Indiana University Athletics
Believing Tops Seeing for Grier
7/16/2021 12:00:00 PM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It was about football faith, Jordan Grier says. He believed without seeing.
Tom Allen has that effect on people.
Indiana's hyper-energetic head coach has built a winning culture based on a Love-Each-Other approach that has generated national acclaim and 14 victories in the last two seasons.
That was among the draws for Grier, a 6-foot, 193-pound all-state defensive back. It was enough to get him to leave Georgia and Southeast Conference country, enough to spur Power 5 conference offers from Pitt, Kansas, and Kansas State, bringing with him a winning attitude that helped him lead Cedar Grove High School team to three state championships.
"I didn't know anything coming into IU," Grier says via recent Zoom availability. "I had never been to Indiana or Bloomington before. It was a big jump, a big leap taking on Coach Allen's word and believing in what he was saying."
Allen has the success to back it up. In 2019, the Hoosiers went 8-5 and earned a bowl bid. During last season's pandemic-shortened run, they were 6-2 with another bowl bid, beating Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin along the way. They ended ranked No. 12, their best showing in the national polls since ending at No. 4 in 1967.
"Everyone wants to be coached by a guy like Coach Allen," Grier says. "He has everything that I am looking for in a college coach."
Grier's versatility was what IU coaches seek during recruiting. It enabled him to also thrive in baseball and track. As a football junior, the three-star prospect returned four interceptions for touchdowns while totaling 56 tackles.
That big-play ability should fit in well with IU's attacking defense that led the Big Ten in interceptions (17) and sacks (25).
"I believe I can play anywhere in the secondary," he says. "I'm ready to compete anywhere at any given moment," he says. "I feel like I'm fundamentally sound. I can play man-to-man. I can play zone.
"The biggest thing is getting in the playbook, working on my technique, and getting better at the little things."
Grier is getting guidance from defensive back veterans such as Devon Matthews, Raheem Layne, and Bryson Bonds.
"I'm gaining a lot of knowledge from them. They are coaching me up and coaching me through the playbook as far as where I am supposed to be and when I need to be there."
Grier is taking full advantage of IU's elite nutrition and strength-and-conditioning programs. He says he arrived in Bloomington weighing 173 pounds. Now he's approaching 195 pounds.
"They feed us every day, very well. I'm working out with the guys every morning. We get up early."
*****
Talk about a busy guy. Aaron Steinfeldt set a standard for multi-sport success as a dominant player at Bloomington's North High School.
Last season, he was the first North athlete in 20 years to earn all-conference honors in three sports -- football, basketball, and baseball. Rivals.com listed him as the nation's No. 34 tight end prospect nationally.
Now that Steinfeldt is just concentrating on football as an Indiana Hoosier, imagine the possibilities.
He does.
"It also shows the ceiling I have when I commit to football 24/7," he says. "My ceiling is pretty high and that is what the (Indiana) coaches have talked about."
It starts with this concept -- Steinfeldt wants to beat you in everything.
"For me, it is the competitive drive," he says. "Every sport I did in high school, I tried to be the best that I could be. I tried to outwork the other player, the other team, the other pitcher or the other person I was guarding in basketball."
As a tight end, Steinfeldt finished with 94 catches (2nd in school history) for 1,444 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a senior, he caught 31 passes for 603 yards and five touchdowns.
"In high school, I had this competitive nature, and now I can focus just on football. I can focus on the task at hand and get stronger, quicker, better. I can focus on learning the game, the speed in college, and be a step ahead in a lot of ways from a competitive standpoint. That is what high school athletics have taught me."
Given the fact IU has made the tight end a key figure in the passing game, the 6-5, 245-pounder has a bright future, but the future might not be now. The Hoosiers have plenty of tight end talent, including veteran Peyton Hendershot and beyond.
They also have some big, strong guys.
Let's just say linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball and tailback Tim Baldwin Jr. have made big physical impressions.
"I look at them and say, that's hard work and dedication," Steinfeldt says. "I want to be at that level. Just focus my mind and body."
Despite the pandemic, being from Bloomington made it easier for him to see everything the IU program has to offer.
"I had seen all the facilities before. I had talked to the coaches in person before everything shut down. I have been able to see the campus, so I think I am a step ahead because I am familiar with everything.
"I have seen what Indiana is all about behind the scenes and have been able to talk with Coach Allen, (tight ends coach) Kevin Wright, and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan in person.
"It has been nice being from here because I can see where everything is at, what to eat, what not to eat, and get the inside scoop on how to be an Indiana student-athlete.
"Before I was a kid who was just playing high school sports in Bloomington, but now I am an Indiana student-athlete, so I have been shown behind the scenes and how to prepare for the school."
*****
A torn ACL cost Trent Howland his high school senior season. It did not cost him a college opportunity.
IU running backs coach and associate head coach Deland McCullough was intrigued by this 6-3, 220-pounder, who was athletic enough to play basketball when he wasn't roughing up defenses, and who was rated the No. 54 athlete nationally by 247Sports.
So the Hoosiers offered, Howland accepted and prospects are promising once Howland is fully healthy.
"I'm about six months into my rehab," he said. "I am doing good. I am back to running. They are getting me into jumping. They have me on the field with the guys during team runs and still going through the motions of getting back to normal."
Given Howland's recovery and IU's running-back depth, including veterans Stephen Carr, Sampson James, Tim Baldwin Jr., and David Ellis, it might be difficult to break into the lineup this season.
Still, whether opportunity comes this year or in years to come, Howland is pushing hard. The veterans are showing him the way.
"I thought (the transition) was going to be hard," Howland says, "but those guys who have so much college experience have made it easier. Whenever I need help with going through plays, what the formation is, where to line up, they are there."
So is McCullough.
"The connection with Coach has been good," Howland says. "I never had a chance to meet him in person (during the recruiting process), but we spoke on the phone, and I just knew when we actually met in person we would have a great connection. Everything we talked about on the phone he is giving me now, so the relationship is good."
Howland was a beast as a junior at Illinois' Joliet West High School. He led the team to its first conference title in 50 years by rushing for 1,401 yards (averaging 7.9 yards a carry) and 14 touchdowns. Against Plainfield Central, he rushed for 301 yards and five touchdowns.
When COVID-19 caused last season to be canceled, Joliet West never got a chance to defend its conference title.
"When I heard the news that our season was not going to happen," Howland says, "I felt for my fellow seniors because they were trying to get college exposure. My teammates wanted to get their names out there and there was not the opportunity to do so."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It was about football faith, Jordan Grier says. He believed without seeing.
Tom Allen has that effect on people.
Indiana's hyper-energetic head coach has built a winning culture based on a Love-Each-Other approach that has generated national acclaim and 14 victories in the last two seasons.
That was among the draws for Grier, a 6-foot, 193-pound all-state defensive back. It was enough to get him to leave Georgia and Southeast Conference country, enough to spur Power 5 conference offers from Pitt, Kansas, and Kansas State, bringing with him a winning attitude that helped him lead Cedar Grove High School team to three state championships.
"I didn't know anything coming into IU," Grier says via recent Zoom availability. "I had never been to Indiana or Bloomington before. It was a big jump, a big leap taking on Coach Allen's word and believing in what he was saying."
Allen has the success to back it up. In 2019, the Hoosiers went 8-5 and earned a bowl bid. During last season's pandemic-shortened run, they were 6-2 with another bowl bid, beating Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin along the way. They ended ranked No. 12, their best showing in the national polls since ending at No. 4 in 1967.
"Everyone wants to be coached by a guy like Coach Allen," Grier says. "He has everything that I am looking for in a college coach."
Grier's versatility was what IU coaches seek during recruiting. It enabled him to also thrive in baseball and track. As a football junior, the three-star prospect returned four interceptions for touchdowns while totaling 56 tackles.
That big-play ability should fit in well with IU's attacking defense that led the Big Ten in interceptions (17) and sacks (25).
"I believe I can play anywhere in the secondary," he says. "I'm ready to compete anywhere at any given moment," he says. "I feel like I'm fundamentally sound. I can play man-to-man. I can play zone.
"The biggest thing is getting in the playbook, working on my technique, and getting better at the little things."
Grier is getting guidance from defensive back veterans such as Devon Matthews, Raheem Layne, and Bryson Bonds.
"I'm gaining a lot of knowledge from them. They are coaching me up and coaching me through the playbook as far as where I am supposed to be and when I need to be there."
Grier is taking full advantage of IU's elite nutrition and strength-and-conditioning programs. He says he arrived in Bloomington weighing 173 pounds. Now he's approaching 195 pounds.
"They feed us every day, very well. I'm working out with the guys every morning. We get up early."
*****
Talk about a busy guy. Aaron Steinfeldt set a standard for multi-sport success as a dominant player at Bloomington's North High School.
Last season, he was the first North athlete in 20 years to earn all-conference honors in three sports -- football, basketball, and baseball. Rivals.com listed him as the nation's No. 34 tight end prospect nationally.
Now that Steinfeldt is just concentrating on football as an Indiana Hoosier, imagine the possibilities.
He does.
"It also shows the ceiling I have when I commit to football 24/7," he says. "My ceiling is pretty high and that is what the (Indiana) coaches have talked about."
It starts with this concept -- Steinfeldt wants to beat you in everything.
"For me, it is the competitive drive," he says. "Every sport I did in high school, I tried to be the best that I could be. I tried to outwork the other player, the other team, the other pitcher or the other person I was guarding in basketball."
As a tight end, Steinfeldt finished with 94 catches (2nd in school history) for 1,444 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a senior, he caught 31 passes for 603 yards and five touchdowns.
"In high school, I had this competitive nature, and now I can focus just on football. I can focus on the task at hand and get stronger, quicker, better. I can focus on learning the game, the speed in college, and be a step ahead in a lot of ways from a competitive standpoint. That is what high school athletics have taught me."
Given the fact IU has made the tight end a key figure in the passing game, the 6-5, 245-pounder has a bright future, but the future might not be now. The Hoosiers have plenty of tight end talent, including veteran Peyton Hendershot and beyond.
They also have some big, strong guys.
Let's just say linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball and tailback Tim Baldwin Jr. have made big physical impressions.
"I look at them and say, that's hard work and dedication," Steinfeldt says. "I want to be at that level. Just focus my mind and body."
Despite the pandemic, being from Bloomington made it easier for him to see everything the IU program has to offer.
"I had seen all the facilities before. I had talked to the coaches in person before everything shut down. I have been able to see the campus, so I think I am a step ahead because I am familiar with everything.
"I have seen what Indiana is all about behind the scenes and have been able to talk with Coach Allen, (tight ends coach) Kevin Wright, and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan in person.
"It has been nice being from here because I can see where everything is at, what to eat, what not to eat, and get the inside scoop on how to be an Indiana student-athlete.
"Before I was a kid who was just playing high school sports in Bloomington, but now I am an Indiana student-athlete, so I have been shown behind the scenes and how to prepare for the school."
*****
A torn ACL cost Trent Howland his high school senior season. It did not cost him a college opportunity.
IU running backs coach and associate head coach Deland McCullough was intrigued by this 6-3, 220-pounder, who was athletic enough to play basketball when he wasn't roughing up defenses, and who was rated the No. 54 athlete nationally by 247Sports.
So the Hoosiers offered, Howland accepted and prospects are promising once Howland is fully healthy.
"I'm about six months into my rehab," he said. "I am doing good. I am back to running. They are getting me into jumping. They have me on the field with the guys during team runs and still going through the motions of getting back to normal."
Given Howland's recovery and IU's running-back depth, including veterans Stephen Carr, Sampson James, Tim Baldwin Jr., and David Ellis, it might be difficult to break into the lineup this season.
Still, whether opportunity comes this year or in years to come, Howland is pushing hard. The veterans are showing him the way.
"I thought (the transition) was going to be hard," Howland says, "but those guys who have so much college experience have made it easier. Whenever I need help with going through plays, what the formation is, where to line up, they are there."
So is McCullough.
"The connection with Coach has been good," Howland says. "I never had a chance to meet him in person (during the recruiting process), but we spoke on the phone, and I just knew when we actually met in person we would have a great connection. Everything we talked about on the phone he is giving me now, so the relationship is good."
Howland was a beast as a junior at Illinois' Joliet West High School. He led the team to its first conference title in 50 years by rushing for 1,401 yards (averaging 7.9 yards a carry) and 14 touchdowns. Against Plainfield Central, he rushed for 301 yards and five touchdowns.
When COVID-19 caused last season to be canceled, Joliet West never got a chance to defend its conference title.
"When I heard the news that our season was not going to happen," Howland says, "I felt for my fellow seniors because they were trying to get college exposure. My teammates wanted to get their names out there and there was not the opportunity to do so."
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