Meet the Coaches: Walt Bell, Indiana Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach

Editor’s Observe: Indiana has 5 new soccer coaches this yr, together with two new coordinators. In our five-part ”Meet the Coaches” sequence, we’ll introduce you to all of them, beginning with new offensive coordinator Walt Bell.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — One thing needed to give after Indiana completed final within the Massive Ten in yards per sport and second-to-last in factors per sport in 2021, and main modifications on the offensive facet of the ball needed to be made. That began with the person in control of calling performs when Walt Bell was employed in December as Indiana’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, changing the fired Nick Sheridan.

Bell began his teaching profession as a graduate assistant at Memphis in 2007 and made stops at Energy 5 colleges reminiscent of Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Maryland and Florida State alongside the best way. After 12 seasons as an offensive place coach or coordinator, Bell obtained his first shot to be a head coach in 2019. 

Bell served head coach on the College of Massachusetts for 3 seasons, ending with a 2-23 report. Bell was fired with three video games left within the 2021 marketing campaign after a 1-8 begin to the season.

Indiana turned the suitable match for Bell after preliminary conversations with head coach Tom Allen revealed similarities in the best way the 2 method soccer and likewise what’s vital off the sphere.

“(Tom Allen) is a world-class man and about all the proper issues,” Bell stated. “Hopefully I might help rating factors and assist do the job and do it in a method that satisfies him and the best way he needs this system run.”

Throughout Bell’s introductory press convention on Dec. 12, Bell stated his No. 1 offensive philosophy, irrespective of which degree of soccer he’s teaching, is the flexibility to successfully run the ball. In Bell’s thoughts, this begins with creating advantageous matchups the place his gamers can “dent” the protection.

And as soon as a productive run sport is established, Bell’s second philosophy is a fast, environment friendly, well-protected cross sport that may create explosive performs. When choosing the proper man for the job, he stated all of it comes right down to evaluating winnable instruments. Bell defines this as a quarterback who is a good distributor, can prolong performs, wins third downs along with his toes and runs situationally.

Whereas Bell has coached a variety of skill-sets at quarterback at eight totally different colleges, Indiana represents the primary time he’ll actually decide the participant he needs beneath heart. 

And at Indiana, there is no such thing as a scarcity of choices. After proficient however oft-injured quarterback Michael Penix Jr. transferred to Washington within the offseason, a real quarterback battle developed, and Bell stated this competitors has introduced the most effective out of everybody. 

Bell and Allen will consider and select from a gaggle of signal-callers that features  Jack Tuttle, a redshirt senior switch from Utah who has began 4 video games for Indiana within the final two seasons, Connor Bazelak, a redshirt junior switch from Missouri who has began 20 video games throughout three seasons and threw for two,548 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions final season, and Donaven McCulley, a sophomore who needed to begin 4 video games as a real freshman after accidents to Penix and Tuttle.

Different quarterbacks on campus embrace Dexter Williams, a redshirt sophomore who missed all of 2021 with a torn ACL, and Grant Gremel, a redshirt junior who began the 2021 season finale at Purdue. 

All through Bell’s analysis course of this spring, he stated McCulley is an unbelievable athlete, he acknowledged Tuttle’s reliability, stated Bazelak and Williams each have sturdy arm expertise and observed that Gremel does the suitable factor with the ball. 

Outdoors of the quarterback place, there’s loads of analysis left for Bell, too. Stephen Carr, Indiana’s main rusher in 2021, graduated and backups Tim Baldwin Jr., Chris Childers and Davion Ervin-Poindexter every entered the switch portal.

And as for weapons on the skin, Ty Fryfogle entered the 2022 NFL Draft and Miles Marshall transferred, leaving D.J. Matthews, who’s coming off a torn ACL, as the one receiver with vital expertise. 

This leaves Bell able with loads of newcomers to guage as spring soccer nears an finish. 

“To me, that’s what spring actually is,” Bell stated. “Making an attempt to determine what finally goes to permit us to be at our greatest on sport day on Saturday within the fall.”

Associated tales on Indiana soccer

• POWER INDEX RANKINGS: ESPN launched its soccer energy rankings, and Indiana is deep down in the course of the pack. Listed here are the rankings from No. 1 to No. 131. CLICK HERE
• SHERIDAN OPENS UP ABOUT FIRING: For the primary time since he was fired in December, former Indiana offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan sat down for a prolonged interview about what went incorrect final season and what led to his firing after two years on the helm. He is now reunited with former boss Kalen DeBoer in Washington. “Once you go 2-10, nobody can say they did job, and that features me,” Sheridan stated Sunday in Seattle. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA 2022 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE: Indiana’s 2022 soccer season begins on Friday, Sept. 2, with a house video games beneath the lights in opposition to convention rival Illinois. Right here is the Hoosiers’ full schedule. CLICK HERE