Making History – IU Recruiting Reaches New High
12/16/2021 10:54:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tom Allen didn't mess around.
Indiana's hyper-energetic football coach never does, certainly not when it comes to the Hoosier program, and given the disappointing 2021 season, a turnaround can't come soon enough.
Neither could National Signing Day.
Better talent is crucial.
Wednesday's 25-player class -- including seven four-star prospects and seven college transfers -- is designed to return the Hoosiers to their bowl-qualifying ways of the previous two seasons.
As an added bonus, Allen and his staff are making history in the process.
Recruiting experts rate IU's class as high as No. 4 in the Big Ten behind Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, and just ahead of Michigan State. The No. 20 national ranking is, by far, the best in program history.
"Some say it's the best class we've had," Allen says during Wednesday's press conference. "I do know we're excited about it."
Excitement comes with this challenge to the new players and his staff.
"They've got to come here and they've got to work," Allen says. "They have to be developed into a team that plays well together."
Beyond returning the program to Big Ten title-contending form, Allen says, "The goal of this class was to improve our length, speed, and the overall mass of our team and body types."
Allen describes the class – which will add several more players by the summer – as a "really good foundation." This past season's struggles didn't change that.
"These guys believed in us and stuck with us through some challenges," Allen says. "Most of these guys were committed to us for a long time and stayed the course. It shows how they feel about the program and where we're at."
This transfer-portal era can accelerate turnarounds. As fast as IU fell last season, it can rebound at the same rate.
See Michigan State as a primary example.
In 2020, during coach Mel Tucker's debut season, the Spartans were 2-5. He brought in around 20 transfers and the impact was immediate -- the Spartans went 10-2 with a No. 10 ranking, and will play in the Peach Bowl.
They also are the only team to beat Michigan.
IU also had major success with transfers. This seven-player group -- running backs Shaun Shivers (Auburn) and Josh Henderson (North Carolina), defensive linemen LeDarrius Cox (Ole Miss), Patrick Lucas Jr. (Ole Miss), and JH Tevis (California), linebacker Bradley Jennings Jr. (University of Miami), and receiver Emery Simmons (North Carolina) -- ranks among the nation's best.
Shivers has rushed for 1,020 rushing yards in college, averaging just over 5.0 yards a carry. He also returned kickoffs.
"He gives us a different level of pop that we need," Allen says. "He ran track at Auburn. He's a very fast player. He's ready to compete at the highest level."
Henderson rushed for 209 yards on 41 carries last season.
"We really wanted to rebuild our running back room," Allen says.
At receiver, IU is bringing in Simmons, who had once committed to the Hoosiers before electing to stay closer to home with North Carolina.
In three seasons as a Tar Heel, he caught 30 passes for 516 yards and two touchdowns.
There's also junior college receiver Cam Camper, who caught 28 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns at Trinity Valley Community College.
The Hoosiers are getting a pair of transfers out of Ole Miss in Cox and Lucas.
The 6-5, 312-pound Cox was good enough to get offers from Oregon, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, and more coming out of high school. He played on the offensive and defensive lines at Ole Miss. He'll be strictly defense for the Hoosiers.
"We made it a priority to get some mass on the defensive line from older guys," Allen says. "He obviously fits that bill."
The 6-3, 290-pound Lucas missed last season with a torn Achilles. IU, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Florida all offered him.
The Hoosiers landed a pass rusher in Tevis, who totaled 36 tackles with a sack last season while earning honorable-mention All-Pac-12 honors.
"I like the toughness he's going to bring," Allen says. "I like the position flexibility he has there."
Jennings played in 35 games for Miami. He totaled 68 tackles, three sacks, and one fumble recovery. He will help replace All-America linebacker Micah McFadden.
"He played a lot of snaps (at Miami)," Allen says. "He was productive. We're looking for him to give us tremendous leadership in that (linebacker) room."
The Hoosiers will add more transfers by the start of next season.
One will be a quarterback. In fact, finding two more quarterbacks is a priority, Allen says. Hiring Walt Bell as the new offensive coordinator is a big part of that.
"We plan to sign a transfer quarterback and a high school quarterback. That is the plan, and I'm working on that relentlessly. That's a big part of everything we're doing, even this morning, this afternoon, the rest of the day, into the weekend, the next week and the week after that.
"I feel good about our plan. We've got to execute it at the highest level. It's very critical."
IU returns Jack Tuttle, Donaven McCulley, and Dexter Williams II as scholarship quarterbacks, with Grant Gremel (the Purdue starter) as a walk-on.
Michael Penix Jr., hit by season-ending injuries for four-straight years, is transferring to Washington to join with former Hoosier offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer, the new head coach for the Huskies.
"Sometimes you feel you need a fresh start," Allen says. "We talked about that. Wish him nothing but great things. He did a great job for us. He gave us some great memories.
"Sometimes when you have (injuries) four years in a row, you need new scenery. I agree with him. We talked it through, man to man, face to face. We came to that conclusion together."
The high school newcomers are led by four-star prospects Dasan McCullough (linebacker), Nick James (defensive lineman), DJ Moore (offensive lineman), Trevell Mullen (defensive back), Gi'Bran Payne (running back), Venson Sneed (defensive lineman), and Richard Thomas Jr. (defensive lineman).
It starts with McCullough, who is the highest rated player IU has ever signed (at No. 40 nationally, No. 4 as a linebacker). The son of running backs coach Deland McCullough, he was an all-state player for Bloomington High School South.
"He's pretty special," Allen says. "He'll play linebacker for us. He can play the edge. He could play wide receiver. I love his football IQ. He has a really high football IQ. Really excited about the potential, the versatility, the length."
Mullen is the younger brother of IU All-America cornerback Tiawan Mullen
"He's coming here to be his own guy and establish his own identify and his own legacy," Allen says. "He has a great bloodline of competition, competitive spirit, and toughness."
Allen describes Louisiana running back Jaylin Lucas as "dynamic." Lucas totaled 1,883 all-purpose yards as a senior, and finished sixth in the Louisiana state 5A 100-meter dash.
"That's the best way I can describe him," Allen says. "Talk about a guy who makes plays in space.
"I've had some people say he's maybe the most dynamic player in the country out of this class. We've got to get him the ball – whether it's in the return game, handing it to him or passing it to him."
For uniqueness, consider Ohio offensive lineman Carter Smith.
"There's so much potential," Allen says. "He played high school volleyball. It's rare to have an offensive lineman to have played that sport."
As for additions to the class beyond quarterback, Allen says, "Defensive line, running back, and receiver. We've made some real positive changes in those areas to attract guys that fit what we're looking for in terms of speed, size, mass, and the ability to make plays.
"We do expect to add more guys. It's going to be an on-going process."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tom Allen didn't mess around.
Indiana's hyper-energetic football coach never does, certainly not when it comes to the Hoosier program, and given the disappointing 2021 season, a turnaround can't come soon enough.
Neither could National Signing Day.
Better talent is crucial.
Wednesday's 25-player class -- including seven four-star prospects and seven college transfers -- is designed to return the Hoosiers to their bowl-qualifying ways of the previous two seasons.
As an added bonus, Allen and his staff are making history in the process.
Recruiting experts rate IU's class as high as No. 4 in the Big Ten behind Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, and just ahead of Michigan State. The No. 20 national ranking is, by far, the best in program history.
"Some say it's the best class we've had," Allen says during Wednesday's press conference. "I do know we're excited about it."
Excitement comes with this challenge to the new players and his staff.
"They've got to come here and they've got to work," Allen says. "They have to be developed into a team that plays well together."
Beyond returning the program to Big Ten title-contending form, Allen says, "The goal of this class was to improve our length, speed, and the overall mass of our team and body types."
Allen describes the class – which will add several more players by the summer – as a "really good foundation." This past season's struggles didn't change that.
"These guys believed in us and stuck with us through some challenges," Allen says. "Most of these guys were committed to us for a long time and stayed the course. It shows how they feel about the program and where we're at."
This transfer-portal era can accelerate turnarounds. As fast as IU fell last season, it can rebound at the same rate.
See Michigan State as a primary example.
In 2020, during coach Mel Tucker's debut season, the Spartans were 2-5. He brought in around 20 transfers and the impact was immediate -- the Spartans went 10-2 with a No. 10 ranking, and will play in the Peach Bowl.
They also are the only team to beat Michigan.
IU also had major success with transfers. This seven-player group -- running backs Shaun Shivers (Auburn) and Josh Henderson (North Carolina), defensive linemen LeDarrius Cox (Ole Miss), Patrick Lucas Jr. (Ole Miss), and JH Tevis (California), linebacker Bradley Jennings Jr. (University of Miami), and receiver Emery Simmons (North Carolina) -- ranks among the nation's best.
Shivers has rushed for 1,020 rushing yards in college, averaging just over 5.0 yards a carry. He also returned kickoffs.
"He gives us a different level of pop that we need," Allen says. "He ran track at Auburn. He's a very fast player. He's ready to compete at the highest level."
Henderson rushed for 209 yards on 41 carries last season.
"We really wanted to rebuild our running back room," Allen says.
At receiver, IU is bringing in Simmons, who had once committed to the Hoosiers before electing to stay closer to home with North Carolina.
In three seasons as a Tar Heel, he caught 30 passes for 516 yards and two touchdowns.
There's also junior college receiver Cam Camper, who caught 28 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns at Trinity Valley Community College.
The Hoosiers are getting a pair of transfers out of Ole Miss in Cox and Lucas.
The 6-5, 312-pound Cox was good enough to get offers from Oregon, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, and more coming out of high school. He played on the offensive and defensive lines at Ole Miss. He'll be strictly defense for the Hoosiers.
"We made it a priority to get some mass on the defensive line from older guys," Allen says. "He obviously fits that bill."
The 6-3, 290-pound Lucas missed last season with a torn Achilles. IU, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Florida all offered him.
The Hoosiers landed a pass rusher in Tevis, who totaled 36 tackles with a sack last season while earning honorable-mention All-Pac-12 honors.
"I like the toughness he's going to bring," Allen says. "I like the position flexibility he has there."
Jennings played in 35 games for Miami. He totaled 68 tackles, three sacks, and one fumble recovery. He will help replace All-America linebacker Micah McFadden.
"He played a lot of snaps (at Miami)," Allen says. "He was productive. We're looking for him to give us tremendous leadership in that (linebacker) room."
The Hoosiers will add more transfers by the start of next season.
One will be a quarterback. In fact, finding two more quarterbacks is a priority, Allen says. Hiring Walt Bell as the new offensive coordinator is a big part of that.
"We plan to sign a transfer quarterback and a high school quarterback. That is the plan, and I'm working on that relentlessly. That's a big part of everything we're doing, even this morning, this afternoon, the rest of the day, into the weekend, the next week and the week after that.
"I feel good about our plan. We've got to execute it at the highest level. It's very critical."
IU returns Jack Tuttle, Donaven McCulley, and Dexter Williams II as scholarship quarterbacks, with Grant Gremel (the Purdue starter) as a walk-on.
Michael Penix Jr., hit by season-ending injuries for four-straight years, is transferring to Washington to join with former Hoosier offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer, the new head coach for the Huskies.
"Sometimes you feel you need a fresh start," Allen says. "We talked about that. Wish him nothing but great things. He did a great job for us. He gave us some great memories.
"Sometimes when you have (injuries) four years in a row, you need new scenery. I agree with him. We talked it through, man to man, face to face. We came to that conclusion together."
The high school newcomers are led by four-star prospects Dasan McCullough (linebacker), Nick James (defensive lineman), DJ Moore (offensive lineman), Trevell Mullen (defensive back), Gi'Bran Payne (running back), Venson Sneed (defensive lineman), and Richard Thomas Jr. (defensive lineman).
It starts with McCullough, who is the highest rated player IU has ever signed (at No. 40 nationally, No. 4 as a linebacker). The son of running backs coach Deland McCullough, he was an all-state player for Bloomington High School South.
"He's pretty special," Allen says. "He'll play linebacker for us. He can play the edge. He could play wide receiver. I love his football IQ. He has a really high football IQ. Really excited about the potential, the versatility, the length."
Mullen is the younger brother of IU All-America cornerback Tiawan Mullen
"He's coming here to be his own guy and establish his own identify and his own legacy," Allen says. "He has a great bloodline of competition, competitive spirit, and toughness."
Allen describes Louisiana running back Jaylin Lucas as "dynamic." Lucas totaled 1,883 all-purpose yards as a senior, and finished sixth in the Louisiana state 5A 100-meter dash.
"That's the best way I can describe him," Allen says. "Talk about a guy who makes plays in space.
"I've had some people say he's maybe the most dynamic player in the country out of this class. We've got to get him the ball – whether it's in the return game, handing it to him or passing it to him."
For uniqueness, consider Ohio offensive lineman Carter Smith.
"There's so much potential," Allen says. "He played high school volleyball. It's rare to have an offensive lineman to have played that sport."
As for additions to the class beyond quarterback, Allen says, "Defensive line, running back, and receiver. We've made some real positive changes in those areas to attract guys that fit what we're looking for in terms of speed, size, mass, and the ability to make plays.
"We do expect to add more guys. It's going to be an on-going process."
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