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There's always one thing that seems to be a common trend when talking to head coach Tom Allen or any player on the football team and that's a positive mindset. Since Allen got the job as the main guy at Indiana back in 2017, he has inserted ways to ensure his team is always strong-minded. After finishing the year at 2-10 it can be tough to sit on a national stage to defend your team, but this past Big Ten Media Days showed that Allen’s work off the field is changing around the Indiana culture. The Hoosiers failed to meet expectations last year but put on display their strong mindset.
Every player for the upcoming season has a word that defines their 2022 season. All three players at Big Ten Media Days shared their word for this 2022 season. AJ Barner has high expectations as the number one tight end coming into the new year and Barner’s word “Breakthrough” fits in right with those ideas. Cam Jones is now looked at as the new leader on the defensive side of the ball. Jones talked about how he knows how well this defense can play but it's time to piece everything together so Jones's word is “Work”. Tiawan Mullen went down with an injury in the 2021 season after looking to replicate his great 2020. When Mullen was stuck on the sidelines for the majority of the year, it was hard for him to see his team struggle while not being able to contribute in a major way. For that reason, Mullen chose the word “Remember” dedicating this season to his relationship with god to remind himself in the position he is in.
Exercises like this were just one of the many ways that were mentioned this past Tuesday that Allen has inserted to start off the year in the right state of mind. Allen made it clear that he brought those specific three guys to Indianapolis for a reason because he has put a strong emphasis on his players being leaders within the program stating that this is the way he wants his team to be built.
“I want to be a player-led team, and the best teams I've coached on loved each other, cared about each other, and had vocal leaders that stood up and led the team,” Allen said.
Another change that Indiana added was adding more players to their leadership group. The team started with 24 when they first met back in January but had now added six more guys to round their total to 30. Coach Allen also inserted accountability groups this offseason to ensure players on the team are doing what they should be doing.
Through out the whole day Barner, Jones, and Mullen had smiles on their faces with Allen right by their side. Indiana is coming off a hard season but yet the team has stayed together. Team accountability and team bonding is one message that the Indiana brand seemed to push in this past Big Ten Media Days and if that was the plan, they did exactly that. This past Tuesday, Allen and the players put on display Indiana's mentality and it showed how "LEO" is embedded into Indiana.
These things that Allen has been doing has been sticking with his players. Sharing dinner, going bowling, or going off and having a paintball match are just some of the few things that Allen has been persistent in doing to keep his guys on the right track mentally. As the start of the season is less than two months away, the team is starting off with having each the right mentality and hungry for redemption.
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