Indiana University Athletics
Wide Open at Wideout
3/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
During spring drills, the Indiana football staff is continually looking to "find players that can make big plays." The IU wide receiving unit will be one of those groups looked upon to bring some of that big-play potential to the 2005 Hoosiers.
With the departure of All-Big Ten flanker Courtney Roby, along with Travis Haney and David Lewis, the opportunity to become a big-play receiver is wide open.
"The receivers that left were all good players, starting with Courtney Roby, but we feel like we have a lot of talent at that position," Indiana wide receivers coach Billy Lynch said.
The Cream and Crimson return only two wideouts that have seen collegiate action in seniors Jahkeen Gilmore and Rhett Kleinschmidt. Gilmore snared 23 passes for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns during the 2004 campaign, while Kleinschmidt grabbed three balls for 22 yards. Both will need to step up in 2005.
"Yes, a lot of them are young and some haven't been on the field at all," Lynch said. "I think that Jahkeen and Rhett will have the job of leading the rest of the guys. Coach Hoeppner always talks about `when you lead, you have to take someone with you,' and that is something that we certainly stressed to Jahkeen and Rhett."
The senior twosome will look to take a trio of redshirt freshmen in James Bailey, Marcus Thigpen and James Hardy under its wings.
While that trio is young, Lynch has a plan to get them to the next level.
"We talked on the very first day of meetings and I told them it didn't matter where we are today, it matters where we are at the end of the spring game." Lynch said. "Then, we will pick up where we left off at the beginning of fall camp."
Hardy, who just finished playing with the IU basketball team, was a two-sport standout at Elmhurst High School in Fort Wayne, Ind. Bailey and Thigpen both hail from Detroit, Mich., and posted excellent high school credentials.
Whether they are a senior or a freshman, a new coaching staff means learning a new system.
"It's new for all of them and we have thrown a lot at them from the start," Lynch said. "They have all responded well and the young guys have done a great job of learning from the video tape and getting better each day."
Seniors Ryan Skelton and Courtney Clency both played on the defensive side of the ball last year and will look to make some noise as they join the receiving corps. Senior Lance Bennett, primarily a special teams juggernaut last year, will also see some time at the flanker position.
"We have to make big plays and we need to create big plays," Lynch said. "That is something that we are consistently working on, catching the ball and staying in bounds or catching the ball and getting up field. Every yard counts, so we'll continue to stress making the big play. We have the guys that can do that."
Big plays from the wideouts is just one of three goals that Lynch has for his group.
"We want to make a big play one out of every 10 times we are on the field, " Lynch said. "That doesn't have to be a long catch or a long catch and run. We can get a big block in the running play, so there are a lot of ways to make big plays."
The second goal for the Hoosiers is something that will come with time and hard work in the film room.
"We want to get all of the mental stuff down, because once we do that we can play fast and have some fun," Lynch said. "We want all our receivers in the game to know and carry out their assignments correctly."
Lynch's last goal for his group will be the bond that comes from all donning the same Cream and Crimson uniform.
"We want to come together as a cohesive group," Lynch said. "We want to know what to expect from each other on and off the field, and know that we can count on each other."
Once the Hoosiers master these goals, big plays will abound from the receiving corps.
With the departure of All-Big Ten flanker Courtney Roby, along with Travis Haney and David Lewis, the opportunity to become a big-play receiver is wide open.
"The receivers that left were all good players, starting with Courtney Roby, but we feel like we have a lot of talent at that position," Indiana wide receivers coach Billy Lynch said.
The Cream and Crimson return only two wideouts that have seen collegiate action in seniors Jahkeen Gilmore and Rhett Kleinschmidt. Gilmore snared 23 passes for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns during the 2004 campaign, while Kleinschmidt grabbed three balls for 22 yards. Both will need to step up in 2005.
"Yes, a lot of them are young and some haven't been on the field at all," Lynch said. "I think that Jahkeen and Rhett will have the job of leading the rest of the guys. Coach Hoeppner always talks about `when you lead, you have to take someone with you,' and that is something that we certainly stressed to Jahkeen and Rhett."
The senior twosome will look to take a trio of redshirt freshmen in James Bailey, Marcus Thigpen and James Hardy under its wings.
While that trio is young, Lynch has a plan to get them to the next level.
"We talked on the very first day of meetings and I told them it didn't matter where we are today, it matters where we are at the end of the spring game." Lynch said. "Then, we will pick up where we left off at the beginning of fall camp."
Hardy, who just finished playing with the IU basketball team, was a two-sport standout at Elmhurst High School in Fort Wayne, Ind. Bailey and Thigpen both hail from Detroit, Mich., and posted excellent high school credentials.
Whether they are a senior or a freshman, a new coaching staff means learning a new system.
"It's new for all of them and we have thrown a lot at them from the start," Lynch said. "They have all responded well and the young guys have done a great job of learning from the video tape and getting better each day."
Seniors Ryan Skelton and Courtney Clency both played on the defensive side of the ball last year and will look to make some noise as they join the receiving corps. Senior Lance Bennett, primarily a special teams juggernaut last year, will also see some time at the flanker position.
"We have to make big plays and we need to create big plays," Lynch said. "That is something that we are consistently working on, catching the ball and staying in bounds or catching the ball and getting up field. Every yard counts, so we'll continue to stress making the big play. We have the guys that can do that."
Big plays from the wideouts is just one of three goals that Lynch has for his group.
"We want to make a big play one out of every 10 times we are on the field, " Lynch said. "That doesn't have to be a long catch or a long catch and run. We can get a big block in the running play, so there are a lot of ways to make big plays."
The second goal for the Hoosiers is something that will come with time and hard work in the film room.
"We want to get all of the mental stuff down, because once we do that we can play fast and have some fun," Lynch said. "We want all our receivers in the game to know and carry out their assignments correctly."
Lynch's last goal for his group will be the bond that comes from all donning the same Cream and Crimson uniform.
"We want to come together as a cohesive group," Lynch said. "We want to know what to expect from each other on and off the field, and know that we can count on each other."
Once the Hoosiers master these goals, big plays will abound from the receiving corps.
Players Mentioned
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