Things to Watch When the Hoosiers Open Spring Practice March 5th

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The Indiana Hoosiers kickoff the 2022 spring season on March 5th in Bloomington. IU is coming off a very disappointing 2-10 (0-9) season that has brought on many changes and questions about the program heading into an important 2022 season. While spring practice usually goes under the radar, for good reason, this year spring practice is vital for the success of the program. Below are five topics to keep an eye on during the next six to seven weeks as IU hits the field for the first time since a 44-7 loss to Purdue to end the 2021 season.

1. New Coordinators on Both Sides of the Ball- The Hoosiers are breaking in two new coordinators for the 2022 season. Walt Bell takes over for the fired Nick Sheridan and Chad Wilt replaces Charlton Warren who left for UNC.

The IU offense will look different under Bell and the hope is that he and the staff use spring practice to install the system and start the race for who starts under center for the Hoosiers.

Defensively, Tom Allen will call the plays, but Chad Wilt is the coordinator. So, expect the IU defense to look more like it did in 2019 and 2020 than it did in 2021, which is not a bad thing.

The Hoosiers also have two new position coaches in Craig Johnson at the running backs spot and Paul Randolph on the defensive line. After a 2-10 campaign in 2021, maybe this is the shakeup IU needed.

2. 19 New Players Enrolled for Spring Practice- The Hoosiers welcome in nine early enrollee freshmen and 10 transfers. That is nearly 20 percent of the team that will be new, with many of them coming at positions of need. The Hoosiers will get reinforcements at the quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker and defensive line positions from the transfer portal.

From the freshman recruiting class the nine early enrollees include Dominic James (DL), Dasan McCullough (Edge), Venson Sneed (DL), James Monds III (CB), Carter Smith (OL), Ryan Miller (TE), Jaylin Lucas (AP) and Kaiden Turner (LB). Spring practice is a great chance for the newcomers to make their mark before the fall.

3. Hoosiers Need to Build Toughness- The Hoosiers lacked toughness in 2021, it was evident in their play in the trenches on offense and in how they folded in games down the stretch. While there are rules in place to limit contact practices in college football, the Hoosiers need to take advantage of the times they can go full speed and build the mental and physical toughness of the team, especially along the offensive line who has plenty to prove in 2022.

4.  Position Battles Galore- This is what makes this year’s spring practice so intriguing. The Hoosiers have position battles all over the field on offense, defense and special teams. All eyes will be on the quarterback position, but there are battles at running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive and defensive line and linebacker. Hoosier Huddle will break down those position battles in the upcoming days.

5. Establish an Identity- The 2021 Hoosiers had no identity and it torpedoed their season. Now is the time to establish one that will stick. Tom Allen’s word for the team in 2022 is ‘Build’. The Hoosiers have plenty of building to do, but they have the raw materials to rebuild back into a bowl team. On offense Walt Bell needs to use the spring to figure out what the offensive identity will be and then build it into the offseason and into the fall.

With Allen taking over the defensive play calling, the Hoosiers have a vision of what their identity will be, they just need to get back to what they did in 2020 under Kane Wommack, which is be ultra-aggressive and take he ball away.