2021 Countdown to Kickoff: 10 Days Part I (David Ellis)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The 2021 Countdown to Kickoff is nearly complete. In only ten days, the Indiana Hoosiers will take the field in Iowa City and begin the 2021 campaign against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Today’s countdown article focuses on a pair of Hoosiers, one on offense and the other on defense: David Ellis and Ryder Anderson.

Name: David Ellis

Hometown: Clinton Township, MI (Chippewa Valley High School)

Position: Running Back/Kick Returner

Year: Junior

Height/Weight: 6’1”/214 pounds

David Ellis is one of the more interesting pieces for offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan to figure out how to properly utilize. He came to Indiana after a good career as a multi-purpose weapon at Chippewa Valley High School and was initially tried at wide receiver. As a true freshman in 2019 he returned kicks and caught passes. His biggest impact came at kick return as he averaged 20.7 yards per return, good for fifth in the Big Ten. He caught 16 passes for 173 yards and had nine carries for 53 yards. Ellis was particularly impactful at Penn State in November, catching nine passes for 85 yards and flashing potential to become a very valuable asset. During spring practice before the 2020 season, Ellis was moved running back as IU looked for more explosive plays in the running game. However, he injured his ankle and missed the first three contests of the season. This stymied his progress at the new position and he never really got into a rhythm during his shortened season. Ellis was able to play in the final five games but he only had 28 total touches all season (including one kick return). Again though, Ellis flashed in a big game as he had 86 receiving yards with a touchdown against Ohio State.

Ellis is now healthy and he is expected to be the primary kick returner for Indiana. He should be a weapon there when given the chance but the big question comes on offense. How are the Indiana coaches going to deploy Ellis in this offense? He seems to be behind Tim Baldwin and Stephen Carr at running back and the Hoosiers are very deep at wide receiver. The recent transfer of Sampson James could bode well for Ellis to get more carries.

Nick Sheridan spoke about Stephen Carr and then proceeded to discuss the rest of the running back room and how that rotation may play out, “David Ellis and Tim Baldwin Jr., and then you have some young players in that room. A couple freshmen that we are excited about. Also, Charlie Spegal, Davion Ervin-Poindexter, Chris Childers. All of those players have done a nice job and we need to figure out what the combination of those guys looks like and what the rotation looks like. Those guys will ultimately decide that based on what they do in practice.”

Ellis is going to play an important role as a kick returner but the extent of his role on offense is likely not going to be known until we are well into the season.