IU offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan talks about adjustments he’s making to the offense in 2021 and some standouts in the backfield this summer.
Above is the full Q&A.
(Video courtesy of IU Athletics)
Below is the full transcript.
On what he learned most in year one of being a coordinator…
NS: One thing I reflect on is that you have make decisions based on circumstance and last year was unique to that.
When you practiced and prepared for a game, you had to make decisions based on the volume and scheme that you are going incorporate into your offense. I still always think there is a fine line. The balance you are looking for as a coach is what is too much for the players where they cannot execute at a high level, but if you do not do enough then sometimes you can be predictable.
So, relative to the run game you want to make sure that you give players the answers to the questions that arise throughout the year. Whether it be matchups or schematics. I think you reflect on all of that. There are only so many plays in football, but you want to make sure that the plays you do run compliment one another. That they give you answers to what you are going to face throughout the year.
I would say when you reflect on the last year is that we need to make sure that our players are put in a position to be successful relative to whatever you are facing week to week. When you go through a long season and face a lot of different defensive fronts, different coverages, pressures, you want to make sure you have enough for the players so that they can be in an advantageous position.
Our staff is very knowledgeable and has had a lot of experience in the different schemes that other teams run across the country. It is just a matter of picking the ones that you feel are best and making sure you practice them and get the players ready to execute on game day.
On if he had to cut anything out of the playbook last season…
NS: I would say that our playbook was modified relative to the volume because of the time to prepare in practice.
You were day-to-day relative to what the schedule was going to look like. Relative to what practice, preparation, and meetings would be so you were trying to adjust the best you could. There was no spring practice, summer player ran practices, none of those things occurred. We modified and tried to make decisions to say “hey listen, if these three players are not available for the game you can plug in whoever you want, and they will know the base fundamentals of the scheme.”
I would say that the scheme and the volume was modified. It does not mean that you are going to be a grab bag offense that runs every play once or twice game. You still have to have things that you hang your hat on and that you believe in. Certainly, we are looking to expand some of the things we have done here but we want to put our players in the best position.
On how much the running back room adds to the offense…
NS: We are excited about our running back room and very excited about running backs coach Deland McCullough. He has been phenomenal, but that is no surprise to anybody here or to anybody that knows him. He is an exceptional coach, wonderful person, and has a great family. I cannot say enough good things about him as a coach and a person. He has brought a ton of knowledge, wisdom, and insight into different ways to look at things and ways to do it. He has been a phenomenal addition to the staff.
As far as the kids in the room, we are thrilled. We think have a strong running back room and we are looking utilize those guys in a lot of different roles. Some of that will be determined early in camp. You talk about Stephen Carr, seeing him out there on the grass for the first time live, and obviously Deland has had experience with him in the past.
For us, it has been nice to work with him and see him in practice. Early in camp will be important to see what his roll looks like, what things he does well and what things we can feature. I am extremely excited because there are other guys in that room too. David Ellis, Sampson James, Tim Baldwin Jr., and then you have some young players in that room. A couple freshmen that we are excited about. Also, Charlie Spegal, Davion Ervin-Poindexter, Chris Childers. All of those players have done a nice job and we need to figure out what the combination of those guys looks like and what the rotation looks like. Those guys will ultimately decide that based on what they do in practice.
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