camp are junior Brett Gaudin (6-1, 185), sophomore Hanley Noel (6-4, 201), and red-shirt freshman Neil Pallotta (6-0, 222).

The Hoosiers finished in the middle of the pack defensively last year. But the defensive line should be a focus of a rebuilding effort in 2001 after the departure of three starters and a shoulder injury to Derek Barnett (6-4, 257), a senior defensive end and the only returning full-time starter who made 24 tackles and registered a pair of sacks last year.

Gone are end Kemp Rasmussen, the leading tackler on the line with 50 combined stops and the team leader with 6.5 sacks, and tackle Dominique Smith, who started 11 games and made 36 tackles.

Part-time starters Jamil Frink (6-5, 275), a senior, and junior Colin Christopher (6-3, 305) split time in the middle last year and could be counted on to contribute this year. But the real eye-opener in spring practice was Dielman, the converted tight end who is trying his hand at defensive tackle. Dielman was a two-way player as a sophomore in 2000, but stuck with offense last year. Now he is back on the other side of the ball and enjoying the challenge.

A couple of promising youngsters are battling for the other defensive end slot across from Barnett. Sophomore John Lumpkin (6-3, 261) was a backup at both end and tackle last year and bounced back from an injury-plagued red-shirt season to make solid contributions. Meanwhile, freshman Victor Adeyanju (6-5, 241) had three tackles and a sack in the spring game and has the potential to be an impact pass rusher in his first season.

Others in the mix are senior Courtney Young (6-5, 282), a junior college transfer who had 11 tackles in spot duty last year; senior end Herman Fowler (6-3, 266), a former linebacker who saw action in nine games last season; senior nose tackle Jeremy Belcher (6-3, 262); sophomore ends Jodie Clemons (6-4, 266) and Eli Radke (6-3, 225), who is coming off a knee injury that cost him his freshman year; and freshman nose tackle Chris Beaty (6-2, 269).

Despite the loss of leading tackler Justin Smith (99 tackles, 11 for losses, three forced fumbles), the Hoosiers should be strong at linebacker with a pair of returning starters. Senior Ron Bethel (6-4, 203) moved up from the secondary to make 10 starts last year and settled at outside linebacker. His 44 tackles were seventh on the team, and he also had six tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.

Meanwhile, also back is sophomore Herana-Daze Jones (6-0, 196), who started the final six games last year as a red-shirt freshman and was the leading tackler for the starters in this year’s spring game with nine stops.

Sophomore Deonte Smith (6-1, 205) played with the starters in the spring game and recorded six tackles, after playing mostly special teams last year as a freshman. The other player who opened eyes in the spring game was sophomore Martin Lapostolle (6-3, 215), a special teamer and goal-line player last season as a freshman. He made a game-high 18 tackles for the Cream squad and could work his way into the mix this fall.

The Hoosiers will lean on a pair of senior safeties to provide the backbone of their secondary this year. Joe Gonzalez (6-1, 204), finished second on the team last year with 65 tackles, including five for losses, and broke up five passes. Meanwhile, A.C. Carter (5-9, 195) recorded 47 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and four passes defensed. Their leadership will be key as the cornerbacks will be new this year.

The leading candidates at the corner are senior Antonio Watson (6-1, 200), a junior college transfer who made an impact on special teams and in the secondary last year; junior Duane Stone (5-10, 176), who started seven games two years ago as a red-shirt freshman and could be ready to crack the starting lineup again this year; and freshman Damien Jones (5-10, 167), who made three tackles and had an interception for the starters in the spring game.

The top backup at safety will likely be red-shirt freshman Buster Larkins (6-0, 171), who played for both squads in the spring game and logged 7.5 tackles.

Two players with experience will return to battle for the punting job this fall. Junior Ryan Hamre (6-3, 214) has made 28 punts in the last two years, for a career average of 34.8 yards, and he has had four kicks blocked, including two last year. Meanwhile, place-kicker Robertson punted five times for a 34.4 yard average last year, but he also had one punt blocked.

As a team, the Hoosiers averaged only 30.7 yards per punt and had four blocked last year. Suffice to say the punt team will be a priority for DiNardo’s staff this fall.

"If you don’t understand the importance of the punt team, you don’t understand college football," Dinardo said. "You can’t just talk about it -- the [players] have to understand how important it is."

Sophomore long snapper Kyle Warriner (5-11, 222) could make his Hoosier debut this fall after playing for the Crimson team in the spring game. He will be challenged by backup linebacker Naaman for the spot.

The return teams have their work cut out for them as Randle El and Williams were the leading punt and kickoff return men, respectively, last season. In the spring game, Jones returned kicks for the Crimson squad, while Clency and Bryant dropped back for the Cream team. Last year Carter and Roby each returned a handful of kicks.

Considering that DiNardo didn’t come on board until January, the Hoosiers did OK on the recruiting front. He brought in legendary Indiana high school football coach Mo Moriarity to help close the borders, and although IU landed only one in-state recruit, the future will certainly be brighter in that respect.

With the lack of depth on the team, many of the incoming freshman could play a significant amount this fall. The leading candidates for playing time are Bo Greer (6-3, 295), a defensive tackle from Princeton, Ind.; Adam Hines (6-4, 270), an offensive tackle from Vandalia, Ohio; linebacker John Kerr (6-0, 240) from Cleveland; running back John Pannozzo (5-11, 215) from Brooklyn; defensive tackle Russ Richardson (6-0, 265) from Phoenix; and wide receiver Tyke Spencer (5-11, 180) of Naperville, Ill.

The Hoosiers have their work cut out for them this year. Replacing Randle El and Williams, adapting to a new coaching staff, and lacking depth and experience at most key positions, they will be hard-pressed to match last year’s 5-6 mark, which got Cameron fired.

However, a strong offensive line can help form the nucleus of a surprise team, and IU has one of the better lines in the conference. If the Hoosiers can build on that, get quality play from the quarterback spot, find a tailback ready to emerge, strengthen the defense ... OK, that’s a lot of ifs. Perhaps patience is in order as DiNardo begins to build his program.