Indiana University Athletics
Graham Notebook: Draft Complete, Hoosiers Focused in Final Week
4/10/2018 9:04:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Morgan Ellison is officially inactive heading into Saturday's 12 p.m. Cream & Crimson Game.
But the sophomore running back was perhaps the most active guy around during Monday night's draft that determined the squads for the annual intrasquad game that concludes spring practice.
Ellison was wearing a walking boot, having sustained a lower left leg injury a couple of Saturdays ago. But not only was he ambulatory Monday, he was showing off considerable dance moves to the hip-hop soundtrack filling the IU Team Room between picks.
When running back colleague Ahrod Lloyd was selected with the Cream's first announced selection, Ellison exclaimed, "That's my guy!" When fellow running back Mike Majette was also selected by the Cream, he and Ellison exchanged an elaborate hand-jive.
But it was during the free agency mayhem that ensued following the 48 formal draft picks that Ellison truly shined.
All the players already assigned to teams descended upon available teammates to plead cases for their respective squads, and about a dozen players – evenly split between red and white hats – cornered redshirt sophomore defensive back Jonah Morris in the back of the room.
It was hard seeing how Morris could differentiate between the arguments, given they all came simultaneously and at high volume from 12 voices. But somehow Cream representative Ellison seemed to break through the cacophonous barrage and make his case.
Free agents had to confirm their choice via text. Morris to the Cream team.
And perhaps whenever his playing days are done, if Ellison chooses to stay in the game as a coach at the college level, he might well have what it takes.
"I am," Ellison exulted behind a wide smile, "the best recruiter there IS."
Ellison also could make another ancillary case.
Saturday's winners will get steak dinners served to them by the losers, who in turn will only get to consume beans and weenies.
Regardless of Saturday's outcome, Ellison should get steak. For healing purposes. Just sayin'.
STEAK MAN
Coy Cronk, on the 2018 Crimson roster, got a steak last year. He's counting on the same this time around.
"I like my steak cooked medium, maybe a little bit toward medium-rare," Cronk said, ready to specify. "They have it up in Henke Hall. They have everything laid out for us and then the other team serves us.
"I really like what the coaches did on the Crimson staff. I think we've got a really good squad – good O-line, good D-line, where it all starts. We've got play-makers on the outside. P-Rams (Peyton Ramsey) is our quarterback. So I like where we're at. That's why you've got to play the game, but I feel like we're going to be confident heading in."
Cronk is a fan of the chaotic free agency part of draft night.
"Pretty wild," he said. "It's kind of awesome. Because guys might feel left out if they didn't get drafted, then all of a sudden all their other teammates are swarming them, wanting them on their team.
"I think it boosts confidence and gets everybody excited. It gets intense. It's a fun part of it, for sure."
WELL ENTRENCHED
Cronk is one of 14 offensive linemen back for the Hoosiers from the 2017 squad, and that's not counting transfers such a former Miami center Nick Linder or spring walk-ons such as Dominic Altimari from Cincinnati St. Xavier.
The Hoosiers graduated zero offensive linemen. Everybody returns. The whole starting unit. The entire two-deep chart. A year more experienced. A year stronger.
"We came into spring ball with a lot of experience, a lot of returning starters," Cronk affirmed. "We're 13 practices in and I think we've had a really good spring. There are some things we need to clean up … we're not quite there but we're getting there.
"It's very different in the sense that we've got guys who are established, guys who have played together, guys who are comfortable (playing together). I think that plays a lot into confidence and how that shows on the field. I think that's been good for our O-line and our offense in its entirety."
Football people know it all starts with the offensive line. Backs and receivers can't make plays if the line doesn't provide a conducive context.
IU offensive line coach Darren Hiller utilized an automobile analogy Tuesday.
"You can have a nice, shiny car," Hiller said. "Nice paint job. Slick and stylish. Really snazzy. Cool wheels. But if it doesn't have an engine, it's not going anywhere."
Hiller, entering his second season with the Hoosiers, likes his engine parts.
The players now know what it's like to play for Hiller, too. He introduced new terminology governing line play last spring. They all speak his language now.
"And the other thing, stemming from the second year with them, is trust," Hiller said. "Trust in what we're doing. That's a big deal. They have trust in me, and that we're not coming out and doing drills just to be doing drills.
"I always try to explain to them: 'This is what we're going to be doing today, and this is the reason why.' In today's day and age, young men don't want to just be doing what you tell them to do. They want to know why. And I think it's good."
Hiller sees progress from veterans and relative newcomers alike.
"I think the whole group has gotten better," Hiller said, specifically citing fifth-year senior guard Wes Martin, junior tackle Coy Cronk, senior tackles Brandon Knight and Delroy Baker and redshirt junior center Hunter Littlejohn among the vets. "Wes Martin is playing at a really, really high level right now. Definitely a leader. A lead-by-example guy … he's kind of country, kind of sits back.
"Coy Cronk is obviously going to be a special player here, going into his junior year now. He's a vocal guy. Simon (Stepaniak). Delroy Baker. Brandon Knight. Hunter Littlejohn – another guy I'd kind of like to brag on a little bit because from a year ago to today, it's night and day difference at that (center) position for us right now."
And then there are players such as sophomore center-guard Harry Crider, compelled to play as a true freshman last fall when IU's line depth wasn't as robust, and freshman tackle Caleb Jones, who redshirted last fall.
"What's been really good is to see Caleb Jones and Harry Crider … just seeing the development of some of those younger guys," Hiller said. "Last year, at this point, we knew we were probably going to have to count on Harry Crider. We talked about Harry coming in and maybe playing as a freshman. Caleb Jones (also). We made it through without playing Caleb, which was awesome for him from a development standpoint."
Hiller said Crider is already one of the stronger players on the team and expects Crider to develop more explosive athleticism. He expects Jones – still massive at 6-foot-8 and 360 pounds – to continue slimming and strengthening under the tutelage of conditioning coaches Dave Ballou and Dr. Matt Rhea.
"Coach Ballou and Coach Rhea are making a difference," Hiller said. "There was a play, Saturday, where Wes Martin does something and it is perfect … Wes' power numbers, in all things, are really high. And there was a play during the scrimmage – late in the scrimmage, play 94 or 95 – and what he did was perfect.
"There were three guys in the offensive line that should have looked exactly the same on that play. But Wes stood out. I had to show my whole group that this morning … and those guys are seeing the benefits of the strength and conditioning transfer to the field."
Hiller expects a deeper, stronger, more experienced offensive line to translate into improved play next fall.
"It's been drastic change from last year to now," Hiller said. "Last year, they're trying to get to know me, trying to get to know us (a whole new staff) on offense. Now, it's completely different."
The engine is humming.
CREAM & CRIMSON QBS
Redshirt sophomore Peyton Ramsey, who started four games last fall, will quarterback the Crimson team Saturday. True freshman Michael Penix Jr., in his first spring on campus, will call signals for the Cream.
A football maxim is that experience helps the game "slow down" for players, allowing them to handle things more effectively.
"That'd be a good way to put it," said Ramsey, who completed 65 percent of his passes and threw for 1,252 yards before an injury truncated his redshirt freshman campaign. "I can take a deep breath and just think a little bit more and just relax back there. I think (the experience) has paid off. I think I've made strides. I'm a lot more comfortable and confident back there running the offense.
"Having been in this offense for a year, and having had the chance to go out and compete in the Big Ten, I think I've allowed myself to focus not so much on the offensive side of things, but look more at the defensive side of the ball. Seeing what they're doing pre-snap. Kind of training my mind to think a lot quicker than I was able to last year. Because (then) it was just a whole lot thrown at me at once."
Ramsey relishes the competition he's gotten this spring from Penix.
"It's awesome," Ramsey said. "It helps us every single day because we know we have to be at our best. We're pushing each other to get better every single day. I think it's really beneficial to have guys in there who are competing every day and pushing this offense to get better.
"I just try to talk to him and, if he has any questions, to be there and help him. But he's a quick learner. He works really hard. So he's a guy that's easy to work with, a guy who's fun to be around. And, ultimately, he's a guy who's helping make this team better and that's what it's all about."
IU quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan has noticed the difference some experience has made for Ramsey.
"Repetitions and experience are great teachers," Sheridan said. "You can't substitute for experience. Him gaining those valuable reps during the season last fall, and obviously having gone through another spring practice, I think that has benefited him and helped with his development."
Sheridan also noted both Ramsey and Penix learn quickly.
"(Penix) has been coached and trained well, coming in," Sheridan said. "Both his high school coach and staff and other guys in his area who worked with him privately understood football. They did an outstanding job with him and exposed him to a level of football that not all had school kids are fortunate enough to be exposed to.
"He has some naturalness to his game. The game does not appear to be too fast for him. But every day is a new day. And Peyton is a coach's son. Both of them have good minds. They understand football and they love football. And if you love it, you're going to try to get good."
Competition contributes to getting good, too.
"They are both great kids," Sheridan said. "And I think, from a coaching staff standpoint, we're honest with them. So they understand we're going to make decisions that are best for the time, first. They recognize that.
"It's their job to compete their tail off and earn playing time. We're always going to play the best player, the guy who best benefits the team. They understand it. There is no bitterness between them. It is a healthy competition, for sure. And I think it's pushed both of them to improve."
And that process, that competition, will continue Saturday.
With steak or weenies riding on the result.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Morgan Ellison is officially inactive heading into Saturday's 12 p.m. Cream & Crimson Game.
But the sophomore running back was perhaps the most active guy around during Monday night's draft that determined the squads for the annual intrasquad game that concludes spring practice.
Ellison was wearing a walking boot, having sustained a lower left leg injury a couple of Saturdays ago. But not only was he ambulatory Monday, he was showing off considerable dance moves to the hip-hop soundtrack filling the IU Team Room between picks.
When running back colleague Ahrod Lloyd was selected with the Cream's first announced selection, Ellison exclaimed, "That's my guy!" When fellow running back Mike Majette was also selected by the Cream, he and Ellison exchanged an elaborate hand-jive.
But it was during the free agency mayhem that ensued following the 48 formal draft picks that Ellison truly shined.
All the players already assigned to teams descended upon available teammates to plead cases for their respective squads, and about a dozen players – evenly split between red and white hats – cornered redshirt sophomore defensive back Jonah Morris in the back of the room.
It was hard seeing how Morris could differentiate between the arguments, given they all came simultaneously and at high volume from 12 voices. But somehow Cream representative Ellison seemed to break through the cacophonous barrage and make his case.
Free agents had to confirm their choice via text. Morris to the Cream team.
And perhaps whenever his playing days are done, if Ellison chooses to stay in the game as a coach at the college level, he might well have what it takes.
"I am," Ellison exulted behind a wide smile, "the best recruiter there IS."
Ellison also could make another ancillary case.
Saturday's winners will get steak dinners served to them by the losers, who in turn will only get to consume beans and weenies.
Regardless of Saturday's outcome, Ellison should get steak. For healing purposes. Just sayin'.
STEAK MAN
Coy Cronk, on the 2018 Crimson roster, got a steak last year. He's counting on the same this time around.
"I like my steak cooked medium, maybe a little bit toward medium-rare," Cronk said, ready to specify. "They have it up in Henke Hall. They have everything laid out for us and then the other team serves us.
"I really like what the coaches did on the Crimson staff. I think we've got a really good squad – good O-line, good D-line, where it all starts. We've got play-makers on the outside. P-Rams (Peyton Ramsey) is our quarterback. So I like where we're at. That's why you've got to play the game, but I feel like we're going to be confident heading in."
Cronk is a fan of the chaotic free agency part of draft night.
"Pretty wild," he said. "It's kind of awesome. Because guys might feel left out if they didn't get drafted, then all of a sudden all their other teammates are swarming them, wanting them on their team.
"I think it boosts confidence and gets everybody excited. It gets intense. It's a fun part of it, for sure."
WELL ENTRENCHED
Cronk is one of 14 offensive linemen back for the Hoosiers from the 2017 squad, and that's not counting transfers such a former Miami center Nick Linder or spring walk-ons such as Dominic Altimari from Cincinnati St. Xavier.
The Hoosiers graduated zero offensive linemen. Everybody returns. The whole starting unit. The entire two-deep chart. A year more experienced. A year stronger.
"We came into spring ball with a lot of experience, a lot of returning starters," Cronk affirmed. "We're 13 practices in and I think we've had a really good spring. There are some things we need to clean up … we're not quite there but we're getting there.
"It's very different in the sense that we've got guys who are established, guys who have played together, guys who are comfortable (playing together). I think that plays a lot into confidence and how that shows on the field. I think that's been good for our O-line and our offense in its entirety."
Football people know it all starts with the offensive line. Backs and receivers can't make plays if the line doesn't provide a conducive context.
IU offensive line coach Darren Hiller utilized an automobile analogy Tuesday.
"You can have a nice, shiny car," Hiller said. "Nice paint job. Slick and stylish. Really snazzy. Cool wheels. But if it doesn't have an engine, it's not going anywhere."
Hiller, entering his second season with the Hoosiers, likes his engine parts.
The players now know what it's like to play for Hiller, too. He introduced new terminology governing line play last spring. They all speak his language now.
"And the other thing, stemming from the second year with them, is trust," Hiller said. "Trust in what we're doing. That's a big deal. They have trust in me, and that we're not coming out and doing drills just to be doing drills.
"I always try to explain to them: 'This is what we're going to be doing today, and this is the reason why.' In today's day and age, young men don't want to just be doing what you tell them to do. They want to know why. And I think it's good."
Hiller sees progress from veterans and relative newcomers alike.
"I think the whole group has gotten better," Hiller said, specifically citing fifth-year senior guard Wes Martin, junior tackle Coy Cronk, senior tackles Brandon Knight and Delroy Baker and redshirt junior center Hunter Littlejohn among the vets. "Wes Martin is playing at a really, really high level right now. Definitely a leader. A lead-by-example guy … he's kind of country, kind of sits back.
"Coy Cronk is obviously going to be a special player here, going into his junior year now. He's a vocal guy. Simon (Stepaniak). Delroy Baker. Brandon Knight. Hunter Littlejohn – another guy I'd kind of like to brag on a little bit because from a year ago to today, it's night and day difference at that (center) position for us right now."
And then there are players such as sophomore center-guard Harry Crider, compelled to play as a true freshman last fall when IU's line depth wasn't as robust, and freshman tackle Caleb Jones, who redshirted last fall.
"What's been really good is to see Caleb Jones and Harry Crider … just seeing the development of some of those younger guys," Hiller said. "Last year, at this point, we knew we were probably going to have to count on Harry Crider. We talked about Harry coming in and maybe playing as a freshman. Caleb Jones (also). We made it through without playing Caleb, which was awesome for him from a development standpoint."
Hiller said Crider is already one of the stronger players on the team and expects Crider to develop more explosive athleticism. He expects Jones – still massive at 6-foot-8 and 360 pounds – to continue slimming and strengthening under the tutelage of conditioning coaches Dave Ballou and Dr. Matt Rhea.
"Coach Ballou and Coach Rhea are making a difference," Hiller said. "There was a play, Saturday, where Wes Martin does something and it is perfect … Wes' power numbers, in all things, are really high. And there was a play during the scrimmage – late in the scrimmage, play 94 or 95 – and what he did was perfect.
"There were three guys in the offensive line that should have looked exactly the same on that play. But Wes stood out. I had to show my whole group that this morning … and those guys are seeing the benefits of the strength and conditioning transfer to the field."
Hiller expects a deeper, stronger, more experienced offensive line to translate into improved play next fall.
"It's been drastic change from last year to now," Hiller said. "Last year, they're trying to get to know me, trying to get to know us (a whole new staff) on offense. Now, it's completely different."
The engine is humming.
CREAM & CRIMSON QBS
Redshirt sophomore Peyton Ramsey, who started four games last fall, will quarterback the Crimson team Saturday. True freshman Michael Penix Jr., in his first spring on campus, will call signals for the Cream.
A football maxim is that experience helps the game "slow down" for players, allowing them to handle things more effectively.
"That'd be a good way to put it," said Ramsey, who completed 65 percent of his passes and threw for 1,252 yards before an injury truncated his redshirt freshman campaign. "I can take a deep breath and just think a little bit more and just relax back there. I think (the experience) has paid off. I think I've made strides. I'm a lot more comfortable and confident back there running the offense.
"Having been in this offense for a year, and having had the chance to go out and compete in the Big Ten, I think I've allowed myself to focus not so much on the offensive side of things, but look more at the defensive side of the ball. Seeing what they're doing pre-snap. Kind of training my mind to think a lot quicker than I was able to last year. Because (then) it was just a whole lot thrown at me at once."
Ramsey relishes the competition he's gotten this spring from Penix.
"It's awesome," Ramsey said. "It helps us every single day because we know we have to be at our best. We're pushing each other to get better every single day. I think it's really beneficial to have guys in there who are competing every day and pushing this offense to get better.
"I just try to talk to him and, if he has any questions, to be there and help him. But he's a quick learner. He works really hard. So he's a guy that's easy to work with, a guy who's fun to be around. And, ultimately, he's a guy who's helping make this team better and that's what it's all about."
IU quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan has noticed the difference some experience has made for Ramsey.
"Repetitions and experience are great teachers," Sheridan said. "You can't substitute for experience. Him gaining those valuable reps during the season last fall, and obviously having gone through another spring practice, I think that has benefited him and helped with his development."
Sheridan also noted both Ramsey and Penix learn quickly.
"(Penix) has been coached and trained well, coming in," Sheridan said. "Both his high school coach and staff and other guys in his area who worked with him privately understood football. They did an outstanding job with him and exposed him to a level of football that not all had school kids are fortunate enough to be exposed to.
"He has some naturalness to his game. The game does not appear to be too fast for him. But every day is a new day. And Peyton is a coach's son. Both of them have good minds. They understand football and they love football. And if you love it, you're going to try to get good."
Competition contributes to getting good, too.
"They are both great kids," Sheridan said. "And I think, from a coaching staff standpoint, we're honest with them. So they understand we're going to make decisions that are best for the time, first. They recognize that.
"It's their job to compete their tail off and earn playing time. We're always going to play the best player, the guy who best benefits the team. They understand it. There is no bitterness between them. It is a healthy competition, for sure. And I think it's pushed both of them to improve."
And that process, that competition, will continue Saturday.
With steak or weenies riding on the result.
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
QB
/ FootballFB: Kaelon Black Media Availability (10/28/25)
Tuesday, October 28
FB: Devan Boykin Media Availability (10/28/25)
Tuesday, October 28
FB: Week 10 (at Maryland) - Curt Cignetti Press Conference
Monday, October 27
FB: Week 9 (UCLA) - Curt Cignetti Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, October 25