Thirteen minutes north of Plant High School sits Raymond James Stadium, the site of the 35th Annual Outback Bowl on Jan. 2, 2021.
For Indiana players Thomas Allen, Micah McFadden, Whop Philyor and Juwan Burgess, their road to Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, began in the shadows of the stadium at Plant High School.
All four of them played a special role in the success of Plant High School and all four played for former high school coach Robert Weiner, who is now the quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator at the University of Toledo.
“It is super exciting to have all those guys back home, as well as Tom. You never can look into a crystal ball as to what may happen, but it is no doubt, they were a special group. You had the leadership of Thomas and having playmakers with him. Juwan with the talent he had and the national recognition he received. Whop, we knew was talented, but he wasn’t recognized as much. That didn’t stop me from telling people from day one that he would play in the NFL. And, then you get Micah, who was around our program since the first grade and have him fulfill the destiny that was placed before him, it is just a great story,” Weiner told TheHoosier.com.
The four players featured a mix of highly recruited and unheralded recruits, but all made a lasting impact at Plant, according to Weiner.
Burgess notched 63 tackles, of which 41 were solo stops, two tackles for a loss, three interceptions, six pass breakups and a fumble recovery as a senior. He also reeled in 14 catches for 229 yards and four touchdowns, as well as returning 24 punts for 390 yards and three trips to the end zone en route to earning the Best Teammate Award and helping guide Plant to the 7A state title game. For his efforts, Burgess was the 273rd best overall prospect and 19th best athlete in American and the 42nd best prospect in Florida by ESPN.
Weiner said, that when healthy, there weren’t many players better than Burgess.
“He was a guy who came into our school, and played two years for us. Had some injuries at the beginning and when he was healthy, he was an unreal talent. We go into our biggest game of the year against Armwood and here he is knocking the ball away and intercepting the ball late. He is playing wide receiver and our quarterback scrambles and here is Juwan working his way through traffic and Juwan perfectly navigated his way in front of defender for a touchdown and we win that game. They were one of top ranked teams in country and this is a young man who came in and fulfilled his potential in all facets.
While Burgess was making a name for himself on the defensive side, Philyor was doing it all as a wide receiver, running back and defensive back for Plant.
He earned first team All-State honors as a senior, was a two-time All-Hillsborough County selection and put up impressive stats on both sides of the football. Offensively, Philyor totaled 140 career catches for 2,026 yards and 25 touchdowns, including 91 passes for 1,329 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior. He also rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns on 23 touches. Defensively, he amassed 38 tackles, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, 18 pass breakups and a forced fumble while also helping Plant advance to the Class 7A state title game.
According to Weiner, while Philyor was a huge talent on the field, it was his personality both on and off that set the tone for his teammates.
“When you talk about Whop, you have to start with his personality. His play is spectacular, but the way he plays is a reflection of who he is and he has an undying positive spirit that is relentless and infectious through the rest of your team. This kid is happy all the time and he has a positive spirt about him that changes your whole squad and it is filled with joy and energy and the rest of the team plays with that energy and drive,” Weiner said.
Wiener said his first sight of the playmaking ability Philyor possessed was as a freshman in a junior varsity game with quarterback Dane Frantzen.
“We saw it in him as a freshman he and our quarterback, Dane, were a special combination on JV. I remember watching Whop in a JV game and he got tackled right in front of me after a 50 yard run where he made 10 people miss and Dane, our qb, was running down blocking for him and both were on our sideline in front of me asking if I saw that. They ran back to huddle and Whop’s dad asked if I saw it. I saw it all and looked forward to seeing it more when he got to varsity,” Weiner said.
It was at that moment that Weiner said he learned not to be surprised by what Philyor could do on the football field. “When he got healthy, you learned not to be surprised. I was always most impressed with the fact that he was tough. In three years as a varsity football player, he never got tackled where he wound up going backwards. We threw bubble screens where guy was right there and he bounced off and kept going. He was impressive,” Weiner said.
For Allen, he was only a two-year starter at Plant, having moved in from Oxford, Mississippi, but he quickly made an immediate impact with his new teammates.
As a senior, Allen was named the 2016 Tampa Bay Defensive Player of the Year honoree and earned second team All-State honors after collecting 147 tackles, six sacks and 51 tackles for a loss. He graduated from Plant as the 29th best inside linebacker in American by ESPN.
The son of head coach Tom Allen, Thomas Allen’s energy and spirit made quite an impact on his high school coach.
“Thomas was 150 tackle guy for us his senior year and he provided great leadership. Once I got to know Tom, I got to understand Thomas. You understand that this is a devout young man who is devout in his faith, puts everything on the line for his team and set the tone for several years. After he graduated, Micah stepped into that role. Three or four years after Thomas was a Captain, we had so many of our kids who would say they wanted to be a leader like Thomas Allen was a leader. I’ll live my whole life in coaching and come across not too many people who are the high quality of Thomas and that came across on and off the field. I know how deeply invested he and Tom are in doing things the way they are supposed to,” Weiner added.
While Philyor, Burgess and Allen were highly touted coming out of high school, such was not the case for McFadden, who had only two Power 5 offers coming out of high school.
As a senior, McFadden was the FACA Player of the Year and a first-team All-Western Conference selection after he notched 124 solo tackles, 39 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He also rushed for four touchdowns and picked up the school single game tackles record at 23. As a junior, McFadden earned 116 tackles, 45 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception and four bass breakups.
According to Weiner, McFadden exemplifies someone who is able to combine the best characteristics of those around him and his own characteristics and get the most of the combination.
“This is a kid who in high school was not just an in the box player, but could go sideline to side. He would make plays in between the tackles or out in space. His brothers played for us, his dad was the team doctor and his mom participated in everything we did, so he truly was always around the program. Micah was a JV player and was trying to find his way. He would run around without much care and we could see his talent and ability early,” Weiner said.
He told TheHoosier.com of a conversation he had with his linebacker that helped set the tone for McFadden’s future.
“I remember telling him when he could put it together with the work ethic and have a real knowledge, he would be unstoppable. His junior and senior year were two of top years we ever had from a defensive player and he was hybrid for us defensive end/linebacker position. He made a bunch of plays and was the linchpin of a defense that was really good. I’ve known him since he was a young kid and the truth is nobody deserves success more than he does. Micah is an outstanding person and he has found his own niche and he plays with an edge. I am so proud of him,” Weiner said.
The pride Weiner has and all of Tampa has will be on full display when the Hoosiers invade Tampa for the Outback Bowl. The former high school coach says it is a huge honor to be a part of what his players have done since graduating from Plant.
“When those guys go out and continue to do what they do in the way they do it, to have people attach my name to theirs is a huge honor to be a part of. When I first heard Indiana was coming to the Outback Bowl, it was a great thrill. To have such a Tampa connection to the game this year is special, and I look forward to interacting with all the families. It is a big thrill to see them come back, and I know they will make the most of it. It is unusual to have so many guys from one team playing on the same college team, but they are part of an Indiana football season that will be a lifetime memory and I will hold that near and dear to my heart,” Weiner said.
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