BLOOMINGTON – To no one’s surprise, Romeo Langford will declare for the NBA draft.

What was expected virtually from the moment he picked up an Indiana hat and committed to stay in-state for college — that he would only need one year at that level — has come to pass. Langford confirmed his decision to ESPN.

Behind him, Langford leaves a program still in transition from one coaching regime to another. And his departure will be one of the biggest trigger points for an offseason makeover that Archie Miller must get right, if Indiana is to improve on what was a disappointing season in Bloomington.

Langford becomes the third underclassman to depart the program so far this spring, and also the least surprising. Reserve forwards Clifton Moore and Jake Forrester have in the last week and a half announced their decisions to transfer.

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Both Moore and Forrester were little-used substitutes. Between them, they appeared in just 28 games last season. Langford led IU in points per game, minutes per game, free-throw attempts and percentage of possessions used.

Their departures impact opposite ends of Indiana’s roster, but they are all three part of that makeover.

In total, Indiana will lose at least five scholarship players this offseason, with Juwan Morgan and Evan Fitzner exhausting their eligibility. Impact walk-on Zach McRoberts’ career is also concluded.

Remove walk-ons either graduated or potentially leaving for their own reasons, and that’s still six players, IU’s two leading scorers, some of its best defenders and a fair bit of post depth out the door.

Miller and his staff are already working on a remake of their own.

They’ve jumped into Butler graduate transfer Joey Brunk’s recruitment with both feet, visiting Brunk in-home and hosting him in Bloomington in the last week. They hosted four-star guard Harlond Beverly on a visit late in the regular season, and reportedly entered the recruitment of IMG Academy shooting guard Lester Quinones, who is reputed for his accuracy from behind the 3-point line.

Miller hasn’t lost everything either. Despite the last week’s exodus, Indiana still returns a greater percentage of its minutes from last season to next season than it did from Miller’s first season to his second. A fair chunk of the roster ranked No. 279 in the country by Ken Pomeroy in experience is scheduled to return, a year older.

But its go-to options are gone. And Indiana still needs the post depth that might have saved the Hoosiers during a rough January, had it ever developed.

IU has two players signed for 2019: McDonald’s All American center Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Indianapolis City player of the year Armaan Franklin.

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Each addresses a need, at least to an extent. Jackson-Davis shores up the frontcourt weakened by Morgan’s departure, while Franklin adds a body in a guard rotation that always seemed one injury away from looking perilously thin last season.

Indiana still needs more help up front, more 3-point threat, more scoring punch and more backcourt depth. Based on his tack so far this spring, Miller hopes to address most of that, if not all of it.

But while Langford’s departure surely will come as no surprise, it nevertheless will be the biggest bell ringing across the Hoosiers’ summer.

As for Langford himself, he underwent surgery Thursday to fix a thumb injury he played through for most of last season. Miller’s suggestion near the end of IU’s NIT run that Langford could have returned if the Hoosiers had made it to New York implied then that his back problem wasn’t a long-term concern.

And while fans wondered at various points last season whether he was as draft-ready as described coming out of high school, Langford remains one of the top guards mentioned on prominent mock drafts. One league source told IndyStar this week they believe Langford safely in this year’s top 20, if not higher.

He’ll leave behind him a sense of a job incomplete in Bloomington, not so much because of his individual failings but because of a number of factors largely outside his control. The Hoosiers could not turn a 12-2 start into an NCAA tournament appearance. Langford’s one season in college promised much, but fell short, so often despite his efforts.

Now, he will turn his attention toward preparing for the draft. Archie Miller will turn his toward refashioning a roster that needs comprehensive work, if Indiana is to improve upon the 19-16 NIT campaign Miller himself will know is below par.

It’s a big job, made only bigger by Thursday’s news.

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.