There isn’t a more popular player in the college football transfer portal at the moment than Indiana defensive tackle Philip Blidi.
The fireworks from the spring transfer portal window will largely begin next week when it opens on April 16, but Blidi, who entered in March as a graduate transfer, is already undergoing a whirlwind set of visits.
He went to Washington over the weekend, will set off for LSU later this week before seeing Auburn and Oklahoma.
“It’s been crazy,” Blidi told 247Sports. “I have really good options. I can’t go wrong. But this is my last year, and I need to make sure I view all my options to see if I’m going to the right place that has the best development, scheme and opportunity.”
Blidi is coming off a season at Indiana that saw him post a career best 30 tackles to go with 4 TFLs. Perhaps more importantly, he’s a proven interior run defender with pass rush upside, posting a 72.9 PFF grade during the 2023 season. That production and experience – he played 35 games at Texas Tech before transferring to Indiana – makes him a highly sought after player in a transfer portal market in which several major programs need to upgrade at defensive tackle.
His first visit was to Washington, which is resetting under first-year head coach Jedd Fisch. Blidi said the trip to Seattle checked many boxes for him, including a family-friendly environment for his wife and daughter.
“It was really amazing,” Blidi said. “I really got to see what I needed to see in terms of where I’d fit into a scheme and who would develop me and the resources there. I just loved how it was a family-oriented staff, too. Me being a family man that’s important to me. The city of Seattle, we loved the city. There’s a lot of stuff to do and to do with your family.”
The Huskies’ defense will be led by former Patriots linebackers coach Steve Belichick, the son of Bill Belichick, who will bring an NFL style 4-2-5 defense to Seattle.
Blidi said he feels like he’d be a great fit within that scheme.
“It’s an NFL scheme, a 4-2-5 multiple defense,” Blidi said. “That’s a defensive I’ve had a lot of experience in. I don’t want to just be playing in a 3-man front. I want to be playing in a multiple front, get to be in different positions and show my versality and be a guy that will make plays.”
When thinking about his visits to LSU, Auburn and Oklahoma, Blidi said that scheme fit – along with NFL development – will be the separating factor in making his choice.
“From there it’s seeing what the best opportunity is,” he said.
Blidi said he currently has no other visits set, though they could come up under the right circumstance. He’s targeting a May decision. Blidi will graduate on May 4 with a degree in Liberal Studies.
