DIPRIMIO NOTEBOOK: IU Freshman Locked and Loaded for Big Future
4/3/2019 8:55:00 PM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana offensive lineman Matthew Bedford has no time to play to his youth. There's too much potential to tap, too many opportunities to exploit.
Yes, this 6-6, 284-pounder could be wrapping up his senior high school year at Cordova, Tenn.
Instead, he's enrolled at IU and putting in a big spring.
You'd better believe coach Tom Allen has noticed.
"Man, he is going to be a really good player," Allen said. "He is just so athletic. He has the things that you can't coach, and he's just a great kid. He is so locked in."
Locked in comes with this challenge -- Bedford arrived at IU just 17 years old, which meant there were some team activities he was too young to do.
"You weren't allowed to do it if you weren't 18," Allen said. "He was the only guy on the team that wasn't allowed to do it. You realize how young he is."
The talent is obvious, but maximizing it starts with getting bigger and stronger.
"It's weight and strength in the weight room," Allen said. "Most high school guys who come into college, that's the biggest thing."
The second biggest thing is learning the offense and what it's like to be a college athlete.
"His head is spinning for sure and that's part of it," Allen said, "but the things he can control, like his effort and toughness, he is.
"He's just got to get bigger and stronger. The good news is we have the whole month of May and the rest of April. Then we get into June and July, so we have several months before we get into fall camp. Then once we get into fall camp, we have another month before our first game. He is a guy that we are going to push extremely hard during all of those times to get him bigger and stronger."
Bedford was good enough to play in the 2018 Blue-Grey All-American Bowl and the 2018 East-West All-Star Classic. He was rated Tennessee's No. 25 prospect by Rivals, and the nation's No. 80 offensive tackle by 247Sports.
He's played to that potential throughout the spring.
"Matthew is the guy who stuck out to me," Allen said. "He showed some good signs of figuring things out as a new guy, but it's one thing to do some things in the weight room, it's another thing to do it on the field when guys are coming at you full speed."
MR. VERSATILE
For those wondering what position versatile defensive player Cam Jones will play, take a number.
Hoosier coaches don't know, either.
The 6-3, 218-pound sophomore can play husky (basically a hybrid safety-linebacker), linebacker and safety. Last year, he totaled 20 tackles with two forced fumbles, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Jones has done it all in the spring, and that's not likely to change any time soon, if ever.
"I think we will zero in on what position he'll play as we get closer to the season," Allen said.
"The goal was to play this whole last season at husky and I felt like we needed to get him a lot of reps at free safety, then we wanted to get him his final reps at weak-side linebacker.
"Seeing how things flush out with our roster, he's proven to be a very valuable guy when we get him on the field, so the more he can do, the more positions he'll master and the more versatile he'll be for us. Wherever we put him, he makes plays. He's a special player."
QUARTERBACK BUZZ
When it comes to quarterback competition, you can't ignore the buzz.
There's returning starter Peyton Ramsey, as efficient, reliable and accurate a quarterback as the program has produced in a long time.
There's big-armed Jack Tuttle, the Utah transfer who was ruled eligible for next season today.
Then comes even bigger-armed Michael Penix Jr., who continues to show flashes of potential while rehabbing from last season's ACL surgery.
On Tuesday, Tuttle had another strong performance, Allen said.
"I saw some really strong-arm throws where he was able to throw through some tight windows that are hard to defend. He is a guy who works extremely hard and we were impressed initially by his weight room work ethic.
"(Director of Athletic Performance David) Ballou has a pretty good feel for guys' mental toughness. You have to have a certain type of mindset, and preparation, and (Tuttle) has shown that.
"There's no doubt that it's hard to learn a new system and it's a lot to throw on, but you just see flashes of his arm talent, his decision making, and then he's got the ability to escape and get out of the pocket and make guys miss to extend the play. Those are the kind of things that have stuck out to me and the more he learns the system the more comfortable he gets and the better he'll be."
A quarterback that can move in and out of the pocket remains Allen's top offensive priority because, as a former defensive coordinator, he understands the stress it puts on a defense.
"I would always say it's about extending plays," he said. "Are you able to make a guy miss while he's pursuing you in the pass rush? Are you able to step up and get out of the pocket to get a first down to extend the drive? (Tuttle) can do all of those things.
"He's more athletic than I thought he was by just watching his film, but at the same time, he ran track in high school, so I knew he was a guy who had some of that in him."
While Penix is off limits to contact this spring, he is doing more and more with his teammates. Allen said coaches are getting Penix, "More involved. We're doing more of the things he can do without compromising his knee. His progress has been excellent. We're trying to get him engaged as much as possible."
Ramsey is used to spring competition, and he continues to thrive.
"It's his poise, understanding the game, and he's so competitive," Allen said. "He also makes such good decisions.
"He's learning the new system, too. So that part of it is equal for all of the guys. You can just tell he has been there and done that in a lot of ways. He's bigger and stronger. He works so hard in the off-season and does everything right, and that has always been the case.
"I think he is growing in his leadership and being more verbal. He has more of an ability to confront guys and be the guy that holds guys accountable for the little things and not just taking care of yourself. That part has been great. He is a tough kid, makes a lot of good plays, and runs our offense."
APPLES, ORANGES AND OFFENSE
Everyone knows new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer's offense is different from that of retired offensive coordinator Mike DeBord.
The big question -- how different?
Receivers coach Grant Heard provided some answers.
"Schematically there are a lot of similarities. The way we call it is different. We called it apples before. Now we're calling it oranges.
"It takes time to get used to it. This used to be called this, now I have to remember it's called that. That's the biggest difference."
There's plenty of adjustment for the coaches as well as the players.
"It's thinking how Coach DeBoer thinks," Heard said. "I've been in a whole bunch more systems than (my receivers) have and my mind gets clouded up. He might use a term I used a long time ago and I have to think about it some.
"That's the hard thing. That and getting everybody on the same page as far as splits and depths. He did it one way. We did it another. Figure out which way is right, which way is wrong.
"Coach DeBoer is not a 'This Is My Way' guy. He's open to new stuff. There are different ways to skin a cat. He's open to those ways. Trying to piece it together and make sure it's our offense and we can get the job done."
THE FITZ FACTOR
Don't be surprised if defensive back Bryant Fitzgerald emerges as a dominant player. Last season, in his college debut, he totaled three interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He also had 31 tackles.
Physically, at least, the 6-foot, 206 pounder is poised for a break-through season.
"He has a better burst," Allen said. "Part of that is having more confidence, being year two in the system and development.
"His body has responded really well to what we're doing in the weight room. He has always been a hard worker. I just feel like he has gained some really good weight.
"When you look at the film you can see his burst to the football and his quickness has improved. He is covering more ground and to me that's a big deal. He plays a space position. That is a big part of his job.
"I just think that when you play with more confidence you anticipate better because of reps and experience. You do play faster, but I think he is physically and noticeably quicker. He knows what we're doing and he's running the defense. Instead of last year where he was listening a lot to the other guys and doing his job and making plays. Now he is leading and is a very, very valuable part of our team."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana offensive lineman Matthew Bedford has no time to play to his youth. There's too much potential to tap, too many opportunities to exploit.
Yes, this 6-6, 284-pounder could be wrapping up his senior high school year at Cordova, Tenn.
Instead, he's enrolled at IU and putting in a big spring.
You'd better believe coach Tom Allen has noticed.
"Man, he is going to be a really good player," Allen said. "He is just so athletic. He has the things that you can't coach, and he's just a great kid. He is so locked in."
Locked in comes with this challenge -- Bedford arrived at IU just 17 years old, which meant there were some team activities he was too young to do.
"You weren't allowed to do it if you weren't 18," Allen said. "He was the only guy on the team that wasn't allowed to do it. You realize how young he is."
The talent is obvious, but maximizing it starts with getting bigger and stronger.
"It's weight and strength in the weight room," Allen said. "Most high school guys who come into college, that's the biggest thing."
The second biggest thing is learning the offense and what it's like to be a college athlete.
"His head is spinning for sure and that's part of it," Allen said, "but the things he can control, like his effort and toughness, he is.
"He's just got to get bigger and stronger. The good news is we have the whole month of May and the rest of April. Then we get into June and July, so we have several months before we get into fall camp. Then once we get into fall camp, we have another month before our first game. He is a guy that we are going to push extremely hard during all of those times to get him bigger and stronger."
Bedford was good enough to play in the 2018 Blue-Grey All-American Bowl and the 2018 East-West All-Star Classic. He was rated Tennessee's No. 25 prospect by Rivals, and the nation's No. 80 offensive tackle by 247Sports.
He's played to that potential throughout the spring.
"Matthew is the guy who stuck out to me," Allen said. "He showed some good signs of figuring things out as a new guy, but it's one thing to do some things in the weight room, it's another thing to do it on the field when guys are coming at you full speed."
MR. VERSATILE
For those wondering what position versatile defensive player Cam Jones will play, take a number.
Hoosier coaches don't know, either.
The 6-3, 218-pound sophomore can play husky (basically a hybrid safety-linebacker), linebacker and safety. Last year, he totaled 20 tackles with two forced fumbles, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Jones has done it all in the spring, and that's not likely to change any time soon, if ever.
"I think we will zero in on what position he'll play as we get closer to the season," Allen said.
"The goal was to play this whole last season at husky and I felt like we needed to get him a lot of reps at free safety, then we wanted to get him his final reps at weak-side linebacker.
"Seeing how things flush out with our roster, he's proven to be a very valuable guy when we get him on the field, so the more he can do, the more positions he'll master and the more versatile he'll be for us. Wherever we put him, he makes plays. He's a special player."
QUARTERBACK BUZZ
When it comes to quarterback competition, you can't ignore the buzz.
There's returning starter Peyton Ramsey, as efficient, reliable and accurate a quarterback as the program has produced in a long time.
There's big-armed Jack Tuttle, the Utah transfer who was ruled eligible for next season today.
Then comes even bigger-armed Michael Penix Jr., who continues to show flashes of potential while rehabbing from last season's ACL surgery.
On Tuesday, Tuttle had another strong performance, Allen said.
"I saw some really strong-arm throws where he was able to throw through some tight windows that are hard to defend. He is a guy who works extremely hard and we were impressed initially by his weight room work ethic.
"(Director of Athletic Performance David) Ballou has a pretty good feel for guys' mental toughness. You have to have a certain type of mindset, and preparation, and (Tuttle) has shown that.
"There's no doubt that it's hard to learn a new system and it's a lot to throw on, but you just see flashes of his arm talent, his decision making, and then he's got the ability to escape and get out of the pocket and make guys miss to extend the play. Those are the kind of things that have stuck out to me and the more he learns the system the more comfortable he gets and the better he'll be."
A quarterback that can move in and out of the pocket remains Allen's top offensive priority because, as a former defensive coordinator, he understands the stress it puts on a defense.
"I would always say it's about extending plays," he said. "Are you able to make a guy miss while he's pursuing you in the pass rush? Are you able to step up and get out of the pocket to get a first down to extend the drive? (Tuttle) can do all of those things.
"He's more athletic than I thought he was by just watching his film, but at the same time, he ran track in high school, so I knew he was a guy who had some of that in him."
While Penix is off limits to contact this spring, he is doing more and more with his teammates. Allen said coaches are getting Penix, "More involved. We're doing more of the things he can do without compromising his knee. His progress has been excellent. We're trying to get him engaged as much as possible."
Ramsey is used to spring competition, and he continues to thrive.
"It's his poise, understanding the game, and he's so competitive," Allen said. "He also makes such good decisions.
"He's learning the new system, too. So that part of it is equal for all of the guys. You can just tell he has been there and done that in a lot of ways. He's bigger and stronger. He works so hard in the off-season and does everything right, and that has always been the case.
"I think he is growing in his leadership and being more verbal. He has more of an ability to confront guys and be the guy that holds guys accountable for the little things and not just taking care of yourself. That part has been great. He is a tough kid, makes a lot of good plays, and runs our offense."
APPLES, ORANGES AND OFFENSE
Everyone knows new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer's offense is different from that of retired offensive coordinator Mike DeBord.
The big question -- how different?
Receivers coach Grant Heard provided some answers.
"Schematically there are a lot of similarities. The way we call it is different. We called it apples before. Now we're calling it oranges.
"It takes time to get used to it. This used to be called this, now I have to remember it's called that. That's the biggest difference."
There's plenty of adjustment for the coaches as well as the players.
"It's thinking how Coach DeBoer thinks," Heard said. "I've been in a whole bunch more systems than (my receivers) have and my mind gets clouded up. He might use a term I used a long time ago and I have to think about it some.
"That's the hard thing. That and getting everybody on the same page as far as splits and depths. He did it one way. We did it another. Figure out which way is right, which way is wrong.
"Coach DeBoer is not a 'This Is My Way' guy. He's open to new stuff. There are different ways to skin a cat. He's open to those ways. Trying to piece it together and make sure it's our offense and we can get the job done."
THE FITZ FACTOR
Don't be surprised if defensive back Bryant Fitzgerald emerges as a dominant player. Last season, in his college debut, he totaled three interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He also had 31 tackles.
Physically, at least, the 6-foot, 206 pounder is poised for a break-through season.
"He has a better burst," Allen said. "Part of that is having more confidence, being year two in the system and development.
"His body has responded really well to what we're doing in the weight room. He has always been a hard worker. I just feel like he has gained some really good weight.
"When you look at the film you can see his burst to the football and his quickness has improved. He is covering more ground and to me that's a big deal. He plays a space position. That is a big part of his job.
"I just think that when you play with more confidence you anticipate better because of reps and experience. You do play faster, but I think he is physically and noticeably quicker. He knows what we're doing and he's running the defense. Instead of last year where he was listening a lot to the other guys and doing his job and making plays. Now he is leading and is a very, very valuable part of our team."
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