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Everything Indiana’s Tom Allen said at his Signing Day press conference
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Tom Allen met with reporters on Wednesday and there was plenty to talk about.
Since it was the beginning of the Early Signing Period, Allen’s recruiting class of 2022 was one of the main things talked about. Indiana didn’t make a bowl game this season, but its recruiting class is still one of the best in the B1G.
The Hoosiers also made headlines recently after hiring Walt Bell to be their next offensive coordinator. They fired Nick Sheridan in November of 2021 and hired Bell after he was let go from UMass after being there from 2018 to 2021.
There were also talks about how the offense will be run next season and lots more. Here’s a rundown of some of the bigger topics Allen hit on:
Per IU release, 16 of the 25 signees will be mid-year enrollees. That includes the eight transfers as you'd expect, but also Nick James, Jaylin Lucas, Dasan McCullough, Ryan Miller, James Monds III, Carter Smith, Venson Sneed and Kaiden Turner.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen: "These are guys that believed in us and stuck with us through some challenges this season. … IT means a lot to us. It shows you a lot about how they feel about us as a program."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen: "The goal of this class was to improve our length, our speed, the overall mass of our team and body types."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen on Nick James: "He gives us a big body guy, good athlete who can play in the interior of our defense. That's a huge need for us to get bigger on the interior there."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen on Jaylin Lucas: "Man, Jaylin is dynamic. That's the best way I can describe Jaylin."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen on Dasan McCullough: "He's pretty special. … Plays linebacker for us. I think he can play edge, played safety in high school, could play wide receiver. I love his football IQ. … Really excited about the potential, the versatility, the length."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen on Trevell Mullen: "He's coming here to become his own guy and establish his own identity and his own legacy. … Has a great bloodline of competition and competitive spirit and toughness."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen on Gi'Bran Payne: "Really, really talented football player. Tremendous burst. I love the compactness on film. … What I love about him is he played defense. … He tackled with great pop and intensity. I love seeing that."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen on Shaun Shivers: "His nickname is Worm, so that's what we're gonna call him. … His mom calls him that and if his mom calls him that I'm good with it."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen on quarterback: "We plan to sign a transfer quarterback and to sign a freshman quarterback. That is the plan and we're working on that relentlessly."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen says he's met with Jack Tuttle and expects him to be around in 2022.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen on Penix: "Sometimes you just feel like you need a fresh start. We talked about that. Wish him nothing but great things. … Appereciate him, love him, always will. … Sometimes when you have that happen four years in a row, you need new scenery."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen asked about the coaching staff. Calls the offensive coordinator firing "the most significant change I expect to make." Suggested, but I don't think he said flat out, that he's not making any more staff changes.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen on Walt Bell: "He wasn't on the road very long. … But I think what he gave us immediately was just for the offensive guys to know, 'Hey, this is going to be the coordinator.' They could ask, 'Do I fit in what you're gonna do.'"
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen said that coaching against Bell when he was at Maryland really impressed him because it was a challenge both times. Said what he wants and what Bell does is very much aligned. "The ability to adapt and maximize your roster," stood out to him.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen: "I'm looking for balance. We gotta be able to run the football. And explosive plays is a big deal to me."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen on the class: "They stayed together. Dasan McCullough was a big part of that. James Monds was a big part of that. Kaiden Turner was a big part of that."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Allen says quarterback, receiver and the Bull position are still priorities between now and February. Said the class can be as big as 35 by rule.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) December 15, 2021
Grant Bricker covers the B1G for Saturday Tradition. His previous stops include the Williamson Homepage and Nashville Post.