Written By: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

Coach Tom Allen’s recruiting message has never been unclear.

From the day he stepped foot on campus, and especially since he took the reins as head coach, it’s been obvious. It’s about family, the team, each other. Developing meaningful relationships with players and coaches both on and off the field. It’s been LEO.

And despite the coronavirus changing everything about the world, his message remains the same.

“We feed off of those relationships and that's who we are. That's one of our strengths,” said Allen via teleconference on Wednesday. “We're a relationship-driven staff.”

Those relationships have been put to test as face-to-face contact has been eliminated and travel has been severely restricted. Coaches across the nation have been forced to adapt to the new normal. Fortunately for Allen, he’s actually noticed some improvements with the new system.

“I will say we've had a tremendously effective communication system with recruits that we've been able to establish because of the situation, because of parents working from home, players being home, doing coursework from home and working out at home. So, to be able to get them on the phone and build those relationships with them has been a very, very improved area because of the accessibility that everybody has.”

Allen and his staff have also been able to benefit from a nationwide recruiting trend they’ve noticed. As times become more unclear and players have extended time to sit down to discuss their future with their families, there has been an increase of recent commitments to schools close to home.

“I see more guys committing or committing closer to home. It really doesn't matter what part of the country you're dealing with. It's been a very consistent theme,” noted Allen.

“I think all the unknowns about future visits or lack thereof, even just the idea of being close to home when something like this were to happen or rear its ugly head again in the future. Guys have just gone that route.”

And when you look at Indiana’s commitments for the Class of 2021, the trend continues. Four of the Hoosiers’ first five commitments from the class have come from the state of Indiana, headlined by guys like Cooper Jones and Rodney McGraw. This may prove to be that much more important in 2021 and 2022 classes that have potential stars in the making inside the state’s border.

“I think that we were fortunate. We had a really, really aggressive plan with the 2021 class and even the '22 class to get guys on campus before this all happened. Just being proactive. We knew the 2021 class in the state of Indiana was a very strong class.”

For the still undecided recruits that weren’t as fortunate to have already seen Bloomington in person, the staff’s video team has stepped up.

“Their role has been very important. The virtual tours become a very big component here, utilizing those guys in a big way to somehow simulate what the campus feels like from far away. What it feels like to be in Bloomington as a city and just trying to show them the simple things of our facilities.”

It’s adapting to the times and doing anything you can to show players and their families that their future home could be in Bloomington: that their future family is waiting for them.

Because that’s what it’s always been about for Coach Allen, and no virus will change that.

Family.

The Huddle

Through all of the Change, The Tom Allen Recruiting Message Remains the Same

Hoosier Huddle