Indiana Football: Highlights from day one of spring practice

Indiana football was back on the field this weekend as they kicked off their 2019 season, with their first day of spring practice.

The Hoosiers returned to the football field on Saturday for their opening practice of the season with a lot of excitement in the air.

Despite being the spring opener, there wasn’t a lot to report based solely on the fact that there wasn’t much media availability during the practice itself, but everything mentioned in regards to the team, was it was highly competitive, intense, and skilled.

There are a lot of topics heading into the spring; who will play quarterback in 2019, which returners will step up, which newcomers will be impact players, and how the injuries are progressing along.

Coach Tom Allen told the media that was at the press conference about his excitement.

"I’m really excited about the growth of our team physically, and Coach Ballou and his staff continue to do a great job developing our guys and with the addition of Kalen Deboer and that whole dynamic of being able to install a new offense. Those are probably the two key things we’ve been focusing on the last couple of months is being able to get our guys right in the weight room."

One of the biggest question marks surrounding the program is the quarterback situation, and what they will bring to the offense. Not only do the Hoosiers have three capable and highly skilled quarterbacks, but they also have a new offensive coordinator.

As for Jack Tuttle, there is still no update on the Utah transfer, as they wait to hear back regarding his eligibility for this upcoming season. However, both Tuttle and returning starter, Peyton Ramsey will split the first team offense throughout the spring until they get a response from the NCAA.

For redshirt freshman Michael Penix Jr, he is progressing nicely from his ACL surgery and will be good to go come the fall. Until then, he will continue to put his work in, in the weight and film rooms.

Allen mentioned how excited he was to get all three quarterbacks in action and bring the competitive spirit to practice.

"“I just think that to have three that we believe that can lead us on game day and let the competition bring out the best in each one of them, and as they encourage each other, yeah, they are competing for a position, but they are also teammates, and I want to see how they handle that because I want guys that love Indiana Football and they want Indiana Football to be very successful, and I get it.”"

One of the other storylines is about sophomore Reese Taylor.

The 5-foot-11 Swiss army knife saw action on both offense and defense last season, but Coach Allen said that Taylor will be focused solely on defense this season. Because of what he can bring to the field, they need him to get snaps and with the crowded backfield and depth on the outside, Allen wants to see what Taylor can bring on the defense side of the ball.

For some other question marks, there is still a lot up in the air on the offensive line, with still a few spots open for newcomers.

Allen mentioned names such as Matthew Bedford, Aiden Rafferty, and Nick Marozas who have shown great promise throughout the offseason so far. As of now it looks like there are anywhere from four to five guys who will be in and out of the starting lineup and play a pivotal role in the rotation up front.

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