Indiana Football Fall Camp Update: Hoosiers Start Camp Ahead of 2018 Season
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Brandon Dawkins and Stevie Scott work on mesh-points Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle
Written By Rylie Kyhn
The Hoosiers are three practices into fall camp as of publishing, although it feels nothing like fall or football weather. They may only be two days in, but the changes in every player on the field are visible and the Hoosiers owe a lot to the work of the strength staff. The speed development and the entire new program that Coach Ballou and Dr. Rhea brought in has completely transformed this Indiana team. This is the most athletic the team has looked in quite some time and even since the Spring, they look quicker, stronger, and more agile.
During practice, they had different groups of players getting snaps using both sides on the field. Ensuring that all positions, are getting as many reps as possible. Tom Allen said it has a dual purpose. “It’s quarterbacks but it is also depth on defense. We have so many DBs that are young and need reps and so many linebackers who are in that same position.”
Heading into fall camp there were a few questions and one of the biggest has been who will play the leading quarterback role. Two days into camp will not determine anything as they have weeks to go and many adjustments to make, but the coaches are getting a glimpse of the different strengths each of them has. It isn’t typical for a team to have three different skilled quarterbacks to be able to use so getting all of them equal reps in camp is difficult which is something Coach Tom Allen has noted.
The quarterback battle is one everyone will be following throughout camp. Peyton Ramsey, the starter for the majority of the 2017 season looks accurate and stronger than he did in the spring. Ramsey looked comfortable out there with a season under his belt and playing the offense that he knows. “I thought Peyton was extremely accurate yesterday and especially after seeing the numbers today,” said Tom Allen on what he has seen so far.
Mike Penix, a player who turned plenty of heads, during spring practice and impressed the coaching staff with his abilities and how fast he picked up the offense. He seems even more comfortable and mobile in the pocket and when asked about the different quarterbacks Tom Allen noted that “Mike Penix continues to have great zip on the ball and good accuracy and placement.”
The third quarterback in the trio; Brandon Dawkins, is trying to get acclimated with the offense and the new team after not being there in the spring. As long as all the quarterbacks stay healthy, Indiana has three solid options behind the ball and an offensive line that looks much improved even from the spring.
The receivers are a group that struggled with injuries last season but so far in fall camp they look healthy and quick. J-Shun Harris impressed on Saturday with a couple long catches and is making recovering from one of the hardest injuries look effortless. Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale are also back and running routes at practice. On the offensive side, Tom Allen said he was impressed by a couple different guys including Miles Marshall, Stevie Scott, and Mike Penix.
Flipping to the other side of the ball, the Hoosiers graduated a number of defensive players including both linebackers who saw virtually all the snaps. Finding players to replace these two has been something they have focused on since the Spring. Coach Tom Allen said they are emphasizing takeaways and the importance of them on defense. He discussed how well the offense performed during Friday’s practice with protecting the ball which in turn made the defense run quite a bit. From Friday, the defense was motivated to come out with those takeaways throughout practice on Saturday.
The defensive line looks a lot quicker than they did just a few months ago as well as the rest of the defense. The Hoosiers are working on getting a lot of different players snaps because depth at every position is going to be crucial for them this year. Coach Tom Allen said he has been impressed by a couple different freshmen defensively including Cam Jones, who is playing the husky position, Jamar Johnson and Reese Taylor. Reese Taylor is an all around player who they have on both sides of the ball currently.
The Hoosiers may only be a few days in but already they are entering the fall in better shape than the last few years. Getting these first few practices underway for everyone has given the coaches and players a measure of where the team is at and where the adjustments and improvements need to be made.
