Notes and Quotes from Tom Allen's Spring Football Preview

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Indiana football head coach Tom Allen meet with the Media via Zoom on Thursday to preview the Hoosiers spring football season. IU will kickoff spring practice on Saturday March 4th and conclude on April 15th with their Spring Football Event. Below are notes and quotes from Thursday’s press conference:

Notes

• DL Beau Robbins and OL Caleb Murphy will both forego their final season with the Hoosiers

• DL Cooper Jones will switch to OL this spring

Quotes

Opening Statement:

“Excited about spring ball starting on Saturday. We have had some really good OTA sessions with our guys leading up to spring ball. We have had eight of those on Tuesday's and Thursday's the last four weeks, just getting everyone mentally and physically ready for spring practice. Those have gone really well and excited about where our team is at right now. A lot of really good work by our strength staff and team over the last several weeks.

Also, really excited to have Anthony Tucker here as the new wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator. He just brings a tremendous amount of experience coaching multiple positions and being an offensive coordinator/play caller in the past. He has done a great job and been a part of some explosive offenses. Just really excited about the guys we have added, both players and coaches, and just continuing to build our team.

Excited about spring football. We have our three goals: number one, to be able to improve our fundamentals and technique, number two, to be able to install scheme and make some adjustments there, that will be a priority for us this spring, and then [number three] to be able to identify our depth chart once this is all said and done. Right now, we want to get a lot of guys lots of reps and be able to improve fundamentally, technically and schematically.”

On the prospects in the defensive secondary:

“We have several guys that have been here that are working really hard. At the cornerback position, Jamari Sharpe is a guy that sticks out to me. Long athlete that we redshirted last year, and he can really run. James Monds III is another young man that came here and has a lot of talent and is working extremely hard. Trevell Mullen, as well. Those three guys as young guys in that room, we redshirted those guys to give them a chance to develop. It is going to be a big spring for them. Obviously, we have guys that we brought in as well, but those three young guys stick out to me at the corner position.

At the safety spot, Phillip Dunnam to me is a guy that needs to take that next step. He is a guy that played a lot last year as a true freshman and has an immense amount of talent, but has to continue to grow and develop, without question. For sure, Bryson Bonds has played some but expect his role to grow. Those are guys that have been here. Louis Moore, same thing, those are younger guys that need to step up. We obviously got the transfer guys that we have talked about before, they will be working, as well. But, those young guys that are in that room, and we've got several safeties that I feel like there's a lot of guys that haven't played a lot of Saturday football, but at the safety position has probably as much depth as any position we have in regards to number of guys that we feel have the opportunity to help us and I think you are going to see several different faces out there this spring and we'll figure out who those top guys are going to be.”

On the off-season organized team activities (OTAs):

"You can't throw a football during those sessions when we're in there with them. But you can, you know, be able to do a lot of things a lot more than you used to be able to in the past. And so I just think that we were just commenting today, we had our eighth and final one today, just to be able to all the work that we'll be able to get in and and the walkthroughs and that'd be able to get the run fits and the eyes and the checks and adjustments on defense and then the execution on offense. You can do a lot of things on air, you know, even just having to call you know, no ball skelly situation to be able to have, you know, the chance to be able to teach concepts and all that, you know, from without throwing the football.

So just to me, it's just very positive for us to be able to have a lot of more rep time with our guys get some things on film teach from you. And within our eight hours, were able to have meetings. We've already started the 20 hour with this week because we started spring ball on Saturday. So we had a little extended meetings Tuesday and Thursday with our guys and then he was more in the evenings on mondays wednesdays so just trying to maximize all the rules and allow our guys to get ready so to me it's just really you know, it's the next step I think and grow and you know, our our players and developing them and also you have maybe some more turnover. And you have more guys that that are that are new, you know that you're relying on to play in the fall I think these OTAs have been very valuable to us.”

On who fills the leadership void left by Cam Jones:

“There's no question Aaron Casey would be the guy. You know, he obviously had to step up last year, you know, when when Cam went down, and he did that, but just to even elevate that to a higher level verbally. Ace was pretty quiet. But I see him being one of those individuals, you know, Noah Pierre and other ones. That were expected to do that. And Myles Jackson, those are the three guys that kind of stick out to me.

You know, we have a process of going through and, and putting together Leadership Council those guys were our top vote getters from the team on that and didn't surprise me because those are guys that really establish themselves. As leaders in our program and so but but Aaron Kay you linebackers To me that's that's where that needs to come from. That's the room it needs to come from and, and cam was a phenomenal leader for us without question and Aaron Casey has opportunity now to step into that role. And I expect him to do that.”

On the Spring Football Event being an interactive fan event:

“I really do and that's what I'm trying to create. And, you know, obviously last year you know, we had some more distinct schematic things we were doing differently that we were kind of keeping at bay and didn't have anybody here for spring but we'd like to have the fan engagement at first first spring game type opportunity. And so we've kind of gone away from a true spring game model for various reasons, but but I wanted to get our fans here and I want them to interact with I want to see us have a chance to scrimmage. I want them to see us in person.

I want him to invite them to that it will be our final spring opportunity on the 15th and practice 15 It will be a scrimmage and a chance to see that in a very, you know game like situation for those components and so and what have the interaction as well. So we got it. We're still working through how that's going to look and work. But I want the fans here want to meet our players sign autographs and take pictures with them and talk to them. And I want to do the same with them. So I just want to be very interactive and we're working on that. And to me Yeah, that's what this is about is is I want our fans to be able to see this team and watch our guys you know in the final preparation before we break to go into summertime and then obviously the next time we'll see this is only open against the Buckeyes.