Indiana University Athletics
Fun Brewing -- Running Backs Have Mike Hart Pushing the Possibilities
10/7/2020 9:05:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mike Hart won't downplay it. There's no time for it, for one thing. For another, well, as Indiana's veteran running backs coach, why should he?
Truth resonates with the power of a Stevie Scott III run, and if you've seen the way this 6-2, 231-pound force of football nature punishes defenses, you know how impressive that can be.
So here is Hart, on a Zoom conference call, telling it like it is about a group of running backs (Scott, Sampson James, David Ellis, Tim Baldwin Jr. and Ahrod Lloyd) that might rank among the best in program history.
"As far as the depth of our room," Hart says, "I think it is the most sound group we have had since I have been here."
For the record, Hart is starting his fourth season at IU.
"They are talented and they love ball," he says. "I feel really comfortable with them out there."
Hart wants to see a lot of them, which is what you'd expect from a running backs coach.
"We have to commit ourselves as a coaching staff to running the ball," he says. "As long as we do that, we have the tools. We have the O-line to do it. We have the talent in the backfield to do it. I'm looking forward to when we are game-planning, seeing what's the best way to get these guys the ball."
That will come down to offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, who has weapons all over the field, including dual-threat quarterback Michael Penix Jr., 1,000-yard receiver Whop Philyor and record-setting tight end Peyton Hendershot.
Still, Hart makes his run-the-ball case.
"The more we run the ball, the more guys are going to get touches. I think you roll with the hot hand. I think we have a couple guys that can start, and they are all going to play, so we will see how it goes."
Practice will go a long way in deciding the number of carries. So will the play calling.
"If there are only 15 carries in the game it is hard to say someone is going to get seven and seven," Hart says. "Guys can't get in the flow that way. But if you run the ball 25 or 30 times, you can go 20 and 10 or 15 and 15.
"We will see what Coach Sheridan wants to do."
Prospects are promising.
Take Scott, who has rushed for 1,982 yards and 20 touchdowns in his first two seasons. It would have been more if he hadn't missed the final two games last season because of injury.
As a contender for the Mawell and Doak Walker Awards (which go to the nation's best offensive player and running back), Scott will be featured early and often, and, man, is he ready.
"I am excited to be a big part of the offense," he says. "I am going into every practice with the mindset to be great and helping others to be the best versions of themselves."
Scott says he's very appreciative IU will get the chance. Big Ten officials, after all, had postponed the season in August before deciding to play in September.
"It is a great feeling to go out every day and practice," Scott says. "Being able to play football again is a blessing and we are trying to not take it for granted.
"I try to go out there every day and get the team riled up, getting everyone prepared and ready to get their mindset right and focus on the good things."
Scott is ready to rock opponents, starting with the season opener against No. 9 Penn State.
"Physically, I feel as though my body is in shape. We got a new strength staff during the off-season and I feel that they have been helping the whole team get better.
"They have improved every day on the little things to help our bodies stay healthy and to be physical players. For me, I want to improve on my breakaway ability, getting through the line of scrimmage and creating bigger plays for the offense."
Scott refers to senior assistant athletic director for football performance Aaron Wellman and his staff. Wellman joined the Hoosiers last winter after spending four seasons with the NFL's New York Giants.
James is also a big Wellman fan.
"I love Coach Wellman and his staff," James says. "I feel great. My body feels great. I haven't had really any injuries.
"I'm loving everything they are doing. They are very knowledgeable; they always explain why we are doing something, which I feel helps a lot of my teammates. Great staff, no complaints."
The 6-1, 220-pound James is also a punishing presence. Last season as a true freshman, he rushed for 275 yards and three touchdowns. That included a 118-yard, one-touchdown effort in the win over Purdue as the replacement for the injured Scott.
James, who also started in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl due to Scott's injury, figures to get a bigger role this season.
"It served as great motivation," James says. "Having an opportunity to start two games, I feel like the game speed is a lot slower. I'm starting to see stuff faster, quicker.
"I feel like I'm adjusting to the game, but it's definitely pushed me to work even harder so I can play more and eliminate any kind of weaknesses."
James briefly thought about transferring after the season following the move of strength coaches David Ballou and Dr. Matt Rhea to Alabama before deciding to stay.
Hart, as you might imagine, is glad he did.
"I think that when you are close to people for a long time and something happens," Hart says, "sometimes you make an irrational decision.
"He wants to be here, he's a great kid, and he's all in. He has been busting his tail to get ready."
Adds James: "This is where I want to be. That decision was a mistake. I'm all in for the Hoosiers."
How big is that? Consider James -- who now wears No. 6, the same as former 2,000-yard Hoosier tailback Tevin Coleman -- only ran the ball 81 times last season, 33 in his last two games.
"Sampson still has not played a lot of football," Hart says. "He played at Purdue and against Tennessee. That is really it. He's improving every day."
Versatility is supplied by Ellis, a receiver last year who will get touches all over the field. He averaged 20.7 yards a kickoff return, caught 16 passes for 173 yards and ran nine times for 53 yards.
"David is a really explosive athlete," Hart says. "He played receiver last year, but we recruited him originally as a running back. He came here to play running back.
"He played in the slot last year and now we are going to let him play some tailback. You can just utilize him in multiple ways. We are really excited about him. He is special. He can catch; he can run; he is six-foot, 210 pounds, so he is a big receiver and is a solid-sized running back. We are excited about him and looking forward to using him."
The 6-foot, 217-pound Baldwin, a true freshman, rushed for 1,000 yards in his final three high school seasons in Virginia. The 5-11, 197 Lloyd was a special teams player last year as a redshirt sophomore, although he did run for 19 yards on 10 carries, and returned three kickoffs for 45 yards.
Don't forget 5-10, 218-pound true freshman Charlie Spegal, last year's Indiana Mr. Football out of New Palestine, who as a preferred walk-on is running people over in practice. He rushed for 10,967 yards and scored 173 touchdowns during his high school career.
Add it all up and no wonder Hart says, "I am excited about the group that we have. It's a really strong group, really fun group to be around and coach."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mike Hart won't downplay it. There's no time for it, for one thing. For another, well, as Indiana's veteran running backs coach, why should he?
Truth resonates with the power of a Stevie Scott III run, and if you've seen the way this 6-2, 231-pound force of football nature punishes defenses, you know how impressive that can be.
So here is Hart, on a Zoom conference call, telling it like it is about a group of running backs (Scott, Sampson James, David Ellis, Tim Baldwin Jr. and Ahrod Lloyd) that might rank among the best in program history.
"As far as the depth of our room," Hart says, "I think it is the most sound group we have had since I have been here."
For the record, Hart is starting his fourth season at IU.
"They are talented and they love ball," he says. "I feel really comfortable with them out there."
Hart wants to see a lot of them, which is what you'd expect from a running backs coach.
"We have to commit ourselves as a coaching staff to running the ball," he says. "As long as we do that, we have the tools. We have the O-line to do it. We have the talent in the backfield to do it. I'm looking forward to when we are game-planning, seeing what's the best way to get these guys the ball."
That will come down to offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, who has weapons all over the field, including dual-threat quarterback Michael Penix Jr., 1,000-yard receiver Whop Philyor and record-setting tight end Peyton Hendershot.
Still, Hart makes his run-the-ball case.
"The more we run the ball, the more guys are going to get touches. I think you roll with the hot hand. I think we have a couple guys that can start, and they are all going to play, so we will see how it goes."
Practice will go a long way in deciding the number of carries. So will the play calling.
"If there are only 15 carries in the game it is hard to say someone is going to get seven and seven," Hart says. "Guys can't get in the flow that way. But if you run the ball 25 or 30 times, you can go 20 and 10 or 15 and 15.
"We will see what Coach Sheridan wants to do."
Prospects are promising.
Take Scott, who has rushed for 1,982 yards and 20 touchdowns in his first two seasons. It would have been more if he hadn't missed the final two games last season because of injury.
As a contender for the Mawell and Doak Walker Awards (which go to the nation's best offensive player and running back), Scott will be featured early and often, and, man, is he ready.
"I am excited to be a big part of the offense," he says. "I am going into every practice with the mindset to be great and helping others to be the best versions of themselves."
Scott says he's very appreciative IU will get the chance. Big Ten officials, after all, had postponed the season in August before deciding to play in September.
"It is a great feeling to go out every day and practice," Scott says. "Being able to play football again is a blessing and we are trying to not take it for granted.
"I try to go out there every day and get the team riled up, getting everyone prepared and ready to get their mindset right and focus on the good things."
Scott is ready to rock opponents, starting with the season opener against No. 9 Penn State.
"Physically, I feel as though my body is in shape. We got a new strength staff during the off-season and I feel that they have been helping the whole team get better.
"They have improved every day on the little things to help our bodies stay healthy and to be physical players. For me, I want to improve on my breakaway ability, getting through the line of scrimmage and creating bigger plays for the offense."
Scott refers to senior assistant athletic director for football performance Aaron Wellman and his staff. Wellman joined the Hoosiers last winter after spending four seasons with the NFL's New York Giants.
James is also a big Wellman fan.
"I love Coach Wellman and his staff," James says. "I feel great. My body feels great. I haven't had really any injuries.
"I'm loving everything they are doing. They are very knowledgeable; they always explain why we are doing something, which I feel helps a lot of my teammates. Great staff, no complaints."
The 6-1, 220-pound James is also a punishing presence. Last season as a true freshman, he rushed for 275 yards and three touchdowns. That included a 118-yard, one-touchdown effort in the win over Purdue as the replacement for the injured Scott.
James, who also started in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl due to Scott's injury, figures to get a bigger role this season.
"It served as great motivation," James says. "Having an opportunity to start two games, I feel like the game speed is a lot slower. I'm starting to see stuff faster, quicker.
"I feel like I'm adjusting to the game, but it's definitely pushed me to work even harder so I can play more and eliminate any kind of weaknesses."
James briefly thought about transferring after the season following the move of strength coaches David Ballou and Dr. Matt Rhea to Alabama before deciding to stay.
Hart, as you might imagine, is glad he did.
"I think that when you are close to people for a long time and something happens," Hart says, "sometimes you make an irrational decision.
"He wants to be here, he's a great kid, and he's all in. He has been busting his tail to get ready."
Adds James: "This is where I want to be. That decision was a mistake. I'm all in for the Hoosiers."
How big is that? Consider James -- who now wears No. 6, the same as former 2,000-yard Hoosier tailback Tevin Coleman -- only ran the ball 81 times last season, 33 in his last two games.
"Sampson still has not played a lot of football," Hart says. "He played at Purdue and against Tennessee. That is really it. He's improving every day."
Versatility is supplied by Ellis, a receiver last year who will get touches all over the field. He averaged 20.7 yards a kickoff return, caught 16 passes for 173 yards and ran nine times for 53 yards.
"David is a really explosive athlete," Hart says. "He played receiver last year, but we recruited him originally as a running back. He came here to play running back.
"He played in the slot last year and now we are going to let him play some tailback. You can just utilize him in multiple ways. We are really excited about him. He is special. He can catch; he can run; he is six-foot, 210 pounds, so he is a big receiver and is a solid-sized running back. We are excited about him and looking forward to using him."
The 6-foot, 217-pound Baldwin, a true freshman, rushed for 1,000 yards in his final three high school seasons in Virginia. The 5-11, 197 Lloyd was a special teams player last year as a redshirt sophomore, although he did run for 19 yards on 10 carries, and returned three kickoffs for 45 yards.
Don't forget 5-10, 218-pound true freshman Charlie Spegal, last year's Indiana Mr. Football out of New Palestine, who as a preferred walk-on is running people over in practice. He rushed for 10,967 yards and scored 173 touchdowns during his high school career.
Add it all up and no wonder Hart says, "I am excited about the group that we have. It's a really strong group, really fun group to be around and coach."
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