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When taking into account the division Indiana plays in and the competition they run up against on a weekly basis for a majority of the fall weekends, Indiana has struggled to keep pace in terms of talent and depth at the positions where it's most required. Due to the discrepancy and the powerhouse programs that it generally reveals itself against, the gap often ends up appearing quite large.

In some ways, it's the nature of the beast. Head coach Tom Allen knows the challenge he faces each time he hits the recruiting trail, looking to bolster the top half of his depth chart and find more immediate impact while bigger, more established programs are working more on their future, with the obvious exception of a few standouts.

Yet, it's part of the reason why Allen is so excited about his most recent recruiting class. In a lot of facets, the Hoosiers' head man feels that they've taken positive steps in the right direction. With 16 new faces set to join Indiana so far, there seems to be a refreshed sense of optimism behind closed doors and in his first time speaking to the media since the end of the 2022 season, no one exuded that more than Allen himself.

"I'm really excited about the group," Allen said Wednesday as he met with the media to discuss Indiana's National Signing Day. "When I think about this class and what they bring to us, just trying to emphasize length, athleticism."

Allen himself will tell you he's coached in the two toughest divisions in football, so if there's anyone that's seen firsthand the type of talent that's required to take a program to the next level and churn out consistent winning results, it's him. The next hurdle for him remains assembling a team of guys in the correct uniform that emulate that, not being the ones looking across to the other sideline feeling the effects of it.

"You know, obviously speed is always going to be a variable we're trying to improve here, but really trying to get bigger, longer guys," Allen said. "It always is about fit for me. That will never change no matter where they come from. So, this class is just full of that. A lot of good balance here. Just addressing needs that you always do and then to be able to maximize the current landscape that we're dealing with here with recruiting right now."

In terms of addressing needs in that aforementioned current landscape, the calendar with regards to the process of recruiting a team in the offseason is much different than it was just a few short years ago. With National Signing Day being so early and the looming presence of the portal, the Hoosiers still have a number of scholarship spots open and positions to fill as the calendar winds down the final days of 2022.

Needless to say, the work is far from over in terms of putting together the roster the Hoosiers will field this upcoming fall.

After mentioning that the conclusion of NSD was really just the end of the first phase of that process, Allen broke down how he sees the rest of the offseason shaping up.

"Because the way the calendar was structured, it's really -- this next phase is really a transfer phase of focus because you have a window from January 4th through the 9th where you can bring in players," Allen said. "It's only for transfers to be able to make visits to your campus. We can't go off campus, but they can come to us. That's the real focus here to be able to fill some key spots, some positions of need, to be able to balance some of those off. It will be across the board both offensively and defensively.

"Then after that phase is done, phase three to me is back out recruiting again. I can see us adding some more high school players. I think with the way that things have kind of evolved, you definitely have -- there's still two classes of guys that have COVID years left that are still out there in circulation, and that keeps these spots continue to be able to be used up in some ways."

Allen would go on to say that this offseason fluidity is something he feels will likely become the norm going forward, likening it more to a professional free agency period rather than the more simple approach that college recruiting of the past may have offered.

Among those earlier spoke-about boxes left to check revolves around finding another quarterback, a group that has been depleted by injury and portal departures and now has only three scholarship arms on deck. That's something Allen and his staff are hoping to change in the near future.

"We have three scholarship quarterbacks right now, and the goal is to add an additional one, an older one would be ideal," Allen said. "So that's the plan in terms of being able to have four guys on scholarship in that room and especially with Dexter's status, we're just working through that process every single day. It's neverending. It will continue these next several weeks, and the goal is to have the guy in place here for second semester."

Allen did note that Williams had 'very successful surgery' and is now in the rehab process. With his status up in the air and his unchanging youth, it's understandable to see why Allen is eager to still add another option into his arsenal.

When it's all said and done though, Allen's main focus is continuing to create a team that's capable of turning the page on a tumultuous couple of years. In the end, the Hoosiers' 2023 outfit needs to be much different than the one 2022 offered, and the only way to do so is by having a strong second and third phase of the offseason.

"(I want) both sides play better, more complementary football," Allen said. "I don't think we did a good job of that this past season at all, and it hurt us, and we have to do that. I think the last couple of years hasn't been what it needs to be. There's no question about the result. I'm talking about the complimenting of one another on offense and defense. So we want to do a better job of that."

Whether it's depth on either side of the ball so they're better equipped for anymore 'snakebitten' injury issues or just getting more dynamic and consistent, Indiana is putting a lot of hope into this year's recruiting class ability to help propel that forward.

It almost has to be. You know it, Allen knows it. A lot of work lays ahead of those aspirations, but Wednesday could be looked at as a solid start.

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