Defenses Beware -- Hendershot and Penix are ‘Vibing It’

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Are you feeling the vibes? Peyton Hendershot and Michael Penix Jr. are, and that could rock Big Ten defenses, starting with Saturday's season opener at No. 18 Iowa.

First, though, a little perspective.

Vibes, according to the dictionary and the Internet, involves "qualities producing emotional reaction," or a "person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to or felt by others."

If that doesn't help, consider Vibes was a 1988 movie starring then pop sensation Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Goldblum and, of course, Googy Gress.

Yes, Googy Gress.

Then there is the Six60 song "Vibes," not to be confused with DaBaby's "Vibez" or even the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations, but that misses the point, which is that Hendershot, Indiana's standout pass-catching tight end, has built a stronger connection to Penix, the standout Hoosier quarterback, which could reproduce the record-setting results we saw in 2019, rather than last season's struggles.

Oh, and a bunch of points for the No. 17 Hoosiers.

"Any time (in the offseason) we could, me and Mike would go throw and catch," Hendershot says.

"It was a big emphasis for us, because last year you could tell we were not on the same page. That is just a bunch of unfortunate circumstances: we didn't get the spring or fall to throw at all.

"Now, it is like we are vibing it because there are times when the play gets busted and somehow we are on the same page and he finds me."

Finding the 6-4, 254-pound Hendershot has lots of benefits now that he is healthy and fit as he wasn't last season.

"I feel probably the best I've ever felt in my life. My speed, my strength, everything."

In 2019, Hendershot set an IU tight end record with 52 catches for 622 yards and four touchdowns. Last year, in eight games, he had 23 catches for 151 yards and four TDs.

The drop in production was the direct result of Hendershot injuries (shoulder surgery in January of 2020, ankle surgery a few weeks later) and the pandemic-forced return to home, which kept Hendershot away from IU's state-of-the-art rehab care.

"I couldn't get really any treatment on my body," he says. "It was an 'Am I ready to go type of thing,' and I wasn't confident."

Adding to the challenge was missing out on IU's nutrition and strength programs for about four months. The result -- he lost 10 to 12 pounds, and significant strength.

"For a long time I was trying to figure out a good weight for me. My sophomore year I was 265. Last year, I was a little too light. This year I'm at 245 and I feel that that is a really good weight for me, especially running routes."

Adds tight ends coach Kevin Wright: "He didn't have the normal body strength that he had probably the year before."

Given the physicality of the position, that was a big problem.

"He needed to change his body composition," Wright says, "because, like a lot of our guys, he wasn't able to have that continuous workout cycle from January all the way on.

"He has had a great off-season. He played at 240 last year. This year he is about 252, 253, his body percentage is down, and he has had a tremendous camp.

"He has always been able to catch the football and have good ball skills, and now I think you will see he is one of the better blocking tight ends in the Big Ten. That is a byproduct of all the work he has put in this offseason. He is one of our strongest guys on the team. Good ball skills, he is stronger, more physical, and he has played like a veteran throughout camp."

As for the missed workouts with Penix, Hendershot had a strong connection with former IU quarterback Peyton Ramsey, and was working to build that with Penix.

The pandemic-caused separation delayed valuable work.

"Not having time to work with your starting quarterback (hurt)," Wright says. "That's something people take for granted, the connection he had with (Ramsey) the year before. You are working on getting that (connection) with Mike."

The work with those two, as well as returning Big Ten Receiver of the Year Ty Fryfogle, is paying off.

"Those guys have worked really hard all summer, as a unit," Wright says, "so I think that is one reason (Hendershot) is way ahead of where he was this time last year."

Adds Hendershot: "It is a really good feeling. We have a really good chemistry coming into this year.

"This year I'm focused on, 'I'm ready to go and let's make it a big year.'"

The Hoosiers also are high on 6-6, 245-pound sophomore AJ Barner. He was mostly a linebacker in high school, but has focused on tight end since coming to IU.

He's more of a receiving threat than senior Matt Bjornson (13 catches for 100 yards and 1 touchdown over 3 seasons).

"I'm really excited about AJ," Wright says. "He brings that defensive mentality on the offensive side of the ball, along with physically being long and having good ball skills. All those things are an advantage for AJ."

Last season, Barner played in eight games, mostly on special teams. He didn't catch a pass, but did record four tackles and was named special teams player of the week against Michigan State.

"He is a guy that has a high ceiling," Wright says. "You will see him more on the field in different packages. He is going to be a good football player.

"I've told the guys in our (tight ends) room, this is probably the first time in a long time, maybe ever, you can say there are a couple potential NFL guys sitting in that room."

Adds Barner: "(Switching to tight end) has been awesome. In high school, I was more of a defensive player. I bring that physicality in blocking and lateral movement. I feel like I have an upper hand in that. It has been a great transition and am really happy I made the switch."

Indiana University Athletics

Defenses Beware -- Hendershot and Penix are ‘Vibing It’

Players Mentioned

AJ Barner

Ty Fryfogle

Peyton Hendershot

Michael Penix Jr.

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