Written by Andrew Walker

Creating a winning culture within and surrounding the Indiana football program is going to take time. For the last 25 or so years the program has taken punch after punch to the gut with losing seasons, coaching changes and just rip-your-heart-out losses. Those things take a toll on a program. Turning things around in Bloomington starts and stops with head coach Tom Allen and the players he is recruiting to play at IU.

They must have the right mentality, A winning mentality and a sense of ownership and accountability. Indiana freshman cornerback Tiawan Mullen has that mental makeup to go along with the skill base to turn Tom Allen’s vision into reality.

I still remember the buzz my friends and I felt when we found out Tiawan Mullen was coming to IU. Other than myself and a few other friends, a lot of people had never heard of him. But when he committed to the Hoosiers, it was all business from then on out.

The freshman out of Pompano Beach, Florida has made quite the name for himself at Indiana. Interestingly enough, there were some numbers swirling around Tom Allen’s head during the recruitment of Tiawan Mullen in 2017.

The common understanding of these specific numbers between Allen and Mullen is extremely interesting. 10, 26, 50. 10 years since a winning season, 26 years since a bowl win, and 50 years since the last Big Ten championship. These three numbers carry a shared understanding between Allen and Mullen. Allen was nothing short of impressed.

“I'm just sitting there, we're in my office and he asked me for a piece of paper. And I go out to my, I tear out a piece of paper out of a notebook and hand it to him and he starts writing it down and he hands it to me,” said Allen, “And so, he had on his own had researched and knew those and he knew how big a deal it was to me and the way I presented it initially. And so, but, yeah, I do think it's extremely unusual.”

“It impressed me. It got my attention that this kid, I thought he was a special guy just because of getting to know him in the process and getting to know his family, but he just, he's such a competitor... he believes in himself. So, and he doesn't say a whole lot. He's confident, very confident, but doesn't do a lot of jawing. And but those kind of guys like that are special. And he's made plays, consistently against our best competition.”

Mullen has quickly ascended to being Indiana’s top corner back. He’s taken over one of the starting cornerback positions. Mullen has played in eight of Indiana’s nine games including three starts. He has made 11 solo tackles, broken up seven passes and last week forced one fumble and recovered another to help set the offense up for touchdowns.

Mullen is just a true freshman, and his youthfulness is just what the Indiana football program needs. Already, Mullen and this year’s Hoosiers team have crossed off one of those numbers. With their 34-3 win over Northwestern on Saturday night, the Hoosiers clinched their first winning season in 12 years. Next up 26 (which is now 28).

The Huddle

Tiawan Mullen has the Type of Mentality that Tom Allen is Looking for in Future Hoosiers

Hoosier Huddle