Allen talks 'unchartered territory' with extended dead period
Indiana finds itself in the midst of one of its greatest seasons in school history under head coach Tom Allen, and there is no doubt everyone, including recruits, are taking notice.
However, what will recruiting look like moving forward in a sport impacted by Covid-19 is anyone’s guess, especially with news that the NCAA Division I Council extended the dead period for all Division I sports through at least April 15, meaning schools can neither host recruits and families on campus nor can a coach visit a recruit in home or at school.
As a result of the dead period being extended, there is a chance the December early signing period will come and go with recruits and coaches never physically meeting face to face or recruits physically stepping foot on campus.
In a release, M. Grace Calhoun, Division I Council chair and Pennsylvania athletic director, stated the Covid-19 numbers are not trending in the right direction for the Council to allow in-person recruiting.
“We acknowledge the impact the restrictions are having on student-athletes who dream of being Division I athletes, but we must prioritize the health and safety of current and potential student-athletes and their families, as well as coaches and others on campus,” Calhoun said.
Indiana football coach Tom Allen said recruiting with an extended dead period is “unchartered territory.”
“We kind of saw it coming, talk with our compliance staff and they felt that was the direction it was going, but it’s a unique situation. I never ever thought something like this would happen where you sign guys you’ve never physically met or physically brought to campus,” Allen said.
The class of 2021 currently features 13 commits and one transfer. Earlier this summer, Allen told the media it was going to be a small class and reiterated that point this week with the media.
“Fortunately for us, we have a small class, not many seniors and you just replace what you lose. It’s probably a positive thing because the majority of the guys in the class have been on campus,” Allen said.
The class features commitments from four-star players Donaven McCulley, a quarterback from Lawrence North (IN) High School and Jaquez Smith, a wide receiver from Westlake (Ga.) High School. In addition to McCulley, there are commitments from four other Indiana high school players.
Allen admitted it is harder to get a feel for players when you don’t have face to face contact with a recruit.
“It is harder to do an evaluation when you don’t have face to face contact," Allen said. "I feel for student athletes and families who make this decision without having had a chance to physically go somewhere. You have to feel the environment of a campus, football program, facilities. It’s the people, you get a feel for the vibe and the culture when you’re physically together. It’s unfortunate."
And, Allen notes that Indiana, as well as other programs, will be signing players who have not been on campus yet.
“It’s unfortunate, none of us had control over it. You’ll have to sign guys that haven’t been on campus. Like to limit that as much as possible, but it’s reality of the world we are living in right now. It’s going to make it harder to make decisions and evaluations, but we are close to being full with a small group. Challenging time for sure that will create some unique things for the future that we’ve never experienced in the past,” Allen said.
With that said, there are quite a few players who will be enrolling mid-year and Allen said he is looking forward to getting to better know those players.
“We have a big chunk of guys, over half, we expect to come mid-year and I plan to take full advantage of getting to know them better. Think about it, we would’ve had these guys at our games already, spend time before games, after games and haven’t been able to do that. It’s all about relationships. Can’t build trust if you don’t spend that time together. It’ll be different, but the committed guys have really bonded well. Excited about that group of guys, can’t wait to get them here,” Allen said.
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