Allen and the Hoosiers are Ready to Roll
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Image: Indiana University Athletics
Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
In less than one month, the Indiana Hoosiers will kick-off the 2021 season by travelling to Iowa City and playing the Iowa Hawkeyes. On the eve of IU’s first practice of the season, Head Coach Tom Allen met with the media and spoke about his excitement to get the season going.
“It’s been a great summer,” Allen said in his trademark enthusiastic fashion. “Excited about our players, how hard they’ve worked, how our staff has worked with them in the ways we could football-wise, and then also the strength staff and all the things they’ve done with our players. Excited for this fall camp.”
Indiana heads into the season with more expectations than the program has been faced with since the early 90s under Bill Mallory’s tutelage. Those external expectations are felt internally but Tom Allen will not be content with merely repeating last season’s success. He wants and believes that this program and this team are capable of more.
“We’ve been pretty clear on our goals. I haven’t shied away from it. We finished second in the Big Ten East last year. Our goal is to play in the Big Ten Championship and win the game. There’s a lot of things that have to happen before that occurs. Right now, the next step is having a great fall camp.”
The reasons for those expectations are clear. IU returns 17 starters, including a healthy Michael Penix at quarterback. They also will sprinkle in a number of potential impact transfers, players like Stephen Carr, Ryder Anderson, Jaren Handy, D.J. Matthews and others. Integrating the returning players with the new additions and getting players acclimated to new roles will be one of the most important parts of this fall camp.
“The way I look at that is we don’t vary the process we go through to recruit guys, whether they are transfers or out of high school. So getting guys that fit with us, that to me heightens the opportunity for them to mesh. To me, the focus is how can these guys buy into the culture, to make this about each other and not about themselves,” Allen said.
Just like Hoosier fans everywhere, Tom Allen is looking forward to seeing every single position on the field as camp kicks off. However, there are a few spots that stand out to the Indiana coach. Unsurprisingly for the veteran football man, Allen is keyed in on the trenches.
“I think we got some new faces on the defensive line and I want to see those guys. I’m looking forward to seeing that group take another step. On the offensive line, as well, a similar theme. Got some new faces but got a lot of younger guys that you want to see have a great offseason. I feel like they have done that and I want to see that translate to the field.”
The most common question facing Indiana football all offseason has been and will continue to be, how is the health of Michael Penix and will he be ready for the September 4th opener? Tom Allen has continued to reiterate that Penix is on target and the expectation is for Penix to lead the Hoosiers at quarterback in Iowa City. “I feel good about where he is mentally and physically. I know it’s been a long haul for him and he’s once again responded and stepped up to the challenge,” Allen said of Penix.
The Hoosiers head man did not give away much information on the eve of fall camp but he did speak openly about the heightened urgency the program was operating with as they head towards an opener in hostile Kinnick Stadium.
“An opponent of their (Iowa) caliber, as good as they have been for so many years and they are going to be again this year. It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be very challenging, without question. I said this before, that the process you go through, everything gets heightened. I think it allows you to get better than if you’re maybe playing somebody different to start the season. There’s always excitement about game one but it’s cranked up a few notches because of where we’re playing and who we’re playing.”
Allen closed his final media session before the all-important fall camp begins with the phrase has transformed and continues to define Indiana football. The phrase that has helped propel the Hoosiers into the top 25 and aided in a huge increase in season ticket sales. An excited and upbeat Tom Allen left the media with his trademark send-off: “LEO”.