Indiana Has It’s Easiest Schedule In Years | Cover 3 College Football Summer School

probably agree on yeah the playoff team for sure so you I mean I tell you what I don't think there was a more accurate State and if they struggle again I mean I don't think there's any way you can keep Alex crit but what's going on y'all Bud Elliot here back again for another edition of summer school that's our preview series for college football on the cover three college football podcast today Indiana New Blood there I got my man Jared Kelly on the show with us today of peaks.com like the best Indiana site in the world so might as well have him on to discuss this and fill us in what's going on man what's going on first year on the summer school series lot has happened at Indiana this off season obviously um you know it's great to be here you guys have done a great job so excited to talk about the hooers I appreciate it uh so new coach Kirk cetti comes in did a great job at JMU obviously in Prior stops as well what will be the biggest onfield changes in terms of of what they're running and how they operate that that fans can look forward to seeing yeah uh you know first and foremost two new offensive coordinators basically you know entirely revamped coaching staff uh they brought back Bob bad who is a you know really well respected offensive line coach but he was the only hold over um so the biggest thing you'll be seeing is you know schematically they will look a lot different on both sides of the ball um cetti is bringing both his offensive and defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator with him from James Madison to Indiana uh on offense Mike Shanahan the offensive coordinator not to be confused with the NFL Mike Shanahan I know a lot of people thought they were the same people there not the same people uh but this Mike Shanahan at Indiana a lot of NFL NFL Concepts spread style Concepts JMU they were super explosive through the air and I think you'll see that defensively kurts said you know they want to build through the trenches um you know last year they were prolific at James Madison and getting to the quarterback uh you know defensive ends defensive tackles line ERS everything so we'll see how that translates Indiana but you know we'll see what you what you knew of Indiana under Tom Allen is is not going to be the same Indiana going forward I realized this could yield a long answer from you and I'm okay with that where if anywhere is this team noticeably better than it was last year you know 31 new transfers coming in I don't know if you had anybody on the podcast uh cover a team with that many transfers coming in so it it really is you know a type of deal where it's you know you have we have to see it on the field first a lot of these guys are coming from group of five schools even FCS schools you know while they were super productive at those schools you just you know you just never know how they're going to translate to the Big 10 before you see it uh you have to think offensively they're G to be better uh you know than they're than they will be defensively you know you think about they brought in I think it was five or six receivers um to the receiver super talented they brought back Donovan mccol who was an all big 10 performer last year uh and then you get you go out and get CIS roor who was a 2022 all ma quarterback at Ohio you just you know brings really good stability to the quarterback position uh and you know everything we've seen from the the James Madison coaches especially offensively that came over to IU I think they developed three straight player of the years in the Sun Belt on offense um so you have to really like what Mike Shanahan and then quarterback's coach Tino sineri are building there and it's just a I think IU fans will will really enjoy watching this offense and how they attack back and how they spread the ball out you know it's it's it's not going to be like the the sort of ground and pound that Tom Allen was trying to do last year um and then just defensively I know a lot of folks have you know concerns about the secondary some some concerns about the defensive line I think Indiana for the most part has has done a good job to address at least the front seven uh pretty adequately you know you think about the spring portal they went out and got Kent State transfer CJ West I think like pretty much every Power four team was after him Indiana was able to go out and get him so I think Indiana's done a good job in the front seven the secondary is is where Indiana could struggle this year and if that doesn't really Shore up like you know some people hope that might be where Indiana you know really really tripped itself up uh coming into 2024 what have you been able to see from Rook uh at at at his best he was quite good for Ohio but he also struggled with with multiple injuries last year have you been able to see him much and if so how does he look yeah uh we didn't get to see him a ton during the Spring but we saw him during the spring game I think the first thing that comes to mind when when you watch him is you know he's going into his sixth year obviously he's been banged up a little bit with injuries um but you know this is a guy who knows how to play he's he's a game manager uh you know he's not going to put the ball In Harm's Way and he can you know do some damage with his feet uh you know you look at him and you know you don't need him to be you know the sort of Heisman all World quarterback but at Indiana you don't you know you can't expect that you you need someone who's going to come in and lead your off offense you know protect the football uh you know he's going to be able to pick some y pick up some yards on the ground but in this offense it's really just going to be spread the ball out and can you get your you know the ball into the hands of The Playmakers uh I think Curtis work will do a really good job of that given his experience and then I really do like what Indiana's built in the quarterback room this offseason you go you go out and get fourstar Tyler Cherry who is a former Duke commit he committed like two weeks after senetti arrived at IU so that was huge and then Tav Jackson obviously a former fourstar as well started last year a little bit uh so he'll probably sit you know sit behind roor but he'll get some valuable time to develop so I really like what that the quarterback room has kind of come into this offseason who's a player that you would not expect to be voted on to the first or second team for the all big 10 in the preseason but may have a shot to be there coming the postseason one guy I'm really high on especially coming out of spring camp uh especially on defense is Aiden fiser James Madison linebacker uh you know we did our own stats during the Spring Game and obviously it's just a spring game we had had him at you know I think 11 tackles he was you know flying around the field uh IU's going to have a lot of uh you know holes to fill defensively but that is a guy who you know is coming from James Madison coming from that system playing under the same defensive coordinator understands what it means to you know lead that defense uh and and I think he's got some sneaky you know sideline to sideline speed uh that's a guy who's going to rack up tackles in a hurry I'm pretty confident in that we'll see if he can you know match up with a big 10 speed and and physical but I really like him now whether they're first first or second team for linebackers in the Big 10 obviously very difficult but he's a guy I really like and then offensively I think you could see one of the uh you know wide receivers uh really kind of aemerge that came over miles price is in the slot he's coming from Texas Tech I mentioned Donovan McColly and then uh you have Elijah serat who's the four-star transfer from James Madison he was an All-American last year uh you know he put up huge numbers he's in the same scheme that he was at James Madison um so he's he's a guy that I think can surprise a lot of people as well if you look at the overall transfer portal Market I think anyana fan should be thrilled really that that they were able to get a guy like Sarat there were a ton of good slots and and smaller body guys out there in the portal but very few like good legitimate sized x that you could go get and and he was he was one of so pretty fortunate that that he had played you know at at JMU there who where's a position where the room is just other than receiver it sounds like is there another spot where they're just really deep uh it's tough to say running back because they brought in five transfer running backs and a freshman running backs so the entire room not a single player from last year returned uh but that room is is you you coming out a spring camp you really have to like what's coming you know Tyson law and Kon black two James Madison transfers once again uh you know they were two the leading rushers at James Madison coming over to IU in the same system then you go to Wake Forest you get Justice Ellison who is one of their top rushers you go to North Carolina you get Elijah green who had one good season in 2022 I believe and then last year kind of fell off um so that's four guys who have been productive in the past you know have demonstrated experience um and in the spring game all four of them split touches pretty evenly uh like I said it's a spring game so we'll see how that translates uh but but the running back position is going to be a huge part of of what Mike Shanahan wants to run in his spread offense U you know whether it's in all three phases blocking catching and obviously running the ball so I I really like how deep that spot is there which fall position battles do you think will matter the most for this team uh you you'd have to go defensively um first and foremost you know in the secondary cornerback and safety are the two glaring positions I had mentioned earlier at safety you know you bring in Old Dominion transfers Sean aspbury Terry Jones you'd have to think those two guys are going to start uh you know at the safety and sort of nickel Rover position um but be behind them you know you don't really know what you're going to get in terms of depth Amari Ferrell is going to be a true sophomore next year he was the only guy last year who did not red shirt uh so he you know you think he's GNA take another Step Beyond those three guys it's just it's kind of a toss up uh you know in the back in the safety position who's going to step up and then cornerback you lose Kobe Miner who was an all big 10 performer last year he transfers to I think it was Memphis um you get jir Johnson back you get JoJo Johnson back Jamari sharp so three guys who are returners who played a lot of snaps last year um but even even then you're still looking at you know who who's coming in behind them James Madison transferred D'Angelo ponds at cornerback he was a big get you know uh very coveted in the transfer portal this spring and IU was able to bring him over so we'll see how he can translate freshman All-American but again moving from the Sun Bel to the Big 10 will be an adjustment so those two positions in particularly looking at quarterback and safety uh IU is goingon to have to do a lot of work to to get to where they need to be uh for the season opener interesting that they took two old Dom DBS did they play Old Dom last year or do they have like a connection to Old Dom they were I know it's the same state but like that that just it doesn't strike me as like oh wow yeah old Dom that's obvious connection Indiana and Jamie right yeah yeah no so they're uh part of the sunbell last year old dominion um and you know they they're pretty successful I think down there uh but this whole offseason scetti from day one his introductory press conference has preached you know we are going to the transfer portal getting productive players not guys who you know former four stars five stars who haven't done anything we want production over potential uh so you you know those two Old Dominion uh transfer safeties are are perfect U you know representation of that both of them were all Sun Bel selections um they they they've started from multiple years they know how to play football uh they're not guys that are going to come in and have to have their handheld by the you know the new coaching staff they plug-and play guys um so you know you look at these guys you who you know might not have the sexiest pre schools attached to their name but these guys know how to play football and and we'll see obviously if the talent will translate to the Big 10 schedule wise this sets up fairly well for them like a bowl is not a lock but it is certainly a a decent possibility with a a cakewalk non-conference of FIU Western Illinois and Charlotte they should be three and0 just rolled the ball out there and and several other winnable games I mean it probably not Ohio State Michigan but in Theory everyone else is at least kind of winnable if they're maybe slightly better than we think they are yeah yeah this is going to be you know Indiana's easiest schedule in years uh you know I said this uh in a in a mailbag I did on our site um recently uh you know the the East West divisions dying are probably the best thing Indiana football has had going for it in a lot of years now um you know you don't have to play You're not locked into playing Ohio State Michigan Penn State every single year um and this year like you mentioned you know the three nonc cons uh you know should be buy games IU is actually scheduled to play Louisville to continue that series but they made the wise decision to back out of that and then schedule another buy game so theoretically should be three and 0 uh if not you know uh you know four- one or sorry 4-0 three and one um you know coming out of week four halfway to bowl eligibility that's really all you could ask for uh and then uh like you mentioned obviously Ohio State and Michigan are going to be tough ones uh but you only have to travel to Ohio State you get Michigan at home you get Washington at home Nebraska at home um you know and Purdue at home which has you know always been the you know sort of make or break for bull eligibility so you really look at the schedule from top to bottom this is not you know the top 20 top 10 U hardest schedules in the nation that you've seen from Indiana in recent years so if IU is Gonna Make some noise in in a you know with a first year coaching staff you're probably not going to get a better schedule than than what they have uh this season you mentioned Louisville and it strikes me as something that we had asked Jeff Brum about prior to last year and and I think most coaches would have Shi away from it but Louisville had it very obvious for those of us who follow the ACC closely they had a cakewalk schedule and something that they could use if they played well really take advantage and get the ball rolling with serious momentum in a year one of a coach was brom's first year at Louisville and he was like no hey we with all due respect to our opponents we're not going to shy away from the fact that we have an opportunity in front of us it it does seem like this is super important for cetti to you know to actually cash in this type of schedule because it's not guaranteed to you know like you may not Dodge Oregon next year right or like UCLA may be better in in 25 than they are 24 so I know we'll be watching we'll be following all your coverage on pigs.com awesome Indiana site and man I'm glad we had you on it was so much fun thanks so much for having me now this was a it's a great time and U yeah you guys doing some great work over here so I appreciate it