Indiana Offensive Coordinator Walt Bell Discusses Quarterback Battle in Fall Camp
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00:00 Walt, as you've been evaluating the quarterbacks so far in fall camp,
00:05 just how have you seen for each, Brendan and Taven,
00:09 just where have you seen them grow,
00:10 I guess from where you left off in the spring to where they are now?
00:13 Yeah, I mean, you try to take a whole calendar year, 365 days,
00:18 because we had our pre-spring installation, then we had spring,
00:21 we had OTAs in the summer, whatever's NCAA allowable to do for us in the summer,
00:28 we've done that, and those kids have done a great job preparing themselves for now.
00:32 So much further past what you'd kind of consider the ABCs,
00:37 now we're on to some DEFs and teaching guys how to think and
00:41 help themselves in past protection, but both of them have done a great job.
00:46 And they're both really physically talented.
00:47 And in these first six days, had some really, really, really good moments,
00:52 some really special moments, some average moments, some below average moments.
00:55 And so two young guys that have a lot of physical talent that are
00:58 competing really well.
00:59 Yeah, at the end of last season, it seemed like there was a lot of success with
01:05 Dexter and some of those option plays.
01:07 And I guess with the quarterbacks, whether it's Taven or Brendan,
01:11 how do you feel like either of them are able to operate in a similar manner?
01:15 Well, the entirety of the room is really athletic.
01:19 And so whatever we have to do to be able to run the football successfully.
01:25 And the advantage between Brendan, Taven, Brock, Dexter,
01:28 everybody in my room is a good athlete.
01:32 And so whatever we have to do to help ourselves be better in the run game,
01:35 that's what we'll do.
01:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]
01:39 >> Well, when it comes to camp, when you have a lot of new pieces to get ready for
01:43 the season, the thought might be that it's difficult to get them up to speed.
01:48 But because you have so many new pieces,
01:52 does it also even the score a little bit for all of them?
01:54 >> Yeah, it goes both ways.
01:56 There's certain guys that have the physical ability that you gotta get caught
01:59 up to speed.
02:00 And there's guys that have been here, that really is trying to find their place
02:05 within the confines of the system.
02:10 I wouldn't say it's hard.
02:12 I mean, no matter what you do, no matter what your plans are,
02:16 you go through the first week of fall camp.
02:18 We may be a little bit better at this than we thought.
02:21 We may not be as good at this as we thought.
02:23 And then a lot of times, no matter who's all back,
02:28 what's going on, what you did a year ago.
02:33 Even if they're all back,
02:34 there's always things that develop through the years.
02:36 You kind of build your team.
02:37 And so, just excited about the weapons that we do have.
02:41 We've got a really good group of wideouts.
02:43 We feel good about our tight end position.
02:45 We've got Adam Christian Turner, and you got Jalen Return, and Josh.
02:50 Trent Howland, David Holloman.
02:52 There's a really good group of backs.
02:55 Addin EJ Williams to Cam Camper, and Donnie Mack, and Anderson Colby.
02:59 Omar Cooper's healthy.
03:00 We feel really good about our offense.
03:03 It's just trying to find a way to fit them all in the system and
03:05 put them in a position to make them the best version of themselves.
03:08 >> Kind of an Adelaide field one, but Austin Barrett is a guy that multiple
03:15 players have mentioned kind of popping off some of his position mates.
03:20 I think somebody on defense mentioned him.
03:22 I recognize a freshman at tackle can be a bit of an iffy proposition at times, but
03:27 just what have you seen from him here early in camp?
03:31 >> He's going to be a really good football player.
03:33 And he's still young.
03:37 He's still very developmental.
03:38 He was as low, I think, as 239 in wrestling, and now he's already 293 pounds.
03:47 So just the physical development, the mental development,
03:50 I mean, he's still got a long way to go.
03:52 But he has a chance to be a really good football player someday.
03:56 I don't want to say anything that the coach boasts that I wouldn't say,
04:01 or to heap so much praise on a young person that they can't live up to it.
04:04 But I expect him that if he can stay healthy throughout his career,
04:08 he's probably gonna be a really good player for the Hoosiers someday.
04:11 >> With the quarterback competition, Tom said you guys really haven't started
04:15 narrowing down reps, but you got the scrimmage obviously this Saturday.
04:18 Is that the point which after that you'll probably start narrowing things down or
04:23 you'd hope you would?
04:24 >> I mean, I think it'll start to focus itself.
04:27 I don't think that we'll have a decision made.
04:29 I mean, unless it's evident.
04:30 But for me, the number one rule of decision making is to use all time allotted.
04:36 And we got plenty of time between now and September 2nd.
04:40 So if it's done after the first scrimmage or if it's pretty evident, good.
04:45 If it's not, good, we got a second scrimmage.
04:48 We got a lot of time.
04:49 So, but that's typically when you start to see a little bit of that separation.
04:54 So got a good scrimmage coming this Saturday, but we're gonna have two big
04:58 ones before we start getting into season preparation.
05:01 >> Well, a lot of personnel changes obviously from the first or
05:07 your second year, but your first or your second year.
05:10 What's been the biggest change for you?
05:12 What have you learned the most?
05:13 What are you looking to do differently or just more of or better of?
05:19 >> System wise, not a lot of changes.
05:23 Obviously with the addition of Coach Tucker, Coach Bostad,
05:26 we had a little bit of change on the offensive side.
05:28 But both those guys are unbelievable professionals and
05:31 make my job really easy.
05:32 I'd say from first to second year, you know your personnel better.
05:38 You know what you can do, you know what you can't do.
05:40 You know where your struggles are.
05:42 You know where your strengths are.
05:44 And hopefully that'll get us moving in a direction to where we're
05:49 a better football team earlier in the year.
05:50 >> Hi, Coach.
05:54 Sticking with the quarterback battle,
05:56 I know you talked a little bit earlier about the athleticism of that group.
06:01 The entire backfield seems to have that.
06:02 Is being able to be diverse in the packages that you guys do in terms of
06:07 the run game something that you're trying to expand upon this season?
06:10 >> Yeah, absolutely.
06:10 I mean, anytime that you can be, no matter the personnel grouping,
06:14 whether it's 12, whether it's 22, whether it's 11, whether it's 10.
06:19 Anytime you have multi-purpose tools, that allows you to be really versatile.
06:24 It allows you to create some deception.
06:28 And take a guy like Jaylin Lucas.
06:31 Jaylin can play running back, play wide out.
06:34 He can be back there as a second back, he can go to wide out, and
06:36 he can come back to the backfield.
06:38 You take our tight ends, we got some tight ends that are great in line players.
06:40 But we also have some tight ends that can play off the ball, play wide out.
06:45 And same thing with our wide outs.
06:46 We got guys can play outside, play inside.
06:48 Anytime you have position flexibility and versatility,
06:52 it gives you a chance to put them in a position and
06:57 hopefully take advantage of that.
06:58 So no, we've got a great group of backs.
07:01 And you add that with a group of athletic quarterbacks and
07:04 some Swiss Army knives within the offense with a bunch of skills.
07:07 Hopefully that'll make us better earlier.
07:09 >> Coach, I wanted to ask you about Cameron Perry.
07:12 We talked to him the other day and
07:13 he mentioned that one of the big things he was doing coming into this season was
07:17 kind of getting faster.
07:19 And I'm wondering if there's been any moment where you kind of noticed that and
07:22 realized he really did add some speed.
07:24 And just what do you feel like he can bring to the offense?
07:26 >> I mean, he was already fast.
07:27 He's a fast guy.
07:30 I think the biggest step for
07:31 Cam is just how much further ahead mentally he is right now than he was a year ago.
07:36 And that's a tribute to him and how hard he's worked.
07:38 And how he's invested in learning.
07:40 But just so much further ahead mentally,
07:44 which is gonna make that speed show itself.
07:46 You're not thinking now you can go play, be fast, react.
07:49 And so I'm just really excited about where he is just from a maturity level
07:54 within the offense, anything else.