IU sophomore offensive lineman Coy Cronk had a program record-setting first year in Bloomington, starting all 13 games at left tackle as a true freshman.
But don't think for a second he's become complacent heading into his second year.
"It just takes the excuses off my back," Cronk said. "I can't say, 'Well, this is my first time doing this, this is my first time doing that,' so that rubs away any excuses I have. It's on me, I can't blame it on nobody else. It's my time to do it."
In 2016, the maturation process began quickly for Cronk.
Roughly two months after departing his hometown of West Lafayette, Ind. for IU's campus, Cronk was running with the first-string offensive lineman during fall practices with then-sophomore and projected starting left tackle Brandon Knight missing time due to a minor foot injury.
At the time, there was no guarantee Cronk would start along the Hoosiers' offensive line because of their wealth of experience within the position group with four fifth-year seniors returning to anchor the line. Each of the four currently sat at No. 1 on depth chart at the left guard, center, right guard and right tackle spots, respectively at the time Cronk was getting those first-team reps.
Knight eventually shifted over to right tackle, creating a starting opportunity for Cronk which lasted the entire season and led to Freshman All-American honors and All-Freshman Team recognition from BTN.com and ESPN.com.
"I was really fortunate to play last year, just because I have 13 games to go back and watch instead of watching a scout team tape," Cronk said. "There's nothing wrong with (a scout team tape), but you get trial-by-error with (game tape)."
Cronk said he studies film "religiously," something that shaped his approach to his freshman season.
"Last year I made some great plays and some cringe-worthy plays," he said. "I never thought about losing my job, I just knew if I wanted to help this offensive line and this team grow, I needed to work on my thing, I needed to work on my footwork. I put a lot of time into it because, first of all it means something to me. I take a lot of pride in my work. I just tried to get better every day and put the time into it."
For all the recognition received during his first season of college football, both Cronk and IU offensive line coach Darren Hiller know there's still plenty he can improve on.
Hiller said when he first arrived and starting watching film with Cronk, Cronk's toughness stood out but his technical approach - specifically his hands and footwork - needed improvement. However, Hiller also said that was mainly due to experience.
The individual work wasn't translating to the team drills the spring, so Hiller sat down with Cronk and challenged him to get better at the fundamentals of the position and improve his technique.
"And I'll tell you, he went out there and it's showing up in fall camp," Hiller said. "Now, there's some plays he reverts back and hops a little bit and does some other things, but there's a lot more better plays than the plays he's reverting."
This fall, Cronk has continued to study film and lead by example.
After putting his head down and going to work to earn the respect of his teammates, he said he has no excuse for continuing the standard he set last season.
"It's on me to do my job to the best of my ability," Cronk said. "Hopefully I can put that experience to use and help myself and my teammates down the road."
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