The Foundation Built by Indiana's Upperclassmen Has Carried the Hoosiers to New Heights

Image: amanda pavelka/hoosier huddle

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Indiana’s journey back into the national polls did not start this past August and while head coach Tom Allen has led the Hoosiers to a 7-2 (4-2) record and a top-25 ranking in both the AP (24) and Coaches (25) Poll, the foundation of this journey started when these current upperclassmen were being recruited by Kevin Wilson and his staff.

Many of Indiana’s key players committed to the Hoosiers in their 2015 and 2016 recruiting classes that were both ranked 53rd nationally by 247 Sports. Both of those freshman classes, which included players like Nick Westbrook, Hunter Littlejohn, Simon Stepaniak, Davondre Love, Donavan Hale, Peyton Ramsey, Reakwon Jones, Marcelino Ball and Allen Stallings received an early taste of postseason play. The Hoosiers played in the Pinstripe Bowl in 2015 and the Foster Farms Bowl in 2016. Now these players are seniors, redshirt seniors or redshirt juniors.

The last two seasons have seen these players miss out on the postseason with losses in the Old Oaken Bucket game and they have come into this season with a hunger for success and looking to reach heights that IU has not seen in decades.

When addressing the media on Monday afternoon, Indiana head coach Tom Allen spoke about the senior class.

“I think they have been here, as you said, long enough to experience some things, go to a bowl” Allen said, “they've not won a bowl game. That was the big driving force. In the beginning, one of our three goals was to win the bowl game, not just get to the bowl game. That still remains one of our goals. Those guys were very quick to want that to be one of them.”

Allen has treated this team differently from the get-go. He has been open and honest with them about their mission.

Indiana’s redshirt junior quarterback Peyton Ramsey said he’s noticed the difference in the way Allen talks with this year’s version of the Hoosiers.

“I think we are a better team,” Ramsey said bluntly, “so there clearly is a difference in the way that he talks to us and in the way that he's truthful with us. But it really is it's a more talented team it's a team that has more experience a lot more depth than we've had in the past so you can see the confidence in coach Allen and I think that's kind of worked its way through the entire team.”

Ramsey, after starting three games and coming off the bench in four others, has assumed the starting quarterback role after Michael Penix underwent surgery last week. Ramsey has been fantastic while throwing for 1,302 yards and nine touchdowns.

Allen knows where the hunger starts, it’s in the bellies of the upperclassmen. Those recruits who have stuck with the program from 2015 on.

“I think those seniors have been a huge part of what we're doing” Allen preached, “they will continue to be in the way that we finish. That's the constant challenge. I think you set your goals, you attack those goals, you don't relax until you reach them. We haven't reached any of them yet. That's why we're still excited about the progress we're making, but definitely hungry and starving to get what we want.”

The Hoosiers still have three regular season games to play and nobody has stated that the mission has been accomplished. Allen thought he had a top-25 team on his hands in August, now it’s a reality.
His message hasn’t changed.

“I've been very clear from the beginning” Allen said intensely, “if you don't believe, then I don't want you around us. That to me is a mindset that I have. As a coaching staff, as players, I want players that believe, just like this week. If you don't believe we can go to Penn State and win at Penn State for the first time in program history, then don't get on the bus. That's bottom line. If you don't believe, we got no chance.”

The fourth and fifth-year players have accounted for 29 wins over the last four-plus seasons on Indiana football. However, they are not finished just yet.

Redshirt senior receiver Donavan Hale summed up the upperclassmen’s feelings well saying, “I mean we (are) happy, but no (we are) not really satisfied. We obviously came here, trying to change the program around but you know we were not done. We want to be top five.” Hale didn’t diminish the accomplishments that have been reached in 2019 saying, “obviously it took me five years to you know get to this point but it does feel good.”