Notebook: Wilson Likes Depth, Updates Schedule, Injuries
3/6/2016 4:25:00 PM | Football
There was a time during Kevin Wilson's tenure at Indiana where the start of spring meant concern over addressing the inevitable problems that come with player turnover.
The issues were by no means exclusive to IU. Teams across the country begin the new year struggling to replace graduated seniors and players who turned professional early. It's part of the process.
Now beginning his sixth season in Bloomington with spring practice opening Saturday, Wilson said that same procedure doesn't seem as daunting now as it once did.
"I think our team's getting deeper," Wilson said. "We lose a couple of good linemen, but it doesn't look like a void. Where I think years ago, all of a sudden it's like, 'Wow. How do you replace them?' Not that we have all the answers."
Wilson compared his own team to Indiana men's basketball in a sense that teams need to keep up with cycles of players. Sometimes certain positions are strong when others are weak, leaving players and coaches to compensate.
Wilson said those lulls become easier to manage with time and experience. As a result, there's not as much of a learning curve at the beginning of practice and teams are primed for success.
"Sometimes it just takes a year or two to grow up," Wilson said. "We don't get college players like Peyton Manning for 18 years. We get you for four. Sometimes it takes a year or two to get ready. There are just voids."
That being said, Wilson's staff still has holes to manage.
He mentioned finding a new starting quarterback, replacing veterans on the offensive line and implementing new defensive coordinator Tom Allen's scheme as items near the top of the agenda this spring.
Over time, he's hoping to see new leaders emerging to set the tone in practice and make that process easier.
"There's a good vibe on the team," Wilson said. "They're fun to work with. We've got a lot of work to do, but we're setting up good."
IU Using New Practice Format
Indiana's 2016 spring schedule format breaks the trend from recent seasons, beginning a week earlier and ending the weekend of Little 500.
The Hoosiers are practicing through the upcoming week before taking nearly two weeks off through Spring Break. The plan is for IU to reflect during the early break after implementing new schemes and come back ready for a five-week stretch to close out the spring.
"We're not trying to overpractice, but we've got a new defense we're trying to get squared up," Wilson said. "We've got to get a quarterback up to speed. A couple of other positions are trying to improve, so we're not trying to beat them up."
The defense was among the primary reasons for the schedule change. After seeing Allen's system in place the first week, Wilson said the players and staff will both be able to reflect on the changes.
It shouldn't be that drastic of a change from a year ago, Wilson said, but it's still worth going slowly enough to assure everyone is on the same page.
"We're trying to go real slow," Wilson said. "We just want to get the culture of being excited and playing aggressive, tough defense. We've got to do that day after day."
Wilson Pleased With Health
Despite six players being ruled out of spring practice, Wilson said he was pleased with the overall status of Indiana's health to begin the new season.
"We were actually pretty good," Wilson said. "We came through the winter with no glitches."
Dominique Booth, Donovan Clark, Zander Diamont, Chase Dutra, Isaac Griffith and Zeke Walker have all been ruled out for all 15 of the Hoosiers' spring practices.
The issues were by no means exclusive to IU. Teams across the country begin the new year struggling to replace graduated seniors and players who turned professional early. It's part of the process.
Now beginning his sixth season in Bloomington with spring practice opening Saturday, Wilson said that same procedure doesn't seem as daunting now as it once did.
"I think our team's getting deeper," Wilson said. "We lose a couple of good linemen, but it doesn't look like a void. Where I think years ago, all of a sudden it's like, 'Wow. How do you replace them?' Not that we have all the answers."
Wilson compared his own team to Indiana men's basketball in a sense that teams need to keep up with cycles of players. Sometimes certain positions are strong when others are weak, leaving players and coaches to compensate.
Wilson said those lulls become easier to manage with time and experience. As a result, there's not as much of a learning curve at the beginning of practice and teams are primed for success.
"Sometimes it just takes a year or two to grow up," Wilson said. "We don't get college players like Peyton Manning for 18 years. We get you for four. Sometimes it takes a year or two to get ready. There are just voids."
That being said, Wilson's staff still has holes to manage.
He mentioned finding a new starting quarterback, replacing veterans on the offensive line and implementing new defensive coordinator Tom Allen's scheme as items near the top of the agenda this spring.
Over time, he's hoping to see new leaders emerging to set the tone in practice and make that process easier.
"There's a good vibe on the team," Wilson said. "They're fun to work with. We've got a lot of work to do, but we're setting up good."
IU Using New Practice Format
Indiana's 2016 spring schedule format breaks the trend from recent seasons, beginning a week earlier and ending the weekend of Little 500.
The Hoosiers are practicing through the upcoming week before taking nearly two weeks off through Spring Break. The plan is for IU to reflect during the early break after implementing new schemes and come back ready for a five-week stretch to close out the spring.
"We're not trying to overpractice, but we've got a new defense we're trying to get squared up," Wilson said. "We've got to get a quarterback up to speed. A couple of other positions are trying to improve, so we're not trying to beat them up."
The defense was among the primary reasons for the schedule change. After seeing Allen's system in place the first week, Wilson said the players and staff will both be able to reflect on the changes.
It shouldn't be that drastic of a change from a year ago, Wilson said, but it's still worth going slowly enough to assure everyone is on the same page.
"We're trying to go real slow," Wilson said. "We just want to get the culture of being excited and playing aggressive, tough defense. We've got to do that day after day."
Wilson Pleased With Health
Despite six players being ruled out of spring practice, Wilson said he was pleased with the overall status of Indiana's health to begin the new season.
"We were actually pretty good," Wilson said. "We came through the winter with no glitches."
Dominique Booth, Donovan Clark, Zander Diamont, Chase Dutra, Isaac Griffith and Zeke Walker have all been ruled out for all 15 of the Hoosiers' spring practices.
Players Mentioned
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