Indiana isn't fancied to contend, but Hoosiers state case for optimism

INDIANAPOLIS – When it comes to Indiana football, there aren’t a lot of external sources of optimism.
The Big Ten media poll had the Hoosiers finishing last among the seven teams in the East Division, with 28 of 37 votes putting Indiana in the East basement. Apart from kick returner and running back Jaylin Lucas, preseason honors have been thin on the ground.
Unlike, say, Purdue, which has transfer quarterback Hudson Card to get excited about, Indiana hasn’t yet decided on its signal-caller. Buzz that might be there for either Tayven Jackson or Brendan Sorsby is on hold as Indiana will use fall camp to determine the most important position on the field.
Despite all of that, Indiana’s participants at Big Ten football media days Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium expressed optimism about the coming season. While others may not believe in the Hoosiers, they believe in themselves.
“With the guys we got in the transfer portal and the guys we kept, there’s going to be some really good football played here,” Lucas said.
Indiana coach Tom Allen always projects an air of positivity. Thursday was no different.
“I’m extremely excited for the upcoming season. Our word for 2023 is ‘toughness.’ We define that as a mental and physical strength to persevere,” Allen said. “We had eight games last season that were decided in the fourth quarter. So for the past seven months, we’ve been building our toughness and developing this football team to be able to finish in those opportunities.”
Certainly, the root cause of the skepticism from outside sources on Indiana has multiple causes. After starting the 2021 season in the preseason top 20, Indiana has gone 6-18 in the last two seasons.
In addition, Indiana lost all but four starters on offense and returns just two players — linebacker Aaron Casey and defensive back Noah Pierre — on defense.
Indiana has added 26 transfers to bolster the ranks. Many players will be unfamiliar to Indiana fans.
“This team, even though there’s new faces, I’m excited about the guys we have. We just have to come together. At fall camp, you feel like you’re together from daylight to dark. That’s going to be an important part of our build,” Allen said.
Getting better means learning from mistakes. Indiana’s defense gave up 448.8 yards per game in 2022. Pierre thinks the team has done what it needs to do to swing close games in its favor.
“Watching film and learning. It wasn’t anything crazy like those guys were that much better on the field. It was mental mistakes. I feel like a lot of the things we did in the spring and summer will help us in that,” Pierre said.
Allen noted a decision on the quarterback may not be known until just before Indiana opens the season against Ohio State on Sept. 5. Allen cited offseason leadership as one factor in choosing between Jackson and Sorsby.
“What do the other 10 guys (on the offensive side) think? What do they believe about that guy? That’s massive, such a huge part,” Allen said. “Talking to those guys, how have the (quarterbacks) done leading? How have they interacted? Are they getting the wide receivers to throw to them? They have to get the running backs together, the tight ends together. To me, the summer gives you a chance to see who they are as a leader.”
Many other questions are still to be answered, so why should Indiana fans have optimism? The Hoosiers stated their case.
“I’d tell fans to be ready to see a lot of balls being thrown and plays made on the field,” Lucas said.
“You’re watching a brotherhood and guys that love each other. With Coach Allen preaching love each other, there’s going to be a lot of success. Just watch, you’ll be happy,” Pierre said.