Hoosiers Put on Shoulder Pads for the First Time this Spring
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The Indiana Hoosiers were back on the practice field on Tuesday Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle
Written By Alex Compton
A brisk, windy, Tuesday morning marked the third day of spring ball for the Hoosiers as they look to improve across the board and get some new guys more comfortable in their roles. The guys broke out the pads and did some light offense/ defense situational work, as the anticipation builds for the first day of full pads this season. As a talented class of seniors departs from Bloomington in the coming months, some new faces have started to emerge and fill any leadership voids that may have opened up. Tom Allen’s family-first culture seems firmly implemented at this point, and the guys have responded well to the challenge from each other and seem to thoroughly enjoy practice.
On offense, Peyton Ramsey certainly has the attitude of a starter. He was one of the more vocal players on the field, and was constantly talking with his linemen, coaches, and receivers. That type of chemistry is crucial, and it’s something that Nick Tronti and Mike Penix Jr. have picked up on as well, despite having less experience. While Nick Westbrook is without restrictions on his running, jumping, or cutting right now, he is still in a blue jersey to prevent him from taking contact. That hasn’t stopped him from emerging as the “guy” on offense however, and Coach Heard was on him all practice to be in the ear of Whop Philyor and Jacolby Hewitt especially. Westbrook is still working back from his ACL tear suffered on the opening kick of the season last year, but figures to be IU’s top target this year.
Flipping sides of the ball, Jacob Robinson is a guy that stood out to me. He was one of the loudest guys on the field standing side by side with Coach Hagen for most of practice. LaDamion Hunt was flying around making his voice known to the receivers he was matched up against, and Bryant Fitzgerald was also jumping around, clearly happy to be back with the guys now that he is officially eligible. Being a leader isn’t easy, and it’s something that Coach Allen has talked about being massive to the makeup of championship-caliber teams, but it’s been encouraging so far this camp to see some guys easing into those new roles as leaders.
OTHER NOTES
Offensive Line
Wes Martin met with the media after practice on Tuesday, and offered some great insight into the state of the O-Line room.
When asked about how graduate transfer guard/ center Nick Linder is acclimating himself to the team, he said, “The best part of it is that he really gets along with all of us, he really meshes with the o-line. He’s a great dude, so that’s been the easiest part. A lot of times what makes that situation hard is if there’s like a clash of personality or something but he’s a great dude and has been fitting in well so it’s been a real easy transition for him.”
As I've talked about in some of our offensive line previews for the season, one of the biggest reasons picking up Nick Linder was so big was the fact that Harry Crider can possibly redshirt this year after playing a bunch of snaps as a true freshman. Martin commented on Crider and his play so far, really highlighting his versatility.
“Yeah, he’ll play both, he’ll play guard and center. Just getting ready for whatever role he needs to play.”
For the first time in a long time, the offensive line returns every player that started last season for the Hoosiers. While there are still some spots up for grabs particularly on the right side of the line, the continuity that the unit should have heading into the fall will be massive for the offense. Martin agreed, and seemed like it will really make a difference.
“It’s huge. I don’t think I’ve been a part of something like that, but it’s awesome. We have a lot of chemistry from last year, I think that’s going to be huge rolling through the spring and into the fall.”
Lastly, he commented on the last practice before spring break on Thursday where the guys will be in pads for the first time since the Purdue game last season.
“That’s when you really start to see if the guys can play real ball or not, so it’s exciting.”
Offense
The offense looked sharp at times during some situational drills against the defense, as Peyton Ramsey, Nick Tronti, and Mike Penix Jr. all had their share of really nice plays. Shaun Bonner had a nice grab from Penix Jr., Whop Philyor made some nice plays in the open field, and Cole Gest burned the defense on an outside run for about a 60 yard touchdown. There are obviously plenty of things to clean up however, and Coach DeBord opened up speaking to some of those things after practice on Tuesday.
“Where we’ve got to get better is protecting the ball right now, we’ve got to catch the ball better. We’ve only had one running fumble, but we just can’t have any. We’ve just got to do a better job protecting the ball.”
Quarterbacks are obviously a big-time focus this camp, and DeBord talked about what he’s seen from true freshman Penix Jr. a little bit more on Tuesday morning.
“I’m pleasantly surprised how fast he’s learned… as a quarterback. We do a lot of different things, things he’s got to be aware of protection-wise, and progression throwing, things like that, we’re really happy where he is right now. And he’s got to get better, but i’m talking about a guy that just went through three practices without knowing anything.”
Tight Ends
In what will be a production by committee type of position this year, Coach DeBord spoke about the tight ends a bit on Tuesday.
“We’re giving all those guys equal reps.”
“Austin Dorris has had three really good practices. I mean he really has done some really nice things, he’s catching the ball well, made good decisions in our new throw game stuff where we’ve got some option stuff for him, and Shaun Bonner and Peyton Hendershot, they’re doing a good job right now, we’ve just got to refine some things and get better at them.”
Links to Videos From Tuesday
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