‘Unprecedented Times’ Require Unprecedented IU Recruiting
7/20/2020 9:00:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Football recruiting in a pandemic means daring to be bold.
Indiana head coach Tom Allen embraces that, in part because that's nature, mostly because he has no choice.
"It's unprecedented," he says. "We're dealing with new challenges."
Coaches' need to sign elite talent clashes with a reality in which they can't see recruits perform, get them on campus, have them attend camps or visit them at their schools.
Because the world hasn't stopped even if so much of the normal way of business has, because winning the right way remains a top priority, the option is clear: get recruiting creative, within the rules, of course.
"We usually do a tremendous job of getting guys on campus," Allen says. "We did a lot of that, early on, even over the summer and having summer visits. Official visits over the summer have become big for us because we recruit in the south quite a bit."
Then came the pandemic.
"All of that has not happened. You're trying to find creative ways to get an eyeball on guys."
Eyeball time disappeared along with spring evaluation opportunities. Challenges erupted in multiple ways, including determining the size of players.
"A kid is listed at 6-foor-1," Allen says. "Is he really 6-1? Usually they're not. Whatever they're listed at, they're usually at least an inch shorter."
It isn't high school coaches manipulating the roster information as much as shoes.
"We always want to know what they are in their bare feet," Allen says.
IU coaches also evaluate body structure and frame to get a sense of how much weight a player projects to gain. You meet a 16- or 17-year-old boy and envision him as a 21-or 22-year-old man.
That's hard to do without a face-to-face meeting.
"Much of that has not happened, especially with younger guys," Allen says. "We've got to find creative ways to do that."
Players can still come to IU's campus, but "We can't meet them. If they want to do a tour on their own, there's a legal way to do a tour of Bloomington.
"They can't go inside any buildings, but at least they see everything. We've had a few players do that."
And if players and parents can't make it to Bloomington, IU has developed a virtual tour to give players and parents a sense of what the campus is like.
Then there's another twist in the COVID-19 times -- recruits are committing to schools without visiting; coaches are offering scholarships to players they haven't seen in person.
"We find ourselves in that situation, as well," Allen says. "It's unique. It's going to create an interesting finish. That's the part I'm focused on.
"We can't change anything that's happened. Players are not going to be coming on to campus anytime soon. So how do we finish it out and hold on to the guys who have committed, and convince guys who haven't committed to check us out before making their final decision?"
Another potential obstacle – if the high school football season is cancelled, coaches will miss a big evaluation opportunity. Add that to the missed spring and summer camp periods and coaches will struggle to determine which recruits are Big Ten caliber, and which aren't. They'll also miss seeing late-developing players.
"If you take (the senior season) away, Wow. I don't know," Allen says. "It makes it even more challenging for coaches, and more frustrating for players because they want to be seen."
The result could be more recruiting mistakes.
"The big thing about recruiting," Allen says, "is you try to gain as much information as possible to make a decision, and that information is limited."
One possible IU advantage, Allen adds, is that IU plans to sign a smaller 2021 class.
"We have to focus on what we can do, on the information we have and make the best possible decision."
******
Pre-season honors have come IU's way. Cornerback Tiawan Mullen, receiver Whop Philyor, running back Stevie Scott III and tight end Peyton Hendershot are receiving national recognition.
Mullen made the Bednarik Watch List. The award goes to the nation's best defensive player.
Last season Mullen was first-team freshman All-America by The Athletic and 247 Sports. He also earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors. His 13 pass break-ups led the Big Ten and ranked 11th nationally. He also forced two fumbles and had two fumble recoveries, plus added 29 tackles.
"He's a guy who has worked extremely hard," Allen says. "He obviously played well as a freshman. Those things are a tribute to what he's done on the field."
Last year's success, Allen adds, guarantees nothing.
"It doesn't mean a lot for the future, but it's definitely special for him. His teammates are a big part of that. He has a lot of hard work ahead of him."
Philyor, a senior, made the watch list for the Biletnikof Award, which goes to the nation's top receiver.
Philyor has career totals of 126 catches, 1,576 yards, nine touchdowns and six 100-yard receiving games. Last year, he made second-team All-Big Ten after totaling 70 catches for 1,002 yards and five touchdowns.
Scott, a junior, made the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the nation's top running back.
Scott is eight yards away from becoming the 14th Hoosier to reach 2,000 rushing yards. He was second-team All-Big Ten last season after averaging 76.8 yards a game. An injury that sidelined him for the final two games prevented him from surpassing 1,000 yards for the second-straight season. He finished with 845 yards (averaging 4.7 yards a carry) and 10 touchdowns last year.
Hendershot made the watch list for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation's top tight end.
Hendershot was third-team all-conference last season after setting an IU tight end record with 52 catches and 622 yards. He also caught four touchdown passes. Among tight ends he ranked fourth nationally in catches and 10th in yardage.
*****
The Big Ten has decided only conference games will be played, which takes Western Kentucky, Ball State and Connecticut off IU's schedule. Those games were set for consecutive September Saturdays.
The reason to go to a conference-only schedule is to have more flexibility if virus outbreaks happen and games are postponed, or even cancelled.
IU has had to pause its summer voluntary football workouts after six players tested positive for COVID-19. Ohio State and Maryland also have had to halt workouts because of the virus.
Big Ten officials want to be as prepared as possible.
How big an impact will not having non-conference games have on IU?
"Those opportunities to get ready for Big Ten play have been very important to us," Allen says. "You won't have them now."
That's true for every Big Ten team.
"I support the Big Ten's decision," Allen says. "I understand it. It's about what's best for the players and trying to create the best scenario for us to have a season and the control that gives us.
"The flexibility it gives us is very important. To have a situation where maybe two teams can't play now, so you move the game to a different spot. With a normal 12-game season, there's no option, outside of a bye week, to do that."
******
Pausing voluntary workouts reflects a growing trend around the nation. Rising rates of COVID-19 are jeopardizing college sports, and much more. More and more communities are instituting mandatory face-mask and social-distancing policies.
"We still don't have a lot of questions answered," Allen says. "I think we thought when this process was in the early stages, we'd have more answers at this time, but we don't."
IU is set to open its season Sept. 4 at Wisconsin.
"I'm optimistic about us starting the season," Allen says. "I believe we will start our season on time. There will be challenges to maintain the season without interruption."
The ultimate interruption would be a repeat of March's total shutdown of all sports and many businesses, but there are other challenges.
"Many people have many concerns about the possibility of interruptions," Allen says. "Nobody knows what they'll look like."
The best approach for now, Allen adds, is to "Do what we always do here. You focus on what you know. We know we're preparing for the 2020 season. I know the strength staff is working extremely hard. I'm very impressed with the job they're doing."
*****
Players who decide not to play because of safety concerns will keep their scholarships per Big Ten and IU directives.
"The Big Ten was clear on that," Allen says, "and I support that."
No Hoosier has decided not to play, he adds.
"Nobody in our program has said, 'Coach, that's what I want to do.' They have asked how it would work if they did choose to do that.
"We want our athletes and parents 100 percent confident in them being in a good situation. We've said from the beginning you can't eliminate risk completely. You can't completely eliminate the risk of playing football. We have very high levels of protocols that we follow.
"The bottom line is, they've got to trust us, and they do."
Trust comes from a well-planned return to campus devised from the latest scientific and medical research.
After the first round of COVID-19 testing in June, encompassing 187 participants that included men's and women's basketball, IU had no positive results. A second round generated four positives in 112 additional tests (not all came from football).
Then came this week's results (it included men's and women's soccer, volleyball and field hockey) and the six football positives.
At that point, protocols kicked in. Football workouts were stopped until further notice. Quarantine and contact tracing began.
Workouts for the other sports continued.
The NCAA also has issued testing guidelines. Athletes from what it considers "high-risk sports" (including football) must be tested every week, within 72 hours of competition. Players who test positive must sit out 10 days. Those coming in close contact with an infected person will quarantine for two weeks.
Indiana protocols include social distancing. The football team hasn't conducted any full-team meetings. It's still in "Zoom mode," Allen says. That's also true of coaches' meetings, which are "partial Zoom and partial in-person."
Allen said Zoom meetings might be used even during August fall camp.
Through it all, Allen says, "We control what we can control. We don't blink. We don't get sidetracked on things we don't have any control over. We're in a very responsible way preparing our team for the 2020 season."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Football recruiting in a pandemic means daring to be bold.
Indiana head coach Tom Allen embraces that, in part because that's nature, mostly because he has no choice.
"It's unprecedented," he says. "We're dealing with new challenges."
Coaches' need to sign elite talent clashes with a reality in which they can't see recruits perform, get them on campus, have them attend camps or visit them at their schools.
Because the world hasn't stopped even if so much of the normal way of business has, because winning the right way remains a top priority, the option is clear: get recruiting creative, within the rules, of course.
"We usually do a tremendous job of getting guys on campus," Allen says. "We did a lot of that, early on, even over the summer and having summer visits. Official visits over the summer have become big for us because we recruit in the south quite a bit."
Then came the pandemic.
"All of that has not happened. You're trying to find creative ways to get an eyeball on guys."
Eyeball time disappeared along with spring evaluation opportunities. Challenges erupted in multiple ways, including determining the size of players.
"A kid is listed at 6-foor-1," Allen says. "Is he really 6-1? Usually they're not. Whatever they're listed at, they're usually at least an inch shorter."
It isn't high school coaches manipulating the roster information as much as shoes.
"We always want to know what they are in their bare feet," Allen says.
IU coaches also evaluate body structure and frame to get a sense of how much weight a player projects to gain. You meet a 16- or 17-year-old boy and envision him as a 21-or 22-year-old man.
That's hard to do without a face-to-face meeting.
"Much of that has not happened, especially with younger guys," Allen says. "We've got to find creative ways to do that."
Players can still come to IU's campus, but "We can't meet them. If they want to do a tour on their own, there's a legal way to do a tour of Bloomington.
"They can't go inside any buildings, but at least they see everything. We've had a few players do that."
And if players and parents can't make it to Bloomington, IU has developed a virtual tour to give players and parents a sense of what the campus is like.
Then there's another twist in the COVID-19 times -- recruits are committing to schools without visiting; coaches are offering scholarships to players they haven't seen in person.
"We find ourselves in that situation, as well," Allen says. "It's unique. It's going to create an interesting finish. That's the part I'm focused on.
"We can't change anything that's happened. Players are not going to be coming on to campus anytime soon. So how do we finish it out and hold on to the guys who have committed, and convince guys who haven't committed to check us out before making their final decision?"
Another potential obstacle – if the high school football season is cancelled, coaches will miss a big evaluation opportunity. Add that to the missed spring and summer camp periods and coaches will struggle to determine which recruits are Big Ten caliber, and which aren't. They'll also miss seeing late-developing players.
"If you take (the senior season) away, Wow. I don't know," Allen says. "It makes it even more challenging for coaches, and more frustrating for players because they want to be seen."
The result could be more recruiting mistakes.
"The big thing about recruiting," Allen says, "is you try to gain as much information as possible to make a decision, and that information is limited."
One possible IU advantage, Allen adds, is that IU plans to sign a smaller 2021 class.
"We have to focus on what we can do, on the information we have and make the best possible decision."
******
Pre-season honors have come IU's way. Cornerback Tiawan Mullen, receiver Whop Philyor, running back Stevie Scott III and tight end Peyton Hendershot are receiving national recognition.
Mullen made the Bednarik Watch List. The award goes to the nation's best defensive player.
Last season Mullen was first-team freshman All-America by The Athletic and 247 Sports. He also earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors. His 13 pass break-ups led the Big Ten and ranked 11th nationally. He also forced two fumbles and had two fumble recoveries, plus added 29 tackles.
"He's a guy who has worked extremely hard," Allen says. "He obviously played well as a freshman. Those things are a tribute to what he's done on the field."
Last year's success, Allen adds, guarantees nothing.
"It doesn't mean a lot for the future, but it's definitely special for him. His teammates are a big part of that. He has a lot of hard work ahead of him."
Philyor, a senior, made the watch list for the Biletnikof Award, which goes to the nation's top receiver.
Philyor has career totals of 126 catches, 1,576 yards, nine touchdowns and six 100-yard receiving games. Last year, he made second-team All-Big Ten after totaling 70 catches for 1,002 yards and five touchdowns.
Scott, a junior, made the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the nation's top running back.
Scott is eight yards away from becoming the 14th Hoosier to reach 2,000 rushing yards. He was second-team All-Big Ten last season after averaging 76.8 yards a game. An injury that sidelined him for the final two games prevented him from surpassing 1,000 yards for the second-straight season. He finished with 845 yards (averaging 4.7 yards a carry) and 10 touchdowns last year.
Hendershot made the watch list for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation's top tight end.
Hendershot was third-team all-conference last season after setting an IU tight end record with 52 catches and 622 yards. He also caught four touchdown passes. Among tight ends he ranked fourth nationally in catches and 10th in yardage.
*****
The Big Ten has decided only conference games will be played, which takes Western Kentucky, Ball State and Connecticut off IU's schedule. Those games were set for consecutive September Saturdays.
The reason to go to a conference-only schedule is to have more flexibility if virus outbreaks happen and games are postponed, or even cancelled.
IU has had to pause its summer voluntary football workouts after six players tested positive for COVID-19. Ohio State and Maryland also have had to halt workouts because of the virus.
Big Ten officials want to be as prepared as possible.
How big an impact will not having non-conference games have on IU?
"Those opportunities to get ready for Big Ten play have been very important to us," Allen says. "You won't have them now."
That's true for every Big Ten team.
"I support the Big Ten's decision," Allen says. "I understand it. It's about what's best for the players and trying to create the best scenario for us to have a season and the control that gives us.
"The flexibility it gives us is very important. To have a situation where maybe two teams can't play now, so you move the game to a different spot. With a normal 12-game season, there's no option, outside of a bye week, to do that."
******
Pausing voluntary workouts reflects a growing trend around the nation. Rising rates of COVID-19 are jeopardizing college sports, and much more. More and more communities are instituting mandatory face-mask and social-distancing policies.
"We still don't have a lot of questions answered," Allen says. "I think we thought when this process was in the early stages, we'd have more answers at this time, but we don't."
IU is set to open its season Sept. 4 at Wisconsin.
"I'm optimistic about us starting the season," Allen says. "I believe we will start our season on time. There will be challenges to maintain the season without interruption."
The ultimate interruption would be a repeat of March's total shutdown of all sports and many businesses, but there are other challenges.
"Many people have many concerns about the possibility of interruptions," Allen says. "Nobody knows what they'll look like."
The best approach for now, Allen adds, is to "Do what we always do here. You focus on what you know. We know we're preparing for the 2020 season. I know the strength staff is working extremely hard. I'm very impressed with the job they're doing."
*****
Players who decide not to play because of safety concerns will keep their scholarships per Big Ten and IU directives.
"The Big Ten was clear on that," Allen says, "and I support that."
No Hoosier has decided not to play, he adds.
"Nobody in our program has said, 'Coach, that's what I want to do.' They have asked how it would work if they did choose to do that.
"We want our athletes and parents 100 percent confident in them being in a good situation. We've said from the beginning you can't eliminate risk completely. You can't completely eliminate the risk of playing football. We have very high levels of protocols that we follow.
"The bottom line is, they've got to trust us, and they do."
Trust comes from a well-planned return to campus devised from the latest scientific and medical research.
After the first round of COVID-19 testing in June, encompassing 187 participants that included men's and women's basketball, IU had no positive results. A second round generated four positives in 112 additional tests (not all came from football).
Then came this week's results (it included men's and women's soccer, volleyball and field hockey) and the six football positives.
At that point, protocols kicked in. Football workouts were stopped until further notice. Quarantine and contact tracing began.
Workouts for the other sports continued.
The NCAA also has issued testing guidelines. Athletes from what it considers "high-risk sports" (including football) must be tested every week, within 72 hours of competition. Players who test positive must sit out 10 days. Those coming in close contact with an infected person will quarantine for two weeks.
Indiana protocols include social distancing. The football team hasn't conducted any full-team meetings. It's still in "Zoom mode," Allen says. That's also true of coaches' meetings, which are "partial Zoom and partial in-person."
Allen said Zoom meetings might be used even during August fall camp.
Through it all, Allen says, "We control what we can control. We don't blink. We don't get sidetracked on things we don't have any control over. We're in a very responsible way preparing our team for the 2020 season."
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