Morgan Ellison was one of IU's highest rated signees in its 2017 recruiting class - and that showed in his freshman year.
The running back started eight games for IU in 2018, finishing the season with a team-high 709 rushing yards (4.9 yards per carry) and six touchdowns, which earned him IU's Offensive Newcomer of the Year and honorable mention Big Ten All-Freshman honors (BTN).
Now, he's looking to take his game to the next level.
One of the areas he's been focused most on is getting his body fat percentage down. Ellison noted when he first arrived at IU, his percentage was at 17, and that was trimmed down to 12 before winter workouts started.
And now, according to IUHoosiers.com, Ellison's body fat percentage has dropped another six percent since Jan. 8, after the arrival of new Director of Athletic Performance David Ballou and Athletic Performance coach Matt Rhea.
"Dr. Ray wants me to keep doing that, to help my speed and help everything about my game," Ellison said. “It’ll help me be more fit, faster, more explosive.
"With your body fat down it helps everything. My weight will still be around 220 or 225, but that extra muscle will just give me an extra edge.”
Running backs coach Mike Hart puts Ellison's improvement a little more bluntly - with a touch of humor of course.
"He was fat! He needed to lose weight!" Hart joked after practice on March 29, when asked about Ellison. "No honestly, that's a great stat.
"Coach Ballou and Dr. Rhea, those guys have come in here and done a tremendous job. With Morgan and with Cole [Gest], you can really see the movement. They're moving a lot better. They're faster on the field. They have a lot better burst.
"Those are two guys who played a lot for us last year, but you can see what the last eight or ten weeks have done for them. They feel better. They look better. And they're definitely playing faster."
One of the reasons Ellison was ready to contribute as a freshman was a relationship with his older brother, Bobby.
Most freshmen have to adjust to being the younger guys on the block again in college, after dominating their local high school talent with superior size and speed.
But Ellison has always played up.
“I’ve been used to big guys my whole life," Ellison said. "My older brother Bobby, he used to always bring me to play football with the older guys around the neighborhood.
"When I was a little kid, I always played with the older guys – so coming here, it was the same thing. I’ve played with bigger guys my whole life, and now I feel like I’m their size.
“The offseason is just working out. The big thing was my muscle and speed with Dr. Ray and Coach Ballou. I’m being more mature on the field, learning - I’m able to see stuff better so I know what’s going on with the defense.
"My mind’s not racing like it was my freshman year. Now I’m a lot settled down and it’s time to go.”
The Hoosiers plucked Ellison out of the Buckeye state in 2017, right out of Pickerington Central in Pickerington, Ohio.
If that rings a bell for IU fans, it's because four-star basketball signee Jerome Hunter is from the same city - albeit, he will graduate from Pickerington North.
“That’s my dude," Ellison said of Hunter. "I talk to him a lot.
"Jerome's good. He’s one of the best in Ohio. I’m excited about that. I want that Pickerington to Indiana connection.”
Ellison is pretty darn good himself. That Pickerington connection should be a fun one for Hoosiers fans to watch in the years to come.
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