I'm sure money was a factor, but I think Derek just wanted to go. Not sure why. Maybe he likes a bigger city like Knoxville. Maybe he wanted to work with a "big" program -- as in yea IUFB wins more, but Neyland and all that is really big.
I read his bio at UT. It's pretty funny, it talks about how great IUFB is and tries to give him as much credit as possible for it. That's fine, it's what bio pages do, it's just funny.
https://utsports.com/staff-directory/derek-owings/5758
"Derek Owings, who oversaw the strength and conditioning program during Indiana’s rise to the pinnacle of college football..."
"Owings was instrumental in the physical and mental development of quarterback Fernando Mendoza..."
"Owings’ holistic development of Indiana’s roster saw an unprecedented run of individual accolades in his two seasons, including a Heisman Trophy winner, 11 All-America honors, 23 All-Big Ten selections (first, second or third team) and four Big Ten individual award winners."
@gros-louis no real football only facilities. The setup is very clunky at IU. IU’s biggest revenue driver in sports has never done a football only upgrade. Always includes all sports. At some point this will be addressed. My comments are a simple observation on how far behind. That’s it. He doesn’t need to ask if he’s been to other facilities in the B1G. Disagreeing is perfectly fine.
@walt542 it was an unprecedented run. Probably won’t see it again. That just tells you how good the staff is too. They broke all the rules doing it. Still pinching myself.
@walt542 it was an unprecedented run. Probably won’t see it again. That just tells you how good the staff is too. They broke all the rules doing it. Still pinching myself.
I agree something as perfect as 2025 is unlikely, but with our NIL way way up and the same staff... IUFB probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The betting odds next year are quite encouraging.
Say what you want about facilities, but our 2026 roster payroll is up ~50% from 2025. That's impressive from IU.
" Indiana’s rise to the pinnacle of college football..."
It just means Tennessee knows their place in the hierarchy now. I appreciate a school having such self-awareness.
It's always going to annoy me that we didn't get to play someone like Tennessee in the 2024 playoffs. We'd have smoked them. Instead we had to go on the road to face one of the eventual finalists. Oh well. Proved it this past year.
IU’s biggest revenue driver in sports has never done a football only upgrade. Always includes all sports.
I think that's called being smart with your money when your money is limited.
Starting somewhat with Greenspan, but mostly with Glass and definitely with Dolson, there has been a strong emphasis on football and an understanding of the importance of the sport in terms of prestige, revenue...all of the stuff. But that doesn't mean that we have or had the same kind of financial resources to put into the facilities upgrades as schools that have been selling out stadiums twice our size for decades have. And facilities are now less important than they have ever been in the modern game.
Also, and I would only take this as anecdotal, because it's limited interactions, but I've known a few football players in the past 5-7 years who have commented about liking the fact that they aren't isolated from the rest of the athletes. That they get to form bonds and friendships, and even in some cases, start dating athletes from other sports because they share the nutrition center or rehab facilities or whatever.
Owings had one foot out the door the moment he arrived in Bloomington.
Sure, Tennessee has good facilities but what did it get them? An 8-5 record last season and bowl loss to Illinois. Coaching matters at the end of the day.
imagine spending that much on football to go 8-5 and then totally neglecting your basketball team, who's been past the first round for 5 straight years and in the elite 8 three straight, to the point that it's hemorrhaging talent and coaches.
@openwheel yea. Tough break. Frustrated me at the time because the last ‘24 didn’t get enough credit like Cig and others pointed out.
But ‘25 made up for everything in the most perfect way. I’m still in a great mood from that season and I will be for a long time.
Owings went from looking like a fine, upstanding, top professional trainer at Indiana. To looking like a slack jawed yokel in Tennessee garb. Must be in the water there.I'm sure money was a factor, but I think Derek just wanted to go. Not sure why. Maybe he likes a bigger city like Knoxville. Maybe he wanted to work with a "big" program -- as in yea IUFB wins more, but Neyland and all that is really big.
I read his bio at UT. It's pretty funny, it talks about how great IUFB is and tries to give him as much credit as possible for it. That's fine, it's what bio pages do, it's just funny.
https://utsports.com/staff-directory/derek-owings/5758
"Derek Owings, who oversaw the strength and conditioning program during Indiana’s rise to the pinnacle of college football..."
"Owings was instrumental in the physical and mental development of quarterback Fernando Mendoza..."
"Owings’ holistic development of Indiana’s roster saw an unprecedented run of individual accolades in his two seasons, including a Heisman Trophy winner, 11 All-America honors, 23 All-Big Ten selections (first, second or third team) and four Big Ten individual award winners."
j/k Good luck to him.
@thehoosierhuddle this…..
IU has never done anything substantial for just football. Every upgrade has included other sports. Just walling off the weight room isn’t what I’m talking about.
iu unironically did well to not waste money on something that doesn't really matter anymore...for years i was pissed about it. we heard over and over that it was a recruiting talking point for other coaches. but it was actually the right move in the portal/nil era...
put it this way, if my 3 year old gets a chance to be a high major athlete, as long as he's not practicing at the local ymca, i'm totally fine because of the paycheck.
@gros-louis they got lucky. If IU hadn’t hired Cig I don’t think we have this discussion. At least it would change it. I’m also not saying IU needs to run out and spend 100 million either.
@iureactionary that’s you though. Not everyone and I would argue most don’t think this way. Does that make it bad? No.
i disagree. iu just won a national title with a 30 year old airplane hanger for an indoor facility that used to be used to negatively recruit against them. it's worse than literally every high major d1 program. it's 10x worse than purdue's. i assure you that facilities are not as big of a deal as you think. money is king.
but if schools like tennessee want to waste money on them, fine by me.
again, was i being a bit hyperbolic with my ymca statement? of course, but i would argue that iu is going to lose recruits to nil dollars exponentially more than because of a practice facility.