Johns: Depth at Receiver, Running Back Eases Quarterback Transition

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By: Nick Reith
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – According to Indiana offensive coordinator Kevin Johns, the preseason uncertainties make August an exciting time of the year.

As the Hoosiers complete their seventh day of camp, some of the questions surrounding the Indiana attack remain unanswered. Rather, the results are inconclusive, but the coaches are getting answers on what individual players need to develop.

"That's exactly what we're trying to do," Johns said when asked the quarterbacks. "We need to make sure that we're getting the right quarterbacks the right plays, the right blocking schemes, whether we need more movement throws for one guy or more screens. So for us, that's still what we're trying to do now, to determine who can do what, and they start to accentuate some of those positives that they can do."

Much of Indiana's offensive success, like most college football teams, flows through the quarterback. The burden, however, isn't as mighty as it appears on the surface. Johns noted that the goal of quarterbacks in his system is to put your team in the end zone, rather than carrying them to it.

"If you do that, you're going to limit turnovers, limit sacks, and keep us out of negative plays," Johns said. "There's an 'it' factor to it, there's some command presence they have to have. Our defense is going to be way better this year, so we don't need to put our quarterback in a situation where they have to win the game for us every week. We need them to manage the game, not necessarily go win the game."

Aiding the quarterback transition is a salvo of experienced receivers. The Hoosiers return their top three targets from 2015—Simmie Cobbs, Jr., Mitchell Paige and Ricky Jones—in addition to a handful of returners with high potential. Rejoining the fold for IU this season is redshirt sophomore J-Shun Harris II.

"I think J-Shun is back, I really do," Johns said. "He looks really fast and explosive. For us, we wanted to see him get hit, to see him make live change-of-direction cuts and playing in a competitive environment. I really think he's back, he's doing a lot of good things."

After earning his scholarship at the Hoosiers' preseason camp last year, Paige erupted into one of Indiana's deadliest targets with 684 yards and six touchdowns on 57 catches. Johns has high hopes for the senior receiver, and he's put Paige to task as one of the older guys on his side of the ball.

"I see a driven young man, a kid that's really ready to make his senior year the best year ever," Johns said. "We're really asking him to take a more vocal leadership role than he has in the past. He has it within him, he's a natural leader, and I think he's embraced it."

In addition to the Hoosiers' usual suspects in the receiving corps, Johns has high hopes for sophomores Nick Westbrook and Luke Timian. The two have made massive strides over the summer, playing with confidence, and making plays.

"I don't think we have twos," Johns said. "I think Nick and Luke can step up and play as well as the ones can. We've created some depth there and all of those guys have worked hard and are embracing each other. We're going to try to play as fast as we can and wear people out."

At the end of the day, Johns noted that the Hoosiers offense will stick to what has given them so much success in the past: find a way to run the football, and flesh out the offense from the ground up.

"Every single year it starts with our run game and those big guys up front, and that's who Coach Wilson is," Johns said. "It doesn't matter who our quarterback is—it was that way last year with Nate Sudfeld—we're going to run the football. Everything else comes off of that."

Indiana University Athletics

Johns: Depth at Receiver, Running Back Eases Quarterback Transition

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