Quoted: Spring Practice - Tom Allen - Indiana University Athletics

Quoted: Spring Practice - Tom Allen

4/14/2022 4:17:00 PM | Football

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana football head coach Tom Allen met with the media on Thursday (April 14) to give a final updated as spring practice wraps up this weekend.

Below is a partial transcript of the press conference and video of the full media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.

Tom Allen | Head Coach
Opening Statement
TA: Good morning, everybody. I appreciate you being on, and just wrapped up opportunity No. 14 for us. I thought our guys brought great energy today. Obviously, you have a chance to work through a lot of days here. Especially, here at the end when the guys are going hard. Just love the effort and the toughness they showed today and being able to have a really, really productive practice and opportunity to get better. So, I appreciate their work and got one more opportunity here on Saturday. Excited about where our team is building itself each and every day. Building themselves individually in their position work, and their technique, and their fundamentals, and building our offense, defense and our special teams. So, looking forward to a strong, strong finish on Saturday.

Questions?

On how the Quarterbacks have looked in practice…
TA: Yeah, I think the obvious is the growth that you see in learning the system, being able to grow from a fundamental perspective and just kind of working through the guys. Looking at Jack [Tuttle], and the way he's been able to grow in his confidence and ability to make the throws he needs to make. I think the big thing is decision-making, in terms of just the speed of that. To me, I've seen that increase in accuracy and throwing with confidence. With Connor [Bazelak], as well, same thing, being here new, and work ethic, and all the things that he brings to our team. And even just being able to be more comfortable with his teammates and being able to be with a new group of guys. Since most of these guys are part of our leadership council and give them a chance to show them, and grow them as leaders, and what that looks like and the expectations for that position. I think those to me are key things, to be able to throw the ball accurately and to throw it with decisiveness. You think about Donaven [McCulley] and his growth and development and being able to maximize his skill set to be able to help this team in every way possible. To me, that's really the key for him, as well as all the guys that are competing at that spot and allowing us to be able to get better. It's obviously a critical position, everybody knows that. Their ability to grow, and to develop and to be able to come together as a football team is a big part of this. They have to lead that group, they have to not only lead themselves, but they have to lead that room. They've got to be able to put the team on their back and that takes a lot of time, and it takes preparation. These next several months of the summer are going to be critical in their growth, as well. I appreciate how hard they've worked, and we'll be able to find the best guy that ends up being the one that we think is prepared to lead our team.

On the last practice and recent scrimmages…
TA: Very game-like situations on Saturday. Really to be able to create the most realistic situations possible and still be able to allow us to move forward. I think when you ask the question who stuck out? I think Jaylin Lucas, to me, is one that every scrimmage we've had, he continues to flash more and more. I think that's become very obvious. I think Shaun Shivers is another one that continues to show who he is. I think of our receivers, Cam Camper is another one that just every time we take the field, it just seems like he just gets better and better. Emery Simmons is another one, those are all new guys, obviously, that we have here. AJ Barner is not new but stepping in that role of being the lead guy in that room, and also the lead guy at that position, in terms of production and for him to take the next step. I see a lot out of him for that, which I've really been encouraged by. I think our quarterbacks have played well in those scrimmages, also. Obviously, they're the ones that have to and they've got to be able to do a great job. Then, up front, obviously trying to create depth at that position more so than anything. To be able to have guys we can count on to be able to play at a high level consistently, physically run the football, protect the quarterback, throw the football down the field. Those are the ones that stick out on offense.

Defensively, JH Tevis is one that even today continues to make plays. Consistent, strong leader. Nick James, another new guy up front with a lot of twitch, really impressed with him as a true freshman right out of high school. I see him making more plays all the time. James Monds III is another one that continues to grow and develop each time we take the field in those scrimmages. Jaylin Williams has been awesome, I think guys like Cam Jones, they've taken their play and their leadership to another level. Another one is Aaron Casey. He's a guy that I've really put a lot on him to step up and he's doing that right now. Been really encouraged by that. There are a whole bunch of guys. Bryant Fitzgerald, just another guy that's so dependable. Noah Pierre has probably been the MVP of the defense. [We are] playing him in different spots and he has been very productive this spring. Really excited about his development and the guys there.

So, really encouraged by the group and how hard they're practicing. Like I said, when you have those "go's" on Saturdays, those are the more game-like situations. We have not done the same number of reps we have in the past. Just kind of an overall change in philosophy of how we're going to approach spring and how we're going to emphasize certain things rather than others. So, to me, this weekend will be a reflection of that, more game-like situations, yes. But the length of it won't be as it's been in the past. Just trying to do a great job of keeping our guys sharp, improving and healthy.

On whom from the offensive line has impressed this spring…
TA: I would say Khalil Benson is a guy that's gotten lots of reps. He has continued to grow and he obviously had a major setback when he got here and was injured right away. But he's a guy that we expect to step up and thought this has been a really important spring for him to take that next step, as well. I think that's been a big thing. Even Zach Carpenter, who played last year, but wasn't a full-time starter, just changed his body this off-season, did a tremendous job with that. Need that growth to continue and he's doing a great job. Even a guy like Vinny Fiacable, that we're counting on to be able to give us some really solid depth in the interior of our offensive line.

Even the guys in that young group. Joshua Sales Jr. is another one that continues to grow and develop and get a lot of quality reps and I like the way he's progressing. That needs to continue. So, I just feel like that our guys there are really, really critical to what we're trying to do and how we're developing our football team. The obvious guys, Michael Katic, I still think he's gotten better this spring. Just seeing a high-level of intensity, toughness, and fight that we're trying to get out of that whole group.

The leaders of that group are Matthew Bedford, and Luke Haggard. [Haggard] is a guy that's really stepped up in his leadership even though he's a quiet guy. Just understanding that role and what it demands and what it needs. Obviously, their play is going to be critical and they're working extremely hard. Really proud of that group. Bedford's probably grown the most as a leader and growing the most in terms of just trying to elevate his play and his production and the way he practices. So, as a collective group, we've been on those guys, and they've responded and I'm excited for them.

On increased competition at practice among the cornerbacks
TA: I think there's several young guys that have stuck out to me. Lem Watley-Neely is a guy that has missed some time, got injured, haven't seen a lot of him in the past. I've really been encouraged by the way he's practiced and recovered from a season-ending injury last year. Has good burst, has good size, is a really physical tackler. Larry Smith III is the same thing. I think the COVID year was tough on him just in terms he wasn't here but just the physical development that he would need kind of hurt him and his growth and just body mass. So, we're finally seeing that kick in, so, I feel like he has a chance.

I think Bryson Bonds is another one, lost him last season and he's had a really good spring. The thing I love about Noah [Pierre] is just his flexibility, he can play so many positions: husky, safety, corner. We all know about him, but he's even elevated his play. Bryant Fitzgerald, same thing, multiple position guy that is really, really going to be critical to us being able to a be great football team defensively. Jonathan Haynes, he's not a guy that we got to see hardly at all last year because he was injured when he got into fall camp. He is one of our most gifted athletes on the entire team. Had the Achilles issue last year and never really got to where he was able to play so we ended up redshirting him and now he's back. He's another guy that to me adds a lot of depth.

We all know Monster [Devon Matthews] is a special player, Tiawan [Mullen] is a special, special player, [Jaylin Williams], so, those guys have obviously established themselves. Their leadership has been really strong. Even Deland McCullough II. He is another guy that he's battled some things injury wise but he's now getting healthier, and we're seeing flashes of who I believe he can be. Those guys are all going to be special teams guys for us that we're going to need. There's a lot of names I've thrown out there and I've already mentioned James Monds III is a guy that's getting a lot of chances to play. I'm encouraged by those guys, and by their growth, and by their ability to come in this spring and get a lot of good reps and get better. So, I really do feel like that it is a lot of competition for that open spot that we have. To be able to see who it's going to be, it's going to have to probably go all the way into fall camp and then we'll see who those guys are. We want to play a lot of guys on this defense and keep us fresh and keep our guys where they can play at a high level for 60 minutes.