Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO COLUMN: Philyor Fired Up for Return to Sunshine State
12/29/2019 8:30:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Whop Philyor is willing to take the road less traveled, and not just because he gave up Tampa, Fla., warmth for Indiana, well, unpredictability.
He's Indiana's junior receiver on the rise, a break-through guy in a Cream & Crimson revival season that suggests all sorts of possibilities – for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl meeting with the Southeastern Conference's Tennessee Volunteers, for perhaps a decade of seasons to come.
But that's not the point in this post-practice moment at Indiana's Mellencamp Pavilion. It's where the Hoosiers are preparing to put an exclamation point to the season and where Philyor considers the stakes.
"It's always exciting to go up against the SEC," he says. "It's good I get to go home to do it in front of the people I love with the guys I love. It's a great opportunity for us."
Opportunity will take the Hoosiers (8-4) to Jacksonville with a chance to reach nine victories for just the third time in program history.
"It would mean a lot," Philyor says. "It's a big thing for us. It's also a big thing for recruiting. We'll bring guys in to get us a 10th win next year."
He flashes a light-up-the-room smile, which comes easily for a guy named after Burger King's Whopper hamburger;
By any name, Philyor has had, by far, the best season of his career. His 69 catches rank third in the Big Ten. His 1,001 receiving yards are fourth. It would have been more, but he missed a game with a concussion.
For comparison, in his first two seasons Philyor combined for 56 catches for 579 yards and four touchdowns.
"He is such a dynamic player," head coach Tom Allen says. "He can make a big play every time he touches the ball."
Philyor does all this, by the way, in a share-the-wealth system that stresses defenses to the breaking point.
As special teams coordinator William Inge says, "He can do things to give your team that winning edge. He's at his best when it counts the most."
Philyor faces a media gathering at this just-concluded practice. It was geared like a spring workout for football fundamentals and plenty of young player reps. Focus on Tennessee (7-5) would come later.
"It's getting back to the basics, getting the plays down," Philyor says. "This was really for the younger guys to learn the plays for spring ball. They might have to go in the bowl game. It's getting the fundamentals right."
Philyor got so many things right this season. He emerged as the Hoosier receiver most likely to shatter opposing defensive plans, which is why he made second-team All-Big Ten as well as the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.
He burned then-No. 25 Michigan State for 14 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He had 14 catches and 178 yards at Nebraska and rocked Rutgers with 10 catches for 182 yards.
In the regular-season finale victory at rival Purdue, he had eight catches for 138 yards and two TDs.
This is why IU offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer said, "I'm really excited with what Whop does with the ball."
For good reason. In more than a century of playing football, no other IU receiver has ever had more than two games with at least 10 catches.
Philyor has five.
But for Allen, Philyor's biggest contribution was reflected after the painful 40-31 Michigan State loss. IU gave up nine points in the final few seconds.
"Whop played to a certain level," Allen says, "but he was crushed at the end of the game. He had a great game and had stats and all that, but he was so emotional afterwards because he wants to win, his team wants to win."
At 5-11 and 178 pounds, Philyor won't overwhelm with size, but he will rock you with toughness and speed. His refusal to be easily tackled, and his big-play punt return potential, makes him a force every second he's on the field.
DeBoer loved it.
"Any way he can help the team by getting his hands on the ball, I'm all for it. If he can put points on the board on a punt return, or any type of a return, I'm all for that.
"Any way Whop can help us. I know he wants to do it. He enjoys it. Let him fly. Let him have the ball."
Philyor was recruited for this. He was a do-it-all high school superstar, playing receiver, running back and defensive back for Tampa's Plant High School.
As a senior in 2016, he caught 91 passes for 1,329 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also ran for 201 yards and two TDs, plus recorded 38 tackles, 18 pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble as Plant advanced to Florida's 7A state title game.
Philyor was an instant-impact IU freshman, totaling 33 catches for 335 yards and three touchdowns to rate among the Big Ten's top freshman receivers.
That included a 13-catch, 127-yard effort against Maryland. The catches set an IU freshman record and earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. BTN.com later named him to its Big Ten All-Freshman team.
In 2018, injuries limited Philyor to 23 catches for 235 yards and a TD. However, he burned Michigan State for 13 catches and 148 yards, a sign of what was to come.
Philyor's break-out 2019 season enabled him to pass veteran receiving standouts Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale at IU's go-to passing choice. He thrived with Michael Penix Jr. and Peyton Ramsey at quarterback.
"Me and Mike have always had a good relationship," he says. "As we've played together, it's grown. We hang out more. We go over film. We're brothers now.
"It's the same with Peyton. He's a dog. Without him, we wouldn't be here. I give him all the credit."
Philyor helped IU rank second in the Big Ten in passing (308.7 yards a game to Purdue's 308.7) and in first downs (23.9).
"The offense is doing great," Philyor says, "and it's going to get better."
That offense set a program record with six-straight games of at least 30 points, and nine overall.
"We have a lot of playmakers," DeBoer said, "and if you give them a chance, they'll bust big plays."
The Hoosiers are driven to snap a four-bowl losing streak and get their first post-season victory since a win over Baylor in the 1991 Copper Bowl.
"They're becoming more confident in who we are," DeBoer said. "They know if they're focused and locked in, they can play at a high level.
"We never feel we've arrived. We'll keep moving forward."
With Philyor leading the way.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Whop Philyor is willing to take the road less traveled, and not just because he gave up Tampa, Fla., warmth for Indiana, well, unpredictability.
He's Indiana's junior receiver on the rise, a break-through guy in a Cream & Crimson revival season that suggests all sorts of possibilities – for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl meeting with the Southeastern Conference's Tennessee Volunteers, for perhaps a decade of seasons to come.
But that's not the point in this post-practice moment at Indiana's Mellencamp Pavilion. It's where the Hoosiers are preparing to put an exclamation point to the season and where Philyor considers the stakes.
"It's always exciting to go up against the SEC," he says. "It's good I get to go home to do it in front of the people I love with the guys I love. It's a great opportunity for us."
Opportunity will take the Hoosiers (8-4) to Jacksonville with a chance to reach nine victories for just the third time in program history.
"It would mean a lot," Philyor says. "It's a big thing for us. It's also a big thing for recruiting. We'll bring guys in to get us a 10th win next year."
He flashes a light-up-the-room smile, which comes easily for a guy named after Burger King's Whopper hamburger;
By any name, Philyor has had, by far, the best season of his career. His 69 catches rank third in the Big Ten. His 1,001 receiving yards are fourth. It would have been more, but he missed a game with a concussion.
For comparison, in his first two seasons Philyor combined for 56 catches for 579 yards and four touchdowns.
"He is such a dynamic player," head coach Tom Allen says. "He can make a big play every time he touches the ball."
Philyor does all this, by the way, in a share-the-wealth system that stresses defenses to the breaking point.
As special teams coordinator William Inge says, "He can do things to give your team that winning edge. He's at his best when it counts the most."
Philyor faces a media gathering at this just-concluded practice. It was geared like a spring workout for football fundamentals and plenty of young player reps. Focus on Tennessee (7-5) would come later.
"It's getting back to the basics, getting the plays down," Philyor says. "This was really for the younger guys to learn the plays for spring ball. They might have to go in the bowl game. It's getting the fundamentals right."
Philyor got so many things right this season. He emerged as the Hoosier receiver most likely to shatter opposing defensive plans, which is why he made second-team All-Big Ten as well as the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.
He burned then-No. 25 Michigan State for 14 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He had 14 catches and 178 yards at Nebraska and rocked Rutgers with 10 catches for 182 yards.
In the regular-season finale victory at rival Purdue, he had eight catches for 138 yards and two TDs.
This is why IU offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer said, "I'm really excited with what Whop does with the ball."
For good reason. In more than a century of playing football, no other IU receiver has ever had more than two games with at least 10 catches.
Philyor has five.
But for Allen, Philyor's biggest contribution was reflected after the painful 40-31 Michigan State loss. IU gave up nine points in the final few seconds.
"Whop played to a certain level," Allen says, "but he was crushed at the end of the game. He had a great game and had stats and all that, but he was so emotional afterwards because he wants to win, his team wants to win."
At 5-11 and 178 pounds, Philyor won't overwhelm with size, but he will rock you with toughness and speed. His refusal to be easily tackled, and his big-play punt return potential, makes him a force every second he's on the field.
DeBoer loved it.
"Any way he can help the team by getting his hands on the ball, I'm all for it. If he can put points on the board on a punt return, or any type of a return, I'm all for that.
"Any way Whop can help us. I know he wants to do it. He enjoys it. Let him fly. Let him have the ball."
Philyor was recruited for this. He was a do-it-all high school superstar, playing receiver, running back and defensive back for Tampa's Plant High School.
As a senior in 2016, he caught 91 passes for 1,329 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also ran for 201 yards and two TDs, plus recorded 38 tackles, 18 pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble as Plant advanced to Florida's 7A state title game.
Philyor was an instant-impact IU freshman, totaling 33 catches for 335 yards and three touchdowns to rate among the Big Ten's top freshman receivers.
That included a 13-catch, 127-yard effort against Maryland. The catches set an IU freshman record and earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. BTN.com later named him to its Big Ten All-Freshman team.
In 2018, injuries limited Philyor to 23 catches for 235 yards and a TD. However, he burned Michigan State for 13 catches and 148 yards, a sign of what was to come.
Philyor's break-out 2019 season enabled him to pass veteran receiving standouts Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale at IU's go-to passing choice. He thrived with Michael Penix Jr. and Peyton Ramsey at quarterback.
"Me and Mike have always had a good relationship," he says. "As we've played together, it's grown. We hang out more. We go over film. We're brothers now.
"It's the same with Peyton. He's a dog. Without him, we wouldn't be here. I give him all the credit."
Philyor helped IU rank second in the Big Ten in passing (308.7 yards a game to Purdue's 308.7) and in first downs (23.9).
"The offense is doing great," Philyor says, "and it's going to get better."
That offense set a program record with six-straight games of at least 30 points, and nine overall.
"We have a lot of playmakers," DeBoer said, "and if you give them a chance, they'll bust big plays."
The Hoosiers are driven to snap a four-bowl losing streak and get their first post-season victory since a win over Baylor in the 1991 Copper Bowl.
"They're becoming more confident in who we are," DeBoer said. "They know if they're focused and locked in, they can play at a high level.
"We never feel we've arrived. We'll keep moving forward."
With Philyor leading the way.
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