Seven Freshmen Catch Tom Allen's Eye Through the First Four Fall Camp Practices

Image: Indiana University Athletics

Written by Sammy Jacobs

As the Big Ten conference dances with the idea of cancelling the 2020 season the Indiana Hoosiers are back on the practice field getting ready for the still scheduled opener against Wisconsin on September 4th and there are freshmen catching the eye of Indiana head coach Tom Allen.

On a Zoom call Monday morning Allen mentioned seven Hoosier freshman that have stood out over the first four fall practices. On offense wide receivers Javon Swinton and Da’Shaun Brown along with running back Tim Baldwin, quarterback Dexter Williams and tight end AJ Barner have made their mark.

“Javon Swinton is a guy that really has been a pleasant surprise to me” Allen said. “He played both sides of the ball in high school. We recruited him as either a corner or a wide receiver and listed him as an athlete. We can just tell he has a tremendous amount of talent. He has not played a ton of pure receiver, so learning how to play the position will be a big part of his growth. The natural ball skills, some guys just have that ability, and getting in and out of his breaks. He still does not know exactly what he is doing, but he has impressed.”

Swinton is not the only player who played both ways in high school that is making an adjustment to playing just on offense. Tight End AJ Barner was a standout linebacker who played a little tight end at Aurora High School and now is fully focused on offense.

“AJ Barner is another one, and I have mentioned him already before, but he is a very, very talented player that has not played a ton of tight end” Allen explained. “He was a linebacker in high school and played a little bit of tight end. He is just big and he grew over the summer. We had to change some of his sizes for his gear because he got bigger, and he is still trim. He is long, athletic and just a very well-rounded tight end that can run, block and catch the ball. He picks things up quickly.”

Brown is a redshirt freshman who was having a good spring session before it was cut short in March. “I have been very encouraged by (Brown) and his growth from last year to this year. He is a guy that I have high expectations for” Allen stated.

Both Baldwin and Williams were in for spring practice. Allen said that Baldwin “has really grown from coming in January until now. He almost looks like a different player than he did in those first four days of spring.”

On defense, Allen has been impressed with safety Bryson Bonds.

“Bryson Bonds at safety has tremendous habits. If you come from the state of Texas, sometimes that is expected because they play so much football. They do so many things that has a collegiate structure to it from a high school perspective. He has brought all of that with him. He is extremely sharp in the meeting rooms and understands the system already in a very good way. He does not have the big picture view yet, but nobody does at this point. But, his practice habits, his effort, he is a very good athlete and I have been really impressed with him” Allen gushed.

Another defender who has impressed in linebacker Ty Wise, another early enrollee, out of Carmel High School in Indiana.

In a schedule that features 10 Big Ten games depth is going to play a huge role, especially in 2020 when there is so much uncertainty. Having a handful of impactful freshmen is a luxury that Tom Allen has. If most of these freshmen get on the field and play roles it will be a testament to their abilities as the players in front of them are quite talented.