Indiana University Athletics
GRAHAM NOTEBOOK: Hoosiers Open Camp on Friday
8/2/2018 9:18:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A graduate transfer from Arizona who started 14 games for the Wildcats. A redshirt sophomore with four Indiana starts. A true freshman January enrollee who participated in spring practice.
IU 2018 starting quarterback candidates Brandon Dawkins, Peyton Ramsey and Michael Penix Jr. have some clear differences.
But also obvious similarities.
Such as the fact that, given the opportunity, they can all readily tote the ball. And really scoot while doing so.
So Indiana – which featured pure drop-back passers such as Nate Sudfeld and Richard Lagow for the better part of the past five seasons – will likely sport a somewhat altered approach to offense this fall.
Present personnel will dictate that.
"It will," offensive coordinator Mike DeBord acknowledged Thursday at IU's annual Media Day.
DeBord had to devise alternate plans for Lagow and the more run-ready Ramsey last fall.
"I felt like, last year, we had a little bit of two packages. We had things for Rich and then things for Peyton," DeBord said. "… So now, with all three guys having the ability to make plays with their feet or on the move, now we'll be running under one offense – and I think that's better for everybody."
DeBord, entering his second season at Indiana with head coach Tom Allen, saw it better the fortunes of the Tennessee Volunteers, who featured dual-threat quarterback Josh Dobbs during DeBord's tenure in Knoxville.
"I was thinking a little bit about that, this summer," DeBord said. "When I went to Tennessee, we had the same, or similar, situation. We had a lot of the offensive line coming back, a lot of the offense coming back. And from year one to year two was such great growth. And that's what I see from this offense."
Under the auspices of DeBord and quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan, now also at IU, Tennessee set a single-season school record for touchdowns (63) and scored 473 points (36.4 per game).
Dobbs became just the third quarterback in Southeastern Conference history to have multiple seasons of at least 15 passing TDs and 10 rushing TDs (joining Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott).
Passing. But by all means running, too.
"Yeah. We did a lot with him that way," DeBord said. "I think with our offense, we've got our base, and I think this spring we had about 75 percent of it in. This summer, as coaches, we added things that we're now going to put in during training camp. So we'll have a different look to us.
"It won't be a drastic change, but there will be changes offensively. It's just taking that next step forward, and that's what we want to do."
Dobbs earned All-SEC honors. None of IU's three QB candidates have yet earned that sort of accolade, but all three have some overt qualifications.
Ramsey, a coach's son who completed 65 percent of his passes last season, with his 10 passing TDs doubling his interception number. He had taken over the starting job from Lagow before injury intervened. He has played Big Ten football and probably knows DeBord's playbook best.
Dawkins has the most overall experience, having played in 26 games for a Power 5 program, amassing 2,414 passing yards and 1,582 rushing yards in the process (averaging 6.8 yards per carry).
Penix has yet to take a college snap, but threw for 61 touchdowns and just six interceptions during his two years as a starting signal-caller at Tampa Bay (Fla.) Tech, adding 15 rushing TDs.
Ramsey, who had a rocketing 55-yard TD run in the spring game, joined Dawkins and Penix on the podium Thursday and accentuated the running threat all three can provide the Hoosiers this fall.
"I think we have a quarterback room that all three of us sitting up here have the ability to run the ball," Ramsey said. "I think it adds a different element. That will be implemented more, just because all three of our skill sets are so similar.
"When a quarterback can run, not only throw … it kind of stretches the defense and keeps them on their toes."
And makes the defense account for an extra running threat. And can provide the offense an extra blocker at the point of attack.
IU strength and conditioning coach David Ballou and speed-specialist colleague Dr. Matt Rhea have all three quarterbacks running at 22 MPH now – an upgrade.
"Absolutely," Ramsey replied when asked if he felt faster than a year ago. "I think (Ballou and Rhea) have done such a good job of doing such individualized things for each and every one of us. The buy-in is there and guys have been willing to come in and go to work. That's definitely paid off."
Penix likes how Ballou and Rhea foster competition by posting numbers, keeping players well updated on progress and results.
"Everybody wants to be on top," Penix said. "Everybody just pushes as a team to try to get each other better.
"Coach Ballou and Dr. Rhea posting the scores, that just shows everybody else, 'Oh, I'm trying to get there.' That just makes everyone work even harder."
Speaking of speed, Penix relished the chance to get a glimpse of college-level game speed in the spring.
"It helped a lot, just coming in and seeing the speed of the game itself," he said. "Everything is a little bit faster coming out of high school. Just adjusting to the speed, it helped a lot. And getting to know the players more and getting better chemistry."
Meeting IU teammates and creating chemistry were naturally among Dawkins' goals, too, upon his Arizona graduation. And Allen's "family" approach was one of the elements Dawkins found attractive.
"One of the big things for me was the family feel of the program," Dawkins said of his decision to play his final season in Bloomington. "I really like Coach Allen and the time I got to spend with him on my visit. The players I got to hang out with – Mister (Whop) Philyor, Morgan "Juice" Ellison, as he calls himself. I got to come down and watch a practice. I got to see how the guys came out and competed.
"The drive the team had. The quarterbacks and how they were performing at practice … even after practice — guys staying in and getting extra work. Things like that excite me about the program. It's a program that really wants to win.
"That was a big thing for me. I didn't really visit many schools once I got through here. I knew this was what I wanted."
The quarterbacks are now competing for the starting job, but Allen sees signs the chemistry won't suffer.
"They all want to play, so it's a sensitive balance," Allen said. "But at the same time you have some maturity there, and Coach Sheridan will do a great job managing that, and I'll do the same as a head coach."
The coaches plan on giving all three quarterbacks roughly equal reps in practice, at least until one emerges as the probable starter, and Allen put no particular timetable on that in advance of the Sept. 1 opener at Florida International.
"I think we've gone through and structured practice accordingly," Allen said. "They've gone and expanded certain drills to include maybe even two separate groups going at the same time, so you can get more guys reps, so you get them on film.
"That's going to be the priority for us to be able to create practice opportunities where those three guys will be given equal opportunity to prove what they can do."
They will do some things differently.
"Every quarterback will have their likes and dislikes," DeBord said. "So we'll start tailoring things to whoever that No. 1 guy is.
" … We'll look at all our quarterbacks and just see what is best for them. How much drop-back do we want to have? How much sprint-out? Bootlegs? Things like that we'll want to have, but we'll be constantly evaluating that throughout training camp."
But DeBord relishes some of the things the quarterbacks do similarly, too. It will help make game plans easier to construct.
"Very much so," DeBord said. "And you can do more. Again, having those guys who can do similar things is very important to the entire offense. So we're not just taking part of it and working a percentage of that, then working another part with another guy. We can just put the whole thing together."
Have quarterback? Will travel.
And not just through the air.
NORTH FLORIDA
The NCAA has allowed teams to expand fall camp rosters from 105 to 110 this year.
And Indiana had already expanded its number of Floridians.
Penix is one of 22 players on IU's roster hailing from the state of Florida. IU has 47, total, from south of the Mason-Dixon Line (not counting punter Haydon Whitehead, who is from way down south: Melbourne, Australia.)
The 2018 roster features 31 in-state players, the biggest representation of a combined 54 from the traditional recruiting grounds of Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. In somewhat of an anomaly, this year's roster doesn't feature any players from Michigan.
But there seems little doubt that Tom Allen and staff are increasingly welcoming southern prospects to what has traditionally ranked as the Big Ten's southern-most school. For the 2017 and 2018 IU recruiting classes, the first two brought in under Allen's auspices, 30 of the 49 players came from Dixie.
NOT MUCH ATTRITION
Allen announced that offensive lineman Grayson Stover and defensive lineman LeShaun Minor Jr. won't be practicing at fall camp due to what he called "some medical situations." Otherwise, Allen pronounced the Hoosiers ready to roll.
EARNING TITLES
The 2018 roster will now list enhanced job descriptions for assistant coaches Mike Hart and Mark Hagen.
Hart, the running backs coach, will now also serve as assistant head coach. Hagen, the defensive line coach, was previously also styled as the assistant defensive coordinator but will now serve as co-defensive coordinator.
"Two guys that work extremely hard, do a great job for us," Allen said of Hagen and Hart, "and I'm really excited about our staff."
TAKEN TO THE MATTE
Indiana revealed a new matte finish for its crimson football helmets adorning tables at Media Day. There is no word as of yet which helmet options IU will utilize for 2018, but the home jerseys worn by players Tuesday featured subtle candy-striping on the sleeves and bore "INDIANA" rather than "HOOSIERS" across the chest. They also sported all-red pants with the same sort of subtle candy-stripe trim.
All IU helmets this fall will feature decals – the design for which is not yet revealed – honoring the late, great Bill Mallory, who led the Hoosier program from 1984 through 1996. Mallory, in 1987, became the first man ever to win back-to-back Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. He guided Indiana to seven .500-or-better seasons and six bowls, and won more football games than any coach in Hoosier history (69).
NO ORDINARY JOE
As Allen headed for the podium to address the media Tuesday, he took a little detour to salute a media mainstay.
Allen saw Joe Smith sitting in the back with the cameras and went over to converse for couple of minutes.
Smith is back for his 35th year with the IU Radio Network after recovering from a near-fatal fall down a flight of stairs that engendered months of difficult rehabilitation.
The long-time sports director for WGCL-1370 AM in Bloomington, Smith has handled radio pre-game, halftime and post-game duties for IU football and men's basketball since 1983. He plans to resume work with fellow Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Famer Don Fischer and color analyst Buck Suhr this fall during Hoosier broadcasts.
Welcome back, Smitty.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A graduate transfer from Arizona who started 14 games for the Wildcats. A redshirt sophomore with four Indiana starts. A true freshman January enrollee who participated in spring practice.
IU 2018 starting quarterback candidates Brandon Dawkins, Peyton Ramsey and Michael Penix Jr. have some clear differences.
But also obvious similarities.
Such as the fact that, given the opportunity, they can all readily tote the ball. And really scoot while doing so.
So Indiana – which featured pure drop-back passers such as Nate Sudfeld and Richard Lagow for the better part of the past five seasons – will likely sport a somewhat altered approach to offense this fall.
Present personnel will dictate that.
"It will," offensive coordinator Mike DeBord acknowledged Thursday at IU's annual Media Day.
DeBord had to devise alternate plans for Lagow and the more run-ready Ramsey last fall.
"I felt like, last year, we had a little bit of two packages. We had things for Rich and then things for Peyton," DeBord said. "… So now, with all three guys having the ability to make plays with their feet or on the move, now we'll be running under one offense – and I think that's better for everybody."
DeBord, entering his second season at Indiana with head coach Tom Allen, saw it better the fortunes of the Tennessee Volunteers, who featured dual-threat quarterback Josh Dobbs during DeBord's tenure in Knoxville.
"I was thinking a little bit about that, this summer," DeBord said. "When I went to Tennessee, we had the same, or similar, situation. We had a lot of the offensive line coming back, a lot of the offense coming back. And from year one to year two was such great growth. And that's what I see from this offense."
Under the auspices of DeBord and quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan, now also at IU, Tennessee set a single-season school record for touchdowns (63) and scored 473 points (36.4 per game).
Dobbs became just the third quarterback in Southeastern Conference history to have multiple seasons of at least 15 passing TDs and 10 rushing TDs (joining Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott).
Passing. But by all means running, too.
"Yeah. We did a lot with him that way," DeBord said. "I think with our offense, we've got our base, and I think this spring we had about 75 percent of it in. This summer, as coaches, we added things that we're now going to put in during training camp. So we'll have a different look to us.
"It won't be a drastic change, but there will be changes offensively. It's just taking that next step forward, and that's what we want to do."
Dobbs earned All-SEC honors. None of IU's three QB candidates have yet earned that sort of accolade, but all three have some overt qualifications.
Ramsey, a coach's son who completed 65 percent of his passes last season, with his 10 passing TDs doubling his interception number. He had taken over the starting job from Lagow before injury intervened. He has played Big Ten football and probably knows DeBord's playbook best.
Dawkins has the most overall experience, having played in 26 games for a Power 5 program, amassing 2,414 passing yards and 1,582 rushing yards in the process (averaging 6.8 yards per carry).
Penix has yet to take a college snap, but threw for 61 touchdowns and just six interceptions during his two years as a starting signal-caller at Tampa Bay (Fla.) Tech, adding 15 rushing TDs.
Ramsey, who had a rocketing 55-yard TD run in the spring game, joined Dawkins and Penix on the podium Thursday and accentuated the running threat all three can provide the Hoosiers this fall.
"I think we have a quarterback room that all three of us sitting up here have the ability to run the ball," Ramsey said. "I think it adds a different element. That will be implemented more, just because all three of our skill sets are so similar.
"When a quarterback can run, not only throw … it kind of stretches the defense and keeps them on their toes."
And makes the defense account for an extra running threat. And can provide the offense an extra blocker at the point of attack.
IU strength and conditioning coach David Ballou and speed-specialist colleague Dr. Matt Rhea have all three quarterbacks running at 22 MPH now – an upgrade.
"Absolutely," Ramsey replied when asked if he felt faster than a year ago. "I think (Ballou and Rhea) have done such a good job of doing such individualized things for each and every one of us. The buy-in is there and guys have been willing to come in and go to work. That's definitely paid off."
Penix likes how Ballou and Rhea foster competition by posting numbers, keeping players well updated on progress and results.
"Everybody wants to be on top," Penix said. "Everybody just pushes as a team to try to get each other better.
"Coach Ballou and Dr. Rhea posting the scores, that just shows everybody else, 'Oh, I'm trying to get there.' That just makes everyone work even harder."
Speaking of speed, Penix relished the chance to get a glimpse of college-level game speed in the spring.
"It helped a lot, just coming in and seeing the speed of the game itself," he said. "Everything is a little bit faster coming out of high school. Just adjusting to the speed, it helped a lot. And getting to know the players more and getting better chemistry."
Meeting IU teammates and creating chemistry were naturally among Dawkins' goals, too, upon his Arizona graduation. And Allen's "family" approach was one of the elements Dawkins found attractive.
"One of the big things for me was the family feel of the program," Dawkins said of his decision to play his final season in Bloomington. "I really like Coach Allen and the time I got to spend with him on my visit. The players I got to hang out with – Mister (Whop) Philyor, Morgan "Juice" Ellison, as he calls himself. I got to come down and watch a practice. I got to see how the guys came out and competed.
"The drive the team had. The quarterbacks and how they were performing at practice … even after practice — guys staying in and getting extra work. Things like that excite me about the program. It's a program that really wants to win.
"That was a big thing for me. I didn't really visit many schools once I got through here. I knew this was what I wanted."
The quarterbacks are now competing for the starting job, but Allen sees signs the chemistry won't suffer.
"They all want to play, so it's a sensitive balance," Allen said. "But at the same time you have some maturity there, and Coach Sheridan will do a great job managing that, and I'll do the same as a head coach."
The coaches plan on giving all three quarterbacks roughly equal reps in practice, at least until one emerges as the probable starter, and Allen put no particular timetable on that in advance of the Sept. 1 opener at Florida International.
"I think we've gone through and structured practice accordingly," Allen said. "They've gone and expanded certain drills to include maybe even two separate groups going at the same time, so you can get more guys reps, so you get them on film.
"That's going to be the priority for us to be able to create practice opportunities where those three guys will be given equal opportunity to prove what they can do."
They will do some things differently.
"Every quarterback will have their likes and dislikes," DeBord said. "So we'll start tailoring things to whoever that No. 1 guy is.
" … We'll look at all our quarterbacks and just see what is best for them. How much drop-back do we want to have? How much sprint-out? Bootlegs? Things like that we'll want to have, but we'll be constantly evaluating that throughout training camp."
But DeBord relishes some of the things the quarterbacks do similarly, too. It will help make game plans easier to construct.
"Very much so," DeBord said. "And you can do more. Again, having those guys who can do similar things is very important to the entire offense. So we're not just taking part of it and working a percentage of that, then working another part with another guy. We can just put the whole thing together."
Have quarterback? Will travel.
And not just through the air.
NORTH FLORIDA
The NCAA has allowed teams to expand fall camp rosters from 105 to 110 this year.
And Indiana had already expanded its number of Floridians.
Penix is one of 22 players on IU's roster hailing from the state of Florida. IU has 47, total, from south of the Mason-Dixon Line (not counting punter Haydon Whitehead, who is from way down south: Melbourne, Australia.)
The 2018 roster features 31 in-state players, the biggest representation of a combined 54 from the traditional recruiting grounds of Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. In somewhat of an anomaly, this year's roster doesn't feature any players from Michigan.
But there seems little doubt that Tom Allen and staff are increasingly welcoming southern prospects to what has traditionally ranked as the Big Ten's southern-most school. For the 2017 and 2018 IU recruiting classes, the first two brought in under Allen's auspices, 30 of the 49 players came from Dixie.
NOT MUCH ATTRITION
Allen announced that offensive lineman Grayson Stover and defensive lineman LeShaun Minor Jr. won't be practicing at fall camp due to what he called "some medical situations." Otherwise, Allen pronounced the Hoosiers ready to roll.
EARNING TITLES
The 2018 roster will now list enhanced job descriptions for assistant coaches Mike Hart and Mark Hagen.
Hart, the running backs coach, will now also serve as assistant head coach. Hagen, the defensive line coach, was previously also styled as the assistant defensive coordinator but will now serve as co-defensive coordinator.
"Two guys that work extremely hard, do a great job for us," Allen said of Hagen and Hart, "and I'm really excited about our staff."
TAKEN TO THE MATTE
Indiana revealed a new matte finish for its crimson football helmets adorning tables at Media Day. There is no word as of yet which helmet options IU will utilize for 2018, but the home jerseys worn by players Tuesday featured subtle candy-striping on the sleeves and bore "INDIANA" rather than "HOOSIERS" across the chest. They also sported all-red pants with the same sort of subtle candy-stripe trim.
All IU helmets this fall will feature decals – the design for which is not yet revealed – honoring the late, great Bill Mallory, who led the Hoosier program from 1984 through 1996. Mallory, in 1987, became the first man ever to win back-to-back Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. He guided Indiana to seven .500-or-better seasons and six bowls, and won more football games than any coach in Hoosier history (69).
NO ORDINARY JOE
As Allen headed for the podium to address the media Tuesday, he took a little detour to salute a media mainstay.
Allen saw Joe Smith sitting in the back with the cameras and went over to converse for couple of minutes.
Smith is back for his 35th year with the IU Radio Network after recovering from a near-fatal fall down a flight of stairs that engendered months of difficult rehabilitation.
The long-time sports director for WGCL-1370 AM in Bloomington, Smith has handled radio pre-game, halftime and post-game duties for IU football and men's basketball since 1983. He plans to resume work with fellow Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Famer Don Fischer and color analyst Buck Suhr this fall during Hoosier broadcasts.
Welcome back, Smitty.
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