10/8/2019 football Edit

Nick Sheridan trying to embrace role change within Indiana offense

Taylor Lehman • TheHoosier

Staff

After serving as the quarterbacks coach at Indiana for two seasons, Nick Sheridan was moved to tight ends, where he'd never coached, after the arrival of new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer.

Now, Sheridan has taken steps to maximize his tight ends group as Peyton Hendershot inches toward one of the most successful Indiana tight end seasons of the 21st Century.

Nick Sheridan moved from quarterbacks coach to tight ends coach at Indiana after the arrival of new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer.

When new Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer made the jump to Bloomington from Fresno, he felt strongly that he should also coach the quarterback position. Head coach Tom Allen, who coached linebackers at the same time as coordinating the defense, understood the need for a coordinator to coach and regularly interact with the most significant conceptual position within the unit.

The only obstacle was deciding where to move then-quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan, who had done a more-than-adequate job with Peyton Ramsey and is one of the program’s most effective recruiters.

The result was shifting Sheridan to coach the tight ends, a position he’d never coached before

“We had those discussions when Kalen was coming here, because he’s coached multiple positions. He could have coached tight ends,” Allen said to the media before the Michigan State game. “But he really felt strongly that he wanted to be in that room, and I understand why. I think that has helped the growth of our quarterbacks.”

DeBoer has implemented his new system around the strengths and weaknesses of the quarterbacks, as Mike Penix and Peyton Ramsey have, when stripped of the arm strength disparity, the same kinds of skillsets. And Penix described this week how DeBoer prepares his quarterbacks and works on their abilities to identify key reads before snaps.

Clearly, the change in offense has worked for the redshirt freshman that owns the fourth-best adjusted completion percentage in the nation and nearly led the Hoosier to a win in East Lansing.

Sheridan was Penix’s primary recruiter when Indiana beat out Florida State for the Florida native’s commitment in 2018. The quarterbacks room has also taken on a new look, as Allen has devoted himself to head coaching duties, allowing him to sit in on most quarterback meetings, something that wasn't allotted to Sheridan's quarterback room in previous seasons.

On top of Sheridan recruiting Penix, he walked on as a quarterback at Michigan in 2006, was viewed as one of the top young coaches in the country and had never coached a position other than quarterback, including current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Josh Dobbs at Tennessee.

After all the changes at the position, he suddenly wasn’t coaching the quarterbacks, and sophomore tight end Peyton Hendershot said that concerned him when the switch was made in the offseason.

“My first reaction was that he wasn’t going to be happy to coach us because he was a quarterback, he’s coached quarterbacks,” Hendershot told TheHoosier.com. “I knew him. He’s a good guy and everything, but I just didn’t think he was going to be too happy to coach us. It’s been completely the opposite.”

Once the move was made, Sheridan said the first step he took as tight ends coach was to meet the players. That involved carving out around 10 or so minutes for each tight end to sit with him one-on-one so he could get to know each of them.

Then, he began to lean on other coaches for guidance as he approached a brand new position. He cited offensive line coach Darren Hiller and former offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, who coached the tight ends before Sheridan. But, after the departure of DeBord, the arrival of a new offensive philosophy actually worked in Sheridan’s favor, he said.

“From a technical standpoint, we were transitioning to a new offense,” Sheridan said. “There was some carry-over for sure, but we were trying to establish what this group was going to do. Under Kalen’s direction, we were trying to determine what type of offense we were going to have.”

Fortunately for Sheridan and the tight ends, DeBoer’s offense requires more from the IU tight ends than any year in recent memory. In half the number of games played in 2018, Hendershot has already caught more passes (20) for more yards (242) and touchdowns (3) than last season and is on his way toward having the best tight end receiving season in Bloomington of the 21st Century.

Sheridan said he has helped DeBoer in terms of bridging the relationships with the quarterbacks and their families, but he said his primary focus is tight end and that DeBoer doesn’t consult him any more than he would the other coaches on the staff when putting together the offensive gameplan.

Hendershot said he actually appreciates that Sheridan’s plate is full with the tight ends because, unlike DeBord, who had his eyes all over the offense as an offensive coordinator, Sheridan can focus on his group in practice. The sophomore tight end said he can tell a noticeable difference in his attention to detail with his position coach paying him his full attention.

The only other responsibility for Sheridan is a small role with special teams, which is also a new concept for him. But there are other models within the program similar to Sheridan, such as special teams coordinator William Inge, who moved to his current position from the linebackers coach position and is also one of the best recruiters on the team as well. Sheridan said he believes making the best of changes is what the coaches need to do or else the messages they sell the players ring empty.

“I was looking forward to it,” Sheridan said. “Quarterbacks don’t hit too many people, so I’ve enjoyed the physical aspect. I’ve enjoyed coaching special teams. That wasn’t a primary specialty of mine. I’ve definitely grown as a coach. We ask all of our players to grow and improve, and I think I’ve done that.”