Indiana University Athletics
Making The Adjustment
8/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
August 21, 2002
Let's face it. Being a freshman on a college campus is not an easy proposition.
As if it weren't hard enough that they are in a totally new surrounding, they also have to live with being the punch line to every joke.
Life as a freshman athlete isn't much more glamorous, but three Indiana football players are doing their best.
Wide receiver Tyke Spencer and running backs John Pannozzo and Sean Miller all find themselves as candidates for some solid playing time in their first season at the collegiate level.
Spencer's ability to make both the spectacular and the solid plays has made him one of the more pleasant surprises to come out of the Hoosiers' first fall camp under new head coach Gerry DiNardo. He has seen his action increase steadily and could find himself as a regular part of the Hoosier receiving corps.
"Both Tyke and John have had good camps and predict to play this fall," DiNardo said. "As in most cases, three factors make it possible for a freshman to contribute. One is lack of depth at their position, two is conditioning, and three is the level of maturity of the freshman. Both John and Tyke fit into this category."
Despite the success he is having on the field, Spencer said it isn't always easy off the field.
"It's a lot different," Spencer said. "Normally, you'd go home when two-a-days were going on and then go hang out with your friends or girlfriend and things like that. Now you go back to a dorm. It's gotten a lot easier as they have gone on, but it was hard at first."
Miller said his challenges have come from other places.
"The biggest thing is lack of sleep," Miller said with a laugh. "You're constantly out there doing something."
Miller originally came to Bloomington as a tailback, but his strength has given the coaching staff the luxury of being able to move him around.
"Sean is a talented player," DiNardo said. "We have recently moved him to fullback and are anxious to see him develop there."
The physical aspect of football at this level has been something that has caught Pannozzo's attention.
"The guys here are a lot faster and stronger," Pannozzo said of his new teammates. "We're going to play solid teams every week in the Big Ten and we're working hard to get ready for them."
Pannozzo is a player who can very realistically find himself in the starting lineup for Indiana's season opener against William & Mary at Memorial Stadium on August 31. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native was an all-state selection at Poly Prep HS last year after running for 945 yards on only 89 carries (10.6 yards per carry).
"I'm in a good situation here," Pannozzo said. "Things have worked out well for me and now I have an opportunity where I can show what I've got. I want the chance to play this year."
Among the most positive traits among the group of freshmen on the Indiana roster this year is the fact that there is a bond between them.
"It's hard to be away from your family and hard to be away from your friends, but now we're all making new friends and we are part of a family here," Miller said of his adjustment to life away from home and as a member of the Indiana football team. "There is definitely a togetherness about us here and that helps."
Spencer said the freshmen in particular have come together as a group and have helped each other through the early stages of their respective careers.
"We have gotten a lot closer as a group, even from the time that we first got here," Spencer said. "You can just walk down the hall at night and go into anyone's room to hang out. It's hard to imagine how a group of people all from such different areas and communities can all just be put together in such a short period of time and get along as well as we do."
Still, though, Pannozzo concedes that there are times when he likes to be in contact with his family.
"It's difficult when you are used to being with your family all the time, and now that isn't the case," Pannozzo said. "Now you're far away and for a long period of time. That is part of growing up though. I am on the phone daily with my family."
As is the case for freshman athletes at any school, the coaching staff is a part of the transition to college life, and the early returns are positive for Coach DiNardo and his staff.
"They're great," Spencer said. "We have very energized coaches and they plan on being successful. They aren't about rebuilding or anything like that. They want to do it right now. There is no reason why we shouldn't be right at the top of the Big Ten. These coaches have done a great job of stressing the things that don't take a whole lot of talent to do, like hustling and playing smart."
