Tiawan Mullen, Brandon Shelby And The Art Of Hard Coaching
9/30/2020 8:17:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - You want to play nice, sip tea and sing at a campfire.
You want to win upcoming Big Ten football battles, especially as a defensive player, you've got to rock somebody's world.
For Indiana veteran cornerbacks coach Brandon Shelby as he contemplates the kind of sophomore season standout cornerback Taiwan Mullen could have, that means tapping into the Vince Lombardi get-tough coaching spirit.
"When he messes up," Shelby says via Zoom technology, "he might get 50 yards of up-downs, while someone else might only get 10."
No, this isn't coach as a jerk. It's about driving a talented player to greatness. Mullen is the first and has the potential to be the second.
Last season he earned freshman All-America honors by The Athletic and 247 Sports after leading the Big Ten with 13 pass breakups. He also totaled 29 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Mullen was at his best in the Oaken Bucket victory over Purdue with a career-high eight tackles, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
As a result, he's on the Watch List for the Chuck Bednarik Award, presented annually to the nation's best defensive player.
Mullen wants more; Shelby demands it; because that's what it takes to thrive, at this level and the next.
"What I did last year, it was great and everything," Mullen says, "but with Coach Shelby behind me, I need to push harder.
"I know his expectations, so he doesn't need to push or yell at me. Just doing whatever I need to do for the team, reach the team goals and whatever accolades that's out there for me will come after we reach the team goals."
Accolades, of course, can ruin an unfocused, immature player.
That's not Mullen. He's seen greatness from older brother Trayvon, who played cornerback at Clemson and is now with the Las Vegas Raiders, and from his cousin Lamar Jackson, the former Heisman Trophy winner from Louisville now tearing up the NFL as quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens. He knows what it takes.
"He comes from an athletic family," Shelby says. "He does a lot of great things and he has had a lot of press clippings.
"I have to coach him even harder about the little things, where are his feet, his eyes, his hand placement. I am a lot harder on him because, at the end of the day, a lot of players that have a successful freshman year usually fall into a sophomore slump."
That, too, isn't Mullen. He says he often talks improvement with his brother.
"Pushing forward, there are a lot of things I can fix to become a better player, like knowing what routes the receivers are going to run, knowing whatever formation they get in, knowing what's coming. That's something me and my brother talk about.
"Me and Coach Shelby talk a lot about knowing the next step, knowing the next play and knowing the check call that's coming and knowing what's coming ahead of time."
By the end of the season, Mullen might be IU's best player, although he'll have plenty of competition for that honor from quarterback Michael Penix Jr., receiver Whop Philyor, running back Stevie Scott and more.
"We have to do a great job of making sure he continues to do the things that allowed him to get to this position, watching film, being critical of every little thing and the details," Shelby says. "He takes great coaching and has been pushed since he was a little boy.
"This is second nature to him. He loves football. When you get that DNA, it is awesome to coach. We just push him, hold him to a different standard and hopefully God will keep blessing him and he will keep rising like he has thus far."
A lot also is expected of fellow returning starting cornerback Jaylin Williams. He has totaled 41 tackles, seven pass deflections and two interceptions in his two college seasons.
Better leadership is high on Williams' priority list.
"The biggest thing is that (Shelby) wants me to be more of a leader this year. He said that if I do what I need to do and work on the things that I need to work on, that I could potentially go to the next level.
"That is what I am trying to do, get to the next level. I am trying to help IU, right now, win as much as possible."
All this comes amid the pandemic challenge that first postponed the season, only to have it restart with a late October opener against No. 10 Penn State.
"You have to think of it as a glass half-full not a glass half-empty type of situation," Williams says. "We always held out hope that we were going to have a season. We needed to keep doing the little things, keep looking at film, keep working out, keep getting to the field and perfecting our craft. We had to keep having hope that the season was going to come back and it did."
IU has recruited hard to upgrade the talent and depth, and it shows at cornerback with junior Reese Taylor, as well as promising young players Larry Tracy III, Lem Watley-Neely and Christopher Keys.
Tracy III, a redshirt freshman from Indianapolis Decatur Central, showed potential last season (he played in one game), and has shown more in the last few weeks.
"One guy that really keeps doing a great job is Larry Tracy III," Shelby says, "He keeps making plays.
"As a freshman, he was kind of scatter-brained, but you can understand that. He has locked in, started to understand the flows of college and is locked into football.
"I see a totally different change in him on and off the field. I am excited for him and the process he is doing to give himself an opportunity to play. He is settling into who he is on and off the field. I am really excited for the future for him."
Then there are Watley-Neely and Keys. Shelby calls them "great players" who have to learn the complexities of college defense.
"Those guys have the athletic ability," Shelby says. "The thing that we have to get through to them is the speed of things, the speed of life. You get here and everything is go, go, go.
"I expect great things from those guys. This is a learning opportunity. I am excited for right now, and the future."
The "right now" includes the potential of a COVID-19 outbreak that could sideline starters and force younger players into key roles.
Shelby's job, and that of the other coaches, is to prepare those younger players for what's coming.
"You have to be ready for so many guys to play," Shelby says. "The older guys understand the complexities of preparing every week. We have to make sure they sharpen it up, do not get complacent and make sure they are living right outside of the (football) complex. We have to make sure in the next eight to nine weeks we are healthy and go the whole season.
"You think about the mental gymnastics these guys have had to go through, from we are playing to we are not playing and back to playing again. Emotionally, they had to get their minds right.
"For the young guys, we have to prepare them to know the playbook in and out. We might have to simplify it a little bit so they can understand it and play fast."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - You want to play nice, sip tea and sing at a campfire.
You want to win upcoming Big Ten football battles, especially as a defensive player, you've got to rock somebody's world.
For Indiana veteran cornerbacks coach Brandon Shelby as he contemplates the kind of sophomore season standout cornerback Taiwan Mullen could have, that means tapping into the Vince Lombardi get-tough coaching spirit.
"When he messes up," Shelby says via Zoom technology, "he might get 50 yards of up-downs, while someone else might only get 10."
No, this isn't coach as a jerk. It's about driving a talented player to greatness. Mullen is the first and has the potential to be the second.
Last season he earned freshman All-America honors by The Athletic and 247 Sports after leading the Big Ten with 13 pass breakups. He also totaled 29 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Mullen was at his best in the Oaken Bucket victory over Purdue with a career-high eight tackles, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
As a result, he's on the Watch List for the Chuck Bednarik Award, presented annually to the nation's best defensive player.
Mullen wants more; Shelby demands it; because that's what it takes to thrive, at this level and the next.
"What I did last year, it was great and everything," Mullen says, "but with Coach Shelby behind me, I need to push harder.
"I know his expectations, so he doesn't need to push or yell at me. Just doing whatever I need to do for the team, reach the team goals and whatever accolades that's out there for me will come after we reach the team goals."
Accolades, of course, can ruin an unfocused, immature player.
That's not Mullen. He's seen greatness from older brother Trayvon, who played cornerback at Clemson and is now with the Las Vegas Raiders, and from his cousin Lamar Jackson, the former Heisman Trophy winner from Louisville now tearing up the NFL as quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens. He knows what it takes.
"He comes from an athletic family," Shelby says. "He does a lot of great things and he has had a lot of press clippings.
"I have to coach him even harder about the little things, where are his feet, his eyes, his hand placement. I am a lot harder on him because, at the end of the day, a lot of players that have a successful freshman year usually fall into a sophomore slump."
That, too, isn't Mullen. He says he often talks improvement with his brother.
"Pushing forward, there are a lot of things I can fix to become a better player, like knowing what routes the receivers are going to run, knowing whatever formation they get in, knowing what's coming. That's something me and my brother talk about.
"Me and Coach Shelby talk a lot about knowing the next step, knowing the next play and knowing the check call that's coming and knowing what's coming ahead of time."
By the end of the season, Mullen might be IU's best player, although he'll have plenty of competition for that honor from quarterback Michael Penix Jr., receiver Whop Philyor, running back Stevie Scott and more.
"We have to do a great job of making sure he continues to do the things that allowed him to get to this position, watching film, being critical of every little thing and the details," Shelby says. "He takes great coaching and has been pushed since he was a little boy.
"This is second nature to him. He loves football. When you get that DNA, it is awesome to coach. We just push him, hold him to a different standard and hopefully God will keep blessing him and he will keep rising like he has thus far."
A lot also is expected of fellow returning starting cornerback Jaylin Williams. He has totaled 41 tackles, seven pass deflections and two interceptions in his two college seasons.
Better leadership is high on Williams' priority list.
"The biggest thing is that (Shelby) wants me to be more of a leader this year. He said that if I do what I need to do and work on the things that I need to work on, that I could potentially go to the next level.
"That is what I am trying to do, get to the next level. I am trying to help IU, right now, win as much as possible."
All this comes amid the pandemic challenge that first postponed the season, only to have it restart with a late October opener against No. 10 Penn State.
"You have to think of it as a glass half-full not a glass half-empty type of situation," Williams says. "We always held out hope that we were going to have a season. We needed to keep doing the little things, keep looking at film, keep working out, keep getting to the field and perfecting our craft. We had to keep having hope that the season was going to come back and it did."
IU has recruited hard to upgrade the talent and depth, and it shows at cornerback with junior Reese Taylor, as well as promising young players Larry Tracy III, Lem Watley-Neely and Christopher Keys.
Tracy III, a redshirt freshman from Indianapolis Decatur Central, showed potential last season (he played in one game), and has shown more in the last few weeks.
"One guy that really keeps doing a great job is Larry Tracy III," Shelby says, "He keeps making plays.
"As a freshman, he was kind of scatter-brained, but you can understand that. He has locked in, started to understand the flows of college and is locked into football.
"I see a totally different change in him on and off the field. I am excited for him and the process he is doing to give himself an opportunity to play. He is settling into who he is on and off the field. I am really excited for the future for him."
Then there are Watley-Neely and Keys. Shelby calls them "great players" who have to learn the complexities of college defense.
"Those guys have the athletic ability," Shelby says. "The thing that we have to get through to them is the speed of things, the speed of life. You get here and everything is go, go, go.
"I expect great things from those guys. This is a learning opportunity. I am excited for right now, and the future."
The "right now" includes the potential of a COVID-19 outbreak that could sideline starters and force younger players into key roles.
Shelby's job, and that of the other coaches, is to prepare those younger players for what's coming.
"You have to be ready for so many guys to play," Shelby says. "The older guys understand the complexities of preparing every week. We have to make sure they sharpen it up, do not get complacent and make sure they are living right outside of the (football) complex. We have to make sure in the next eight to nine weeks we are healthy and go the whole season.
"You think about the mental gymnastics these guys have had to go through, from we are playing to we are not playing and back to playing again. Emotionally, they had to get their minds right.
"For the young guys, we have to prepare them to know the playbook in and out. We might have to simplify it a little bit so they can understand it and play fast."
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