Notes and Quotes From Tom Allen's Early Signing Period Press Conference

Written by: Zach Greene (@zachegreene)

Tom Allen addressed the media following the program’s signing day. It was a busy day for programs across the country. IU will welcome 16 newcomers to the program. Most of whom are 3-star recruits. Some will be incoming impact freshmen while others will be transferring from other programs. Expect to hear a lot of new names this season.

Incoming Transfers

Andre Carter (DB): “the first transfer that I'm going to mention here. Coming to us from Western Michigan University. He's a big man. Really excited about him. 6'4"-plus and 265 pounds. He just graduated. He is not just physically a big man. He is mature, and he has just done so many great things for them there. And the job that those coaches did at that program, especially on defense, is impressive. Their defensive line was impressive. A chance to get him to come here and an opportunity to play in the Big Ten, so just love Andre. Got a chance to get to know his mother. The relationship that they have is really special. Just excited about bringing him here, and he will be in here midyear, and have a chance to truly dive right into this and get a chance to really plug in and earn a spot. He knows that, and that's what this is all about for everybody that we brought in. But just excited about the maturity he brings to us and the opportunity to be able to elevate his game and play in the Big Ten and to be able reach his goals. So excited to have Andre with us.”

Jamier Johnson (DB): “another transfer that we got from University of Texas as a DB. Lost some DBs to graduation this year and the NFL. So really important to be able to get some older guys in here and gives us great length and athleticism to come to us here. He is another California high school player that comes via the transfer situation. So got a chance to spend time with him, get to know him here and bring him into the fold. So excited about him. His parents came with him on his visit, and Mom and Dad really fell in love with our culture and our environment he is going to be in, and excited about developing him here and helping us do great things defensively here with him in the secondary.”

Tyrik McDaniel (DB): “ I tell you what, another junior college transfer that I just really was drawn to. There's just something about his mindset that he brings to us, and he is coming to us from Independence Community College there in Kansas and from the state of South Carolina originally out of high school. Tyrik will play safety for us, and he brings a physicality to that position. Some more maturity and some experience that we need losing three seniors back there in that rotation that we have. So just want to be able to get Tyrik in here. He will be in here in the spring semester here in a few weeks and get a chance to get him rolling right away. Big, over 6-foot tall and 190 pounds and really can run and physical guy. Just a tremendous drive, passion to be able to play in the Big Ten Conference and be able to show and prove who he is as a player and as a man. I'm excited about that. I love just hearing his story and getting to know him. And having his dad here with us and just being able to connect with them and just kind of see his heart and what he wants to do when he comes here. So just expect him to come here and compete to get on that field right away and make a difference on you are on team defensively.”

Max Longman (OL): “Another transfer that we had here today that I'm so excited about Max. Getting to know his mom when she came on his visit and just a guy that fits with us. You know, tough, hard-nosed. Coming from University of Massachusetts and been a starter there for the last several years. Just brings that maturity and that experience and the grown-man strength and the ability to come in here and play. So just really excited about him. Just the more time I spend with him even as recently as of last night talking to him and continuing to get to know him and just really knowing how much he really fits here and has been a dream to be able to play in the Big Ten. Midwest guy from Michigan originally. Just excited about Max and what he is going to bring to our program.”

Jamison Kelly (S): “Another safety coming to us from Columbia, Mississippi. Went to Jones Community College. Man, tell you what, what a physical football player. I love how he can run and tackle. He has great length. 6'1"-plus, close to 6'2", 205, 210 pounds. Just bringing the guy that has -- he is a guy we recruited out of high school. To be able to continue to stay recruiting him and get to know him and got a lot of connections down there, so just really love Jamison's attitude. Man, he loves, loves football. Loves to practice. Loves to train. Loves to work. Brings that physical mindset to everything he does. Really excited about bringing Jamison here and expect him to come in here and compete this spring. He will be here -- Jamier as well as Jamison will be here midyear.”

Incoming High School Players

Amare Ferrell (DB): “Tell you what, Amare is a really, really talented safety that we brought to us here from Lake City, Florida, Columbia High School. Got a chance to watch him play in person in the state semifinals. Just so impressed with his athleticism. He is a big guy that can move, and really, really good tackler. He has really good feet and can run. So, Amare has been with us. Came and visited over the summer. Committed to us and stayed true to us the whole time. A lot of people tried to come in on him because he is a really talented player, but just really appreciate him staying with us. Excited about his future. It's going to be very, very bright, and he is a guy that will be here midyear as well and have a chance to come in and compete to play right away. I know that's his goal.”

William Larkins (OL): “Also, William Larkins, big offensive linemen. The third one we've already mentioned is out of high school O-line. Big 6'4", 300 pounds. Played very good high school football in Hollywood, Florida. Chaminade-Madonna Prep is where he has been going to school and playing a lot of football. Won another state championship. Won multiple ones with that great program there with Coach Jones. Just going to come up here and develop. He will be here midyear as well. Just a chance to come up here and compete in our program. He has been here a couple of different times. Came once on his official visit and then came up here on his own to just continue to be around our players and be with our program, and just love his passion for Indiana football and his passion for what we're building here and the culture we've created. So really excited to get Will up here. He will be up here in a few weeks getting ready to get in that weight room and get stronger.”

Sam West (TE): “We have Sam West, a tight end. Once again, another multi-sport guy. Was an SEC baseball commit prior to deciding he want wanted to make his future in football. Was a high school quarterback, played multiple positions. We're projecting him as a tight end. He is a big athlete. That's how I view him. Just a guy from Greensburg, Indiana here in our home state. From a great family. Sister already goes to school here. Just got a chance to be with him. He got to come to many of our games this year, pretty much all of them, and just a chance to connect with him and his family. Allowed him to be able to truly get engrained with our guys from the very beginning and get connected with our commits that were already joining us after the summer visits. Sam is going to bring good athleticism to that tight-end position, and he is another midyear guy. Many guys here, as I mentioned, are going to be with us midyear, which is very important for their development, but the guys that aren't are going to be training at home and competing and finishing out their high school careers, and they're going to be joining us in June. Love this group, but it's just phase one of this recruiting cycle, and now ready to move on to phase two.”

Broc Lowry (QB):  “Coming out of high school, I tell you, what a career. Just led his team to a state championship there in Canfield, Ohio. Just a tough, hard-nosed competitor. That's how I would best describe Broc. He is going to be midyear, so he will be here in a couple of weeks. But he is just a winner and plays the game with a chip on his shoulder. Runs the football. Throws the football. Pretty much ran for 2,000, threw for 2,000. And even in the state championship game threw a touchdown pass, a couple of those. Ran for a few. Caught one. Just plays defense, plays safety, makes tackles. As a matter of fact, that's what really caught my eye. I joked with him when we first started recruiting him is I loved his defensive film. He was coming down smoking folks and just loves to hit and just has that tough mentality to him that he is going to bring. And just really love his family. They came several times. Got to come to several games and been able to get around our guys and just really respect him for what he has done as a high school player, and now is he going to be here soon and being developed as a college athlete. So excited about bringing Broc to our program.”

Orlando Greenlow (WR): “Big old athlete. He is listed as a wide receiver. 6'5", 210 pounds. But I put him as an athlete. He is out of California. He is out of California, Lawndale, California. Just can play receiver, can rush the quarterback, could be a tight end. Not totally sure he knows that. We've talked about that, but you find long athletes that can run. Fits with us. Came with his mom over the summer. Just fell in love with him and his attitude. He is one that when the Big Ten kind of moved out west there and included USC and UCLA, adding them allowed us to really expand a little bit out there. He was a beneficiary of that, and excited to have Orlando with us as a part of our program now.”

Tyler Jefferies (OL): “Known as Bubba. Man, what a tough guy. Love him. Love his mindset. Loves to work. Plays mean and nasty. Big guy. Alcoa, Tennessee. All they do is win. He has won, like, eight or nine straight state championships in a row, which is unbelievable. Just love his family. A guy that we really just as a program fell in love with all of them because they love what we're all about, love football. He is going to come in here and work and train and embrace everything about this program and make us better. Really excited about having Bubba with us on the offensive line.”

Ta’Derius Collins (DL): “Also out of high school defensive lineman. So excited about Ta'Derius. He has length, 6'4". He is a basketball player as well as football. You know I love multi-sport guys. I already mentioned that one of them is a wrestler. Now Ta'Derius is a basketball player and just guys that compete in other sports. He is an edge guy that you are looking for and guys that can rush the passer. And he can actually play either position, the end, or the bull spot. Excited about him out of Northwood High School in Shreveport, Louisiana.”

Derrick Bohler (WR): “Wide receiver from Miami Palmetto High School. 6'1", 195, right out of high school good size. Very mature. Physically runs well. Really, really good ball skills. Just love getting to meet him through this process, and he came up and saw us over the summertime and had a chance to have a visit then and came back on his official visit with his mom, Bonnie. Just a great young man that fits with us, and so excited about him being here.”

Austin Barrett (OL): “So, starting out with... and this is alphabetical order. Austin Barrett, offensive lineman. Just so excited about him from St. Charles, Illinois. St. Charles East High School. Big, long athlete that plays offensive tackle. I love that he is a wrestler. I love his toughness, love his attitude. Just really, really been well, and he has a tremendously high ceiling that he is going to be able to attain to when he comes. Excited about getting Austin here and getting him going.”

Nicolas Radicic (K): “An All-American. Just one of the best kickers in the country. We have a pretty comprehensive way of going about finding our kickers, and Charles has been a great -- it's the same process we went through to find Charles. We went through the same process with Nick. He goes by Nico, but one of the best in America. He is an Army All-American and just has that kind of leg talent. He has to come do it, got to prove it here, but that's what he is going to be here to do is kick for us. He brings a lot of confidence coming out of Coppell High School there in Texas. Very strong program out of that state with a lot of history. So has come from a very well-prepared and has a really big and extensive soccer background as well. Even internationally. So very good athlete, and I like that in our specialist guys that have been multi-sport guys that understand how to compete and do a great job of having that mindset, bringing that to our kicking game and our specialist game. I'm really excited about having Nico with us. He is going to do a tremendous job here for us.”

Jordan Shaw (DB): “Also, Jordan Shaw, really was a tremendous addition to our program out of the state of California. Really had a great opportunity to get to know his family. His dad played at Michigan. Kind of gave us that Midwest connection even though they're all from California originally. Another opportunity because of us going out there to play with our conference expansion, it's given us a chance to be able to attract him. He has length. He runs really well. He watches film. He has tremendous ball skills. He is a great receiver in high school. Made a ton of plays with the ball in his hand. A punt returner. That's what I look for when you look at DBs. You love them to be punt returners. It shows athleticism with the ball in their hand. So real excited about bringing him from St. Pius X High School out there in Downey, California. Just a guy that fits with us. Excited about him being here. He wasn't afraid to come across country here and be a Hoosier, which is pretty cool. We have a national brand, and you see that by this group of guys here. All the different states represented. We got alumni across this country. I think that's a huge benefit. There's no doubt about it, as we continue to build our football program.”

Tom Allen:

Opening Statement:

“Just appreciate you guys joining us today. First day or I guess the early signing period has begun. Very unique calendar we're on now. A little different than we've had in the past in regard to the way that we approach the signing. To me it's very exciting to be able to bring in 16 guys today that signed with us from all across the country, both sides of the football. We have eight on offense, seven on defense, and one specialist. Just going to go through these guys. Really want to be able to talk about each one of them. I'm really excited about the group. When I think about this class and what they bring to us, just trying to emphasize length, athleticism. You know, obviously speed is always going to be a variable we're trying to improve here, but really trying to get bigger, longer guys. It always is about fit for me. That will never change no matter where they come from. So, this class is just full of that. A lot of good balance here. Just addressing needs that you always do and then to be able to maximize the current landscape that we're dealing with here with recruiting right now.”

On the Additon of New Offensive Line Coach Bob Bostad:

“I tell you what, so excited to have Bob join our staff. Coach Bostad is an unbelievably highly regarded offensive line coach in this country. Many would say he is the best O-line coach in the country. I would have to tend to agree with that the short time we've been around each other. Just a great ball coach. Been at the highest level, coached in the NFL on offensive line for several years. Produced many All-Americans at Wisconsin, a place that's kind of become an O-line factory for many, many years. So, he is a big part of all that. Just really that's what kind of drew me to him. Big Ten guy, Midwest guy. From the state of Wisconsin. Understands the conference. Understands how to recruit. Has recruited in the Indianapolis area for a long time. That's kind of how we met was in that recruiting process crossing paths there. But just from some common acquaintances that knew each other. So, when we had this position and obviously, we knew as with the change was made during the season and Coach Carey took over on an interim basis, we knew we were going to have to be able to find someone. As some things unfolded there, it allowed us to get Coach Bostad here with us pretty efficiently. The goal was to get him here and get to head out to recruit. We were probably pretty close to getting him as soon as that happened. I think there was a couple of days that he wasn't able to go out yet and recruit. We had to send out another coach in his place. To be able to have him, he was available for us with the situation there at Wisconsin. Bottom line is we found I feel like the very, very best person for the job. So excited about having him here and the job that he is already doing with our guys in regard to recruiting and evaluation. Then when I had a chance to tell our recruits that we had hired him, man, they were so fired up. They know the track record and the history that he has been able to produce everywhere he has been. So really excited to have him and anxious to be able to get back in the office once we get off the road and start talking some ball with him.”