Fifth-year senior Peyton Hendershot is preparing to rebound in 2021 after battling injuries during last year’s COVID-shortened season.
Heading into this year, Hendershot ranks as one of the best tight ends to ever play for Indiana and he looks to finish his career in a strong way.
The expectation to be great started early in the offseason when Hendershot put in much needed focus and preparation in the little things.
“He’s had a great offseason,” said IU tight ends coach Kevin Wright, “The big thing was with COVID, and he had a couple surgeries going into last year. He was never really able to get himself physically to the point that he wanted to be during the season.”
Hendershot has always been a solid pass-catching tight end, securing 90 receptions for 936 yards and 10 touchdowns throughout his career. Coach Wright, however, is more excited about the other aspects of his game that he’s improved upon over the past several months.
“Just watching him and his development, I mean he’s always been able to catch the football, he’s always had good ball skills, but I think what you’ll see is one of the better blocking tight ends in the Big Ten,” Wright said, “and that’s just a byproduct of all the work he’s put in the offseason.”
The Hoosiers’ star tight end has definitely had to work hard over the course of the offseason, according to Wright.
Talking about what Hendershot went through last season, it’s been an interesting road to full recovery since the pandemic began.
“He had foot surgery, and he had his shoulder just kind of cleaned up. You know, that was right before we went on pause in March,” said Coach Wright, “By the time he was able to really rehab it with our guys it was July. We originally were hoping we could get him back by mid-August in a perfect world, so I think you just look at the fact he played 10 to 12 pounds less.
"You don’t have the normal body strength he probably had the year before. I think he needed to change his composition, just because, like a lot of our guys, you weren’t able to have that continuous workout cycle.”
Coach Wright also mentioned that Hendershot is working on building chemistry with quarterback Michael Penix, Jr.
“And the other thing was not having the time to really throw with Mike. That’s something that people take for granted is the connection that maybe he had with Peyton Ramsey the year before that you’re working on to get with Mike.”
Overall, as the season kicks off in just one week, Peyton Hendershot is now back to where he wants to be heading into the start of 2021.
“I feel probably the best I’ve ever felt in my life,” Hendershot said. “My speed, my strength, everything. For a long time I was trying to figure out a weight that was a good weight for me. My sophomore year I was 265, last year I was a little too light.
“Coming into last year it was like an ‘am I ready to go thing,’ not confident, and this year I’ve had probably the best offseason I’ve ever had and this year I’m really focused on ‘I’m ready to go and let’s have a big year."
“He’s one of our strongest guys on the team in general,” Coach Wright said, “Good ball skills, he’s stronger, he’s more physical, and he’s played like a veteran throughout camp. I think he is 100 percent bought into the fact that ‘Hey I want to be the best overall player at tight end I can be,’ not just the guy that goes out and catches footballs.”
Hendershot will have the opportunity to show his improvements next Saturday as the Hoosiers open up the season in Iowa City against the Hawkeyes.
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