Davion Ervin-Poindexter “Just Needed an Opportunity”

Written By: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen and his Hoosiers closed out their fifteenth and final spring practice this past Saturday. Unfortunately, they were unable to put a bow on this portion of the offseason with a spring game we are accustomed to seeing, but the coaching staff was still able to hand out spring practice player awards. The awards were full of familiar player names: Cam Jones, Micah McFadden, Peyton Hendershot, Devon Matthews, among numerous others. Mixed in with these program stars, however, is a player not many Hoosier fans know:

That man is Davion Ervin-Poindexter. A 5’10”, 190-pound walk-on sophomore running back, Davion finished the spring as the winner of not one, but two awards: Co-Most Outstanding Offensive Player honors shared with star Florida State transfer DJ Matthews and the LEO (Special Teams) award. Ervin-Poindexter also took home the inaugural Chris Beaty Award earlier this month. An award given to the walk-on player of the year in honor of the late former Hoosier walk-on Chris Beaty.

Yet somehow, he is largely unknown.

“I had somebody ask me, ‘who’s number 34?’ when we got done with our last spring scrimmage,” Tom Allen said with a chuckle. “He played on special teams quite a bit last season, but I’m sure people didn’t notice that as much.”

Even Allen had days last season where he would forget about him. As a member of the scout team, Davion would often be wearing the scout team jersey of the player they were tasked with simulating for that week.

“Sometimes, I’d forget who he was because he was wearing a different number, and I’d be like ‘who’s that guy?”

The days of him flying under the radar are likely limited.

“He’s one of those guys where, I remember even a year ago when we were in fall camp, there were a couple times where I was like ‘man.’ He’s got really good suddenness to him. Really good ball skills, he can catch the ball out of the backfield and make some really good cuts. He’s quick, explosive, he’s tough.”

So where did Allen find him? Funny enough, Davion was actually the one who found Allen.

“We have two types of walk-ons in our program. We have preferred walk-ons, who we invite after we watch their high-school film and invite them to be part of the team. Or, we have guys that are already on campus that come to a tryout that we host. The last time we had a tryout, we had thirty some guys show up. We picked two or three of those, and he was one of them!” Allen explained.

Because of his success at the tryout, Davion was able to join teammate and fellow Brother Rice High School alum Nick Marozas, an offensive lineman who joined the Hoosiers on scholarship as a member of the 2018 recruiting class. Maybe he could have joined him as a preferred walk-on or even a scholarship player had his senior year in high school gone as planned.

“Davion was a hard worker, and we knew he was going to have success at the next level,” said his high school coach Brian Badke. “But, the first game of the season his senior year he suffered a bad ankle sprain that held him back pretty much all season long.”

Davion was still able to rush for over 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns in high school, ultimately landing him on the state of Illinois’ honorable-mention all-state team.

“All he needed was an opportunity and a chance at the next level,” continued Badke. “We are very proud of Davion and appreciate IU for the opportunity. Coach Allen and his staff have been amazing to work with.”

Forgotten or not, Ervin-Poindexter did see action in all eight games last season as a part of special teams. This year, he will look to make an even more profound impact, and he’s off to a great start.

“Just a testament to his perseverance, following his dream and wanting to come here and play,” finished Allen. “He’s a really good football player and he’s going to help this team. Best players play, regardless of your age or who’s paying your bill.”