IU's Running Backs are Dubbed "The Ninja Turtles" by Coach John Miller

Written By: Nick Gonzales (@nrgonzales_)

It’s midway through the season and it seems that everyone is getting a nickname. First there was Kurtis Rourke who came in as “The Maple Missile.” Then there was Elijah Sarratt who was nicknamed “Waffle House” since he’s always open, and the person who gave him that nickname was wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams who’s been dubbed as “The Touchdown Machine.” Now, the Hoosiers’ running backs have a nickname of their own, “The Ninja Turtles.”

For a team who leads Power 4 schools in rushing touchdowns (23 TDs), their nickname has seemingly been hidden from the fans until Indiana’s road game at Northwestern revealed it. During the broadcast, one of the announcers said that they were given the nickname “The Ninja Turtles,” and as it turns out, IU’s running back coach, John Miller, revealed the name in a tweet all the way back in early July of this year. How they got it? No one knew until running back Ty Son Lawton revealed how it started during his media availability on Tuesday.

“I don’t like it. We never agreed upon it. Somebody said we look like the Ninja Turtles one time and we all just laughed about it, but we didn’t think that people would actually be calling us that.”

While Ty Son said he didn’t like it, he was able to laugh it off when asked about it. Opposite of how Lawton felt, running back Kaelon Black seemed to think it was a very fitting name for the group. “It honestly does fit. It’s something that has been going around for sure. They said that we’re all built the same, or something like that. But yeah, it definitely fits us.”

The fans have been loving the nicknames so far and it’s great to see what the players think of it. The real question is, which Ninja Turtle would each of them be? “I feel like I’d be the orange one (Michaelangelo),” Lawton said in his interview today, “because I’m the cool guy.” Kaelon corroborated his statement saying, “He’s (Ty Son) the chill one.” When asked which turtle he would be, Kaelon divulged who he’d be in his Tuesday interview and it may surprise some fans. “The one who’s like the warrior (Raphael).” While I was not able to ask what turtle Justice Ellison thought he’d be, Kaelon told me, “Justice would be the leader one (Leonardo).” After hearing what Justice had to say during Tuesday’s media availability, Kaelon was spot on.

“I’ve definitely seen the ups and downs of a season… (In 2022) I think we were five and one, and then we kind of had that in the locker room, that ups and downs, we don’t have to do the things. And then, boom, the season changes. So that’s been my mindset as a leader.” Justice Ellison stated in his interview Tuesday.

Ellison has definitely been an important leader in the locker room and leads the Hoosiers in rush yards. Plus, he has run for a touchdown in each of his last five games. When you hear him talk, it’s easy to see hpw he’s a leader. He’s a very adept speaker who always knows what to say and helps motivate the team whenever he can. Ellison is determined to make the people around him upbeat and ready to compete.

“I like to hone in on my mind on what I can do to develop and to love the process, to love the people around you. I got an NIL deal with Everbowl downtown, and every single week I’m thinking of ways to give some of the trainers smoothies. You know why? Because they’re doing their best so that they can get my body right so I can perform at a high level. So those are just some of the things that I’ve pretty much have enjoyed, and I really have been telling myself, remember the things that people are doing for you behind closed doors and be thankful for every little opportunities that you get.” Ellison responded when asked how he keeps his mental health in check while still being a leader.

If it wasn’t obvious before, Ellison is a natural born leader and motivator who definitely fits in the Leonardo role that Kaelon gave him. The Ninja Turtles are ready to put on a spectacle in front of a home stadium full of Hoosier fans this Saturday. They are an integral part of this Indiana’s offense and with them, the Hoosiers will continue to be successful.