Indiana head coach Tom Allen addressed the media for the final time Thursday before Indiana travels to Happy Valley to play Penn State on Saturday. With a heavy radio show Wednesday, in terms of news surrounding the program, Allen had plenty to touch on.
This is what the head coach discussed.
- Tom Allen had meant to announce the news Thursday but made the announcement on his radio show Wednesday that redshirt senior Haydon Whitehead has been granted an additional year of eligibility and will be available for 2020.
- Redshirt junior quarterback Peyton Ramsey has been named a team captain.
"Really after the Maryland game, we started having these discussions with our staff. We really felt like Peyton Ramsey deserved to be one of our captains. With Coy going down, we kind of lost that fourth guy on the field. I actually met with him before we found out Mike (Penix) was going to be out."
- Offensive tackle DaVondre Love suffered a lower-leg injury in practice Wednesday and will not make the trip to Penn State this week.
- Allen gave his thoughts on first-year Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer, who was nominated for the Broyles Award, which honors the nation's top assistant.
"I was impressed from the beginning, which is why I wanted him here. But his ability to communicate with the coaches – I've sat in those meetings and listened to those guys – how he handles the room with the coaches as thy gameplan. More importantly when it gets to the players and being able to articulate the reads and the keys, teaching the quarterbacks. As the season goes on, you begin to gain confidence in the way that they gameplan."
- There was no second surgery required after Mike Penix's exploratory surgery the day before it was announced he would miss the season. Allen also said Penix's spirits are high and he hopes to bulk up during the offseason.
Allen also said he feels "confident" that Penix will be 100 percent by spring camp.
"When they did the exploratory part of it, they were able to actually figure out what the issue was and get it cleaned up from there. Now, it's just a matter of sitting down – we have a whole book on a very comprehensive plan of how to get him rehabbing and recovered and also developed."
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