Indiana University Athletics
Quoted: Fall Camp Edition - Coordinators
8/5/2021 1:29:00 PM | Football
Below are partial transcripts from defensive coordinator Charlton Warren, offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, and special teams coordinator Kasey Teegardin from the Thursday, Aug. 5, media session at Memorial Stadium.
Charlton Warren | Defensive Coordinator
On what he found out about his defense in the spring…
CW: We found out that we have a bunch of guys who like to play football. We have a bunch of guys that are hungry, have great leadership, a veteran group that has a thirst to get better. You always want to see a group want to get better. They are proud of what they did last year, but they want more. When you have a group that is not really sitting on the heels of their success, you are wanting to get out there and get better every single day, push each other and compete, that is what you want as a group. I was happy to see that throughout spring. Now it has carried over into the summer workouts, where guys are being leaders and guys are pushing each other and calling guys out in a good way. I like that about this group. I think it's exactly the mindset you need as you go into fall camp, which these guys didn't have the opportunity to do last year. This is their first camp in almost two years, so you are going to need that mindset going into this part of the season to get them going and prepared for game one. I'm excited. I think they have the mentality. I think they have the attitude and competitive character to keep going and I'm ready to get going tomorrow.
On the mindset of stopping the run…
CW: Our offense is going to come out and try to hit us in the mouth from day one [of fall camp] and run the ball as soon as we put on pads. For us stopping the run is key to what you want to do defensively. We cannot be a great defense if we allow a team to run up and down the field on us. Whoever the opponent is, right now it's about us being fundamentally sound, being able to execute without mistakes and being able to go compete against our offense day in and day out. That is going to be a core of who we are. Can we hit? Can we tackle? Can we be physical? If we can do that, we have a chance and I see a group that can. Coming out of the spring, this is a group that likes to hit. I have to say "whoa" way more than "giddy up" in practice, which I like as a coordinator and position coach. I am excited. That is an aspect of our defense that we are committed to of trying to establish throughout fall camp.
On linebacker experience…
CW: I think their character spoke volumes when I got here. They embraced me as a new coach and the things that I asked them to do. It was never, well coach we used to do it this way. They embraced change and wanted to learn a new style of defense and really a new way of approaching techniques. Having a veteran group in my room, that also happen to be great players and really great people in the middle of our defense, it spread to all the other levels. They carried that into the summer. For us, the middle of our defense is our core. From there we can control the front level and the back level. I have a group of guys that mentally and competitively have the tools to help our defense grow from inside out. They are the quarterbacks of our defense. Our MIKE backer, our stinger, they are going to do every check, set every front, make every coverage adjustment. They are going to be the quarterbacks of the defense. I have a great group of experience and leadership to do that for us.
Nick Sheridan | Offensive Coordinator
On what he learned most in year one of being a coordinator…
NS: One thing I reflect on is that you have to make decisions based on circumstance and last year was unique to that. When you practiced and prepared for a game, you had to make decisions based on the volume and scheme that you are going incorporate into your offense. I still always think there is a fine line. The balance you are looking for as a coach is what is too much for the players where they cannot execute at a high level, but if you do not do enough then sometimes you can be predictable. So, relative to the run game you want to make sure that you give players the answers to the questions that arise throughout the year. Whether it be matchups or schematics. I think you reflect on all of that. There are only so many plays in football, but you want to make sure that the plays you do run compliment one another. That they give you answers to what you are going to face throughout the year. I would say when you reflect on the last year is that we need to make sure that our players are put in a position to be successful relative to whatever you are facing week to week. When you go through a long season and face a lot of different defensive fronts, different coverages, pressures, you want to make sure you have enough for the players so that they can be in an advantageous position. Our staff is very knowledgeable and has had a lot of experience in the different schemes that other teams run across the country. It is just a matter of picking the ones that you feel are best and making sure you practice them and get the players ready to execute on game day.
On if he had to cut anything out of the playbook last season…
NS: I would say that our playbook was modified relative to the volume because of the time to prepare in practice. You were day-to-day relative to what the schedule was going to look like. Relative to what practice, preparation, and meetings would be so you were trying to adjust the best you could. There was no spring practice, summer player ran practices, none of those things occurred. We modified and tried to make decisions to say "hey listen, if these three players are not available for the game you can plug in whoever you want, and they will know the base fundamentals of the scheme." I would say that the scheme and the volume was modified. It does not mean that you are going to be a grab bag offense that runs every play once or twice a game. You still have to have things that you hang your hat on and that you believe in. Certainly, we are looking to expand some of the things we have done here, but we want to put our players in the best position.
On how much the running back room adds to the offense…
NS: We are excited about our running backs room and very excited about running backs coach Deland McCullough. He has been phenomenal, but that is no surprise to anybody here or to anybody that knows him. He is an exceptional coach, wonderful person, and has a great family. I cannot say enough good things about him as a coach and a person. He has brought a ton of knowledge, wisdom, and insight into different ways to look at things and ways to do it. He has been a phenomenal addition to the staff. As far as the kids in the room, we are thrilled. We think have a strong running backs room and we are looking to utilize those guys in a lot of different roles. Some of that will be determined early in camp. You talk about Stephen Carr, seeing him out there on the grass for the first time live, and obviously Deland has had experience with him in the past. For us, it has been nice to work with him and see him in practice. Early in camp will be important to see what his roll looks like, what things he does well and what things we can feature. I am extremely excited because there are other guys in that room, too. David Ellis, Sampson James, Tim Baldwin Jr., and then you have some young players in that room. A couple freshmen that we are excited about. Also, Charlie Spegal, Davion Ervin-Poindexter, Chris Childers. All of those players have done a nice job and we need to figure out what the combination of those guys looks like and what the rotation looks like. Those guys will ultimately decide that based on what they do in practice.
Kasey Teegardin | Special Teams Coordinator
Opening Statement
KT: What an awesome opportunity to be back to some normalcy and actually have some faces and people to talk to. The first thing I have to do is thank our head coach, Tom Allen. For me personally, I can't tell you as a special teams coordinator how having a head coach that understands the importance of this third of the game and how much he puts into it. It makes my job `0 times easier. He will give me whatever I need practice wise, time wise and personnel wise to challenge our guys. To have him echo that to the team is such a big deal as a coordinator, especially at this level. He understands how you win and lose games, especially in the Big Ten when it comes down to those final moments.
The other thing I have to do is thank our specialists. We don't have great special teams without great specialists. That is the first and foremost thing. Again, as we talk about our head coach and our philosophy, we scholarship a kicker, a long snapper, a punter, and a kickoff guy. We do those things to have great special teams, especially in this league, we have to have great specialists. When you talk about a Charles Campbell, he is the best in the country at what he does. Three field goals over 50 yards, obviously set a bowl record in the Outback Bowl, played phenomenally all year long. He is dependable and has taken his game to another level this spring and this summer, which I am excited about. We will be using him on kickoff, too. We have [long snapper] Sean Wracher. Challenge me: he is the best long snapper in the country. They don't get the recognition that some of these other guys get. There is no long snapper award, but if there was, Sean would be a finalist for it hands down, no doubt about it. I am excited for the competition at punter. We brought in James Evans, and he has a tremendous leg. He averaged over 45 yards a punt in the spring. He has a powerful leg. It is a new game to him, and he did an awesome job this summer with his workouts constantly checking in. He really challenged himself to take the next step. understand the game, and I think he has really expanded his football IQ in terms of the punt game and what we are doing there. Chase Wyatt is a guy that is going to compete with him and push him every step of the way. He is dependable and smart. He is also our starting holder right now, so he is going to be on the bus … I am looking forward to seeing those guys battle it out and what the future holds.
Our DNA, like Coach Allen talks about, is accountability, toughness, and discipline. The things that we instill every day. LEO is our team DNA. It is what we do. On special teams, we are going to provide the winning edge to this football team. I challenge our guys every single meeting, provide the winning edge. What does that mean? Field position. Field position is critical … You can look at NFL head coaches who are constantly talking about winning the field position battle. You do that with great special teams play. Coverage and obviously in the return game. The next thing we are going to do is be the best when it counts the most. We get one play on special teams. One punt, one field goal. Sometimes that field goal is to win the game, and you have to be at your best when it counts the most. I think Charles has done that for us thus far. I think back to Purdue 2019. Bad weather, the grass is wet, and he isn't used to kicking on grass. No excuses. He makes the first one, but there was a delay of game. We move back five yards, and it was a 41-yarder. We are not in overtime without Charles. He stepped up as a sophomore and was at his best when it counted the most. The last thing we talk about what we want to do in our DNA is to make game-changing plays. We used to say create. Opportunities are already created in the kicking game every play when we take the field. That's how I view it. Special teams has to be a weapon and we have to do a better job in the return game. That starts with me but also the schematics of it and getting the right personnel on the field to give us those opportunities … We have to continue to do those things and staple them into the hearts and minds of our players. I am really excited for the opportunities that we have especially the group of guys that I get to work with every single day.
On the new punters and what gives you confidence that they can make those plays…
KT: We get them prepared the best we can. I asked those guys, do you like pressure? It is a pressure situation. They can be backed up with their heels against the goal line and they have to block all that out, catch the football, and take a step to get the ball off in a timely manner. We are also asking them to place it in a certain position and let our guys go cover it and change the field. That is the first thing I ask those guys. They like pressure. I have had those conversations with them. In practice we call it Heat It Up Wednesday. Even if our opponent hasn't shown that we are going to bring a lot of pressure after them, we are going to put them in pressure situations. The other thing I already alluded to is how Coach Allen understands the importance of [field position]. Coach Allen will stop in the middle of practice [and call the punt unit out]. The sudden change, where they have to run on the field, get set and flip their mindset. They have to execute it while the heat is up, and we are bringing pressure at them. Those are the situations we are going to put those guys in during fall camp to make sure they are ready. When we go to Iowa, those fans are right on top of you, so we have to be able to perform in those high-pressure situations. James [Evans] is a great student. He had a 4.0 GPA last semester … He is mature and very intelligent. For him, it is more understanding the rules and the helmet. He had never kicked in pads before our spring game. He went out and got some equipment and trained all summer so that he could get accustomed to wearing that stuff. Those jerseys are a little bit tighter on Saturdays than they are during the week. I am really excited about James. His leg is stronger than Haydon's [Whitehead], but Haydon had that poise and that comfortability about him. Those are the things we have to develop in James.
Charlton Warren | Defensive Coordinator
On what he found out about his defense in the spring…
CW: We found out that we have a bunch of guys who like to play football. We have a bunch of guys that are hungry, have great leadership, a veteran group that has a thirst to get better. You always want to see a group want to get better. They are proud of what they did last year, but they want more. When you have a group that is not really sitting on the heels of their success, you are wanting to get out there and get better every single day, push each other and compete, that is what you want as a group. I was happy to see that throughout spring. Now it has carried over into the summer workouts, where guys are being leaders and guys are pushing each other and calling guys out in a good way. I like that about this group. I think it's exactly the mindset you need as you go into fall camp, which these guys didn't have the opportunity to do last year. This is their first camp in almost two years, so you are going to need that mindset going into this part of the season to get them going and prepared for game one. I'm excited. I think they have the mentality. I think they have the attitude and competitive character to keep going and I'm ready to get going tomorrow.
On the mindset of stopping the run…
CW: Our offense is going to come out and try to hit us in the mouth from day one [of fall camp] and run the ball as soon as we put on pads. For us stopping the run is key to what you want to do defensively. We cannot be a great defense if we allow a team to run up and down the field on us. Whoever the opponent is, right now it's about us being fundamentally sound, being able to execute without mistakes and being able to go compete against our offense day in and day out. That is going to be a core of who we are. Can we hit? Can we tackle? Can we be physical? If we can do that, we have a chance and I see a group that can. Coming out of the spring, this is a group that likes to hit. I have to say "whoa" way more than "giddy up" in practice, which I like as a coordinator and position coach. I am excited. That is an aspect of our defense that we are committed to of trying to establish throughout fall camp.
On linebacker experience…
CW: I think their character spoke volumes when I got here. They embraced me as a new coach and the things that I asked them to do. It was never, well coach we used to do it this way. They embraced change and wanted to learn a new style of defense and really a new way of approaching techniques. Having a veteran group in my room, that also happen to be great players and really great people in the middle of our defense, it spread to all the other levels. They carried that into the summer. For us, the middle of our defense is our core. From there we can control the front level and the back level. I have a group of guys that mentally and competitively have the tools to help our defense grow from inside out. They are the quarterbacks of our defense. Our MIKE backer, our stinger, they are going to do every check, set every front, make every coverage adjustment. They are going to be the quarterbacks of the defense. I have a great group of experience and leadership to do that for us.
Nick Sheridan | Offensive Coordinator
On what he learned most in year one of being a coordinator…
NS: One thing I reflect on is that you have to make decisions based on circumstance and last year was unique to that. When you practiced and prepared for a game, you had to make decisions based on the volume and scheme that you are going incorporate into your offense. I still always think there is a fine line. The balance you are looking for as a coach is what is too much for the players where they cannot execute at a high level, but if you do not do enough then sometimes you can be predictable. So, relative to the run game you want to make sure that you give players the answers to the questions that arise throughout the year. Whether it be matchups or schematics. I think you reflect on all of that. There are only so many plays in football, but you want to make sure that the plays you do run compliment one another. That they give you answers to what you are going to face throughout the year. I would say when you reflect on the last year is that we need to make sure that our players are put in a position to be successful relative to whatever you are facing week to week. When you go through a long season and face a lot of different defensive fronts, different coverages, pressures, you want to make sure you have enough for the players so that they can be in an advantageous position. Our staff is very knowledgeable and has had a lot of experience in the different schemes that other teams run across the country. It is just a matter of picking the ones that you feel are best and making sure you practice them and get the players ready to execute on game day.
On if he had to cut anything out of the playbook last season…
NS: I would say that our playbook was modified relative to the volume because of the time to prepare in practice. You were day-to-day relative to what the schedule was going to look like. Relative to what practice, preparation, and meetings would be so you were trying to adjust the best you could. There was no spring practice, summer player ran practices, none of those things occurred. We modified and tried to make decisions to say "hey listen, if these three players are not available for the game you can plug in whoever you want, and they will know the base fundamentals of the scheme." I would say that the scheme and the volume was modified. It does not mean that you are going to be a grab bag offense that runs every play once or twice a game. You still have to have things that you hang your hat on and that you believe in. Certainly, we are looking to expand some of the things we have done here, but we want to put our players in the best position.
On how much the running back room adds to the offense…
NS: We are excited about our running backs room and very excited about running backs coach Deland McCullough. He has been phenomenal, but that is no surprise to anybody here or to anybody that knows him. He is an exceptional coach, wonderful person, and has a great family. I cannot say enough good things about him as a coach and a person. He has brought a ton of knowledge, wisdom, and insight into different ways to look at things and ways to do it. He has been a phenomenal addition to the staff. As far as the kids in the room, we are thrilled. We think have a strong running backs room and we are looking to utilize those guys in a lot of different roles. Some of that will be determined early in camp. You talk about Stephen Carr, seeing him out there on the grass for the first time live, and obviously Deland has had experience with him in the past. For us, it has been nice to work with him and see him in practice. Early in camp will be important to see what his roll looks like, what things he does well and what things we can feature. I am extremely excited because there are other guys in that room, too. David Ellis, Sampson James, Tim Baldwin Jr., and then you have some young players in that room. A couple freshmen that we are excited about. Also, Charlie Spegal, Davion Ervin-Poindexter, Chris Childers. All of those players have done a nice job and we need to figure out what the combination of those guys looks like and what the rotation looks like. Those guys will ultimately decide that based on what they do in practice.
Kasey Teegardin | Special Teams Coordinator
Opening Statement
KT: What an awesome opportunity to be back to some normalcy and actually have some faces and people to talk to. The first thing I have to do is thank our head coach, Tom Allen. For me personally, I can't tell you as a special teams coordinator how having a head coach that understands the importance of this third of the game and how much he puts into it. It makes my job `0 times easier. He will give me whatever I need practice wise, time wise and personnel wise to challenge our guys. To have him echo that to the team is such a big deal as a coordinator, especially at this level. He understands how you win and lose games, especially in the Big Ten when it comes down to those final moments.
The other thing I have to do is thank our specialists. We don't have great special teams without great specialists. That is the first and foremost thing. Again, as we talk about our head coach and our philosophy, we scholarship a kicker, a long snapper, a punter, and a kickoff guy. We do those things to have great special teams, especially in this league, we have to have great specialists. When you talk about a Charles Campbell, he is the best in the country at what he does. Three field goals over 50 yards, obviously set a bowl record in the Outback Bowl, played phenomenally all year long. He is dependable and has taken his game to another level this spring and this summer, which I am excited about. We will be using him on kickoff, too. We have [long snapper] Sean Wracher. Challenge me: he is the best long snapper in the country. They don't get the recognition that some of these other guys get. There is no long snapper award, but if there was, Sean would be a finalist for it hands down, no doubt about it. I am excited for the competition at punter. We brought in James Evans, and he has a tremendous leg. He averaged over 45 yards a punt in the spring. He has a powerful leg. It is a new game to him, and he did an awesome job this summer with his workouts constantly checking in. He really challenged himself to take the next step. understand the game, and I think he has really expanded his football IQ in terms of the punt game and what we are doing there. Chase Wyatt is a guy that is going to compete with him and push him every step of the way. He is dependable and smart. He is also our starting holder right now, so he is going to be on the bus … I am looking forward to seeing those guys battle it out and what the future holds.
Our DNA, like Coach Allen talks about, is accountability, toughness, and discipline. The things that we instill every day. LEO is our team DNA. It is what we do. On special teams, we are going to provide the winning edge to this football team. I challenge our guys every single meeting, provide the winning edge. What does that mean? Field position. Field position is critical … You can look at NFL head coaches who are constantly talking about winning the field position battle. You do that with great special teams play. Coverage and obviously in the return game. The next thing we are going to do is be the best when it counts the most. We get one play on special teams. One punt, one field goal. Sometimes that field goal is to win the game, and you have to be at your best when it counts the most. I think Charles has done that for us thus far. I think back to Purdue 2019. Bad weather, the grass is wet, and he isn't used to kicking on grass. No excuses. He makes the first one, but there was a delay of game. We move back five yards, and it was a 41-yarder. We are not in overtime without Charles. He stepped up as a sophomore and was at his best when it counted the most. The last thing we talk about what we want to do in our DNA is to make game-changing plays. We used to say create. Opportunities are already created in the kicking game every play when we take the field. That's how I view it. Special teams has to be a weapon and we have to do a better job in the return game. That starts with me but also the schematics of it and getting the right personnel on the field to give us those opportunities … We have to continue to do those things and staple them into the hearts and minds of our players. I am really excited for the opportunities that we have especially the group of guys that I get to work with every single day.
On the new punters and what gives you confidence that they can make those plays…
KT: We get them prepared the best we can. I asked those guys, do you like pressure? It is a pressure situation. They can be backed up with their heels against the goal line and they have to block all that out, catch the football, and take a step to get the ball off in a timely manner. We are also asking them to place it in a certain position and let our guys go cover it and change the field. That is the first thing I ask those guys. They like pressure. I have had those conversations with them. In practice we call it Heat It Up Wednesday. Even if our opponent hasn't shown that we are going to bring a lot of pressure after them, we are going to put them in pressure situations. The other thing I already alluded to is how Coach Allen understands the importance of [field position]. Coach Allen will stop in the middle of practice [and call the punt unit out]. The sudden change, where they have to run on the field, get set and flip their mindset. They have to execute it while the heat is up, and we are bringing pressure at them. Those are the situations we are going to put those guys in during fall camp to make sure they are ready. When we go to Iowa, those fans are right on top of you, so we have to be able to perform in those high-pressure situations. James [Evans] is a great student. He had a 4.0 GPA last semester … He is mature and very intelligent. For him, it is more understanding the rules and the helmet. He had never kicked in pads before our spring game. He went out and got some equipment and trained all summer so that he could get accustomed to wearing that stuff. Those jerseys are a little bit tighter on Saturdays than they are during the week. I am really excited about James. His leg is stronger than Haydon's [Whitehead], but Haydon had that poise and that comfortability about him. Those are the things we have to develop in James.
Players Mentioned
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LS
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