Coach Q&A: Indiana football OC Mike Shanahan & DC Bryant Haines give fall camp update

Indiana football offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines both spoke with the media on Friday to share their perspectives on how fall camp is going.

With college football season quickly approaching, both of Indiana football’s new coordinators talk about how each of their units are coming together and how they are preparing for the upcoming season.

The Hoosiers open the 2024 season on August 31st as Florida International comes Bloomington.

More: IU football featured in Big Ten Network Fall training camp series

Below is the full video Q&A from both Indiana football coordinators.

Bryant Haines | Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers

On the depth of the linebackers behind Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker…

BH: There’s been good competition in that linebacker room. Guys that are pushing both J-Walk (Jailin Walker) and Aiden Fisher, Isaiah “Bones” Jones is the first one I’d bring up, he’s playing really good football right now, I’m pleased with him. I like the way he played in the spring he’s really built off that this fall camp so far. He’s played both positions, both will and mike, that’s not easy to do. There’s a lot of content in our playbook right now and he can handle it quite well. I’ve been pleased with him. Nahji Logan has flashes. Josh Rudolph has flashes. Jeff Utzinger is a walk-on from Cathedral High School, he’s having a good camp, smart kid, knows the system well. I’ve been pleased with a number of those guys. They’re pushing those top two.

On working with Coach Curt Cignetti and their relationship over the years…

BH: I’m very loyal to Coach Cignetti and he’s been loyal to me. Part of me staying with him is the fact that he does believe in me. When he has a chance to give me a promotion whether it’s I’m going with him from Elon to JMU (James Madison University), he put a co-defensive coordinator title out there for me. I think he believes in me, I think he trusts me. I feel the same way about him. He and I are very well aligned in what we believe in philosophically. We’re about tough, physical football teams. We’re about football. The relationship part of it is important, but football, Xs and Os, is what he and I do. It’s what we do for a living. We bounce ideas off each other and have a great working relationship. I like him away from football, too. He’s a good guy, I’ve known him for a long time and I’m happy to say that. 

On how it helps to have guys who came with him from James Madison and know his system…

BH: The first thing I would say is the verbiage. Each time you learn a new system it’s like a new language. So, the guys that I brought him from JMU, they already know the language, they speak it fluently. What does a “skin” mean, what does that technique mean? What is a “mod”? There’s always abbreviations and terms, so that’s the first thing. The second thing is the cultural buy-in. What do we want, what do Coach (Pat) Kuntz and I believe in with our defense. We kind of talk to guys like “This is how we do it, this is why we do it, and this is why it’s important.” It’s a cultural buy-in that they know is key to our guys. I’ll say this, the guys that were here before or the guys who came from other schools, they’ve been receptive to it, they’ve been open to it. There hasn’t been a whole lot of pushback. The guys that are here that were not part of the JMU crew, they know that the JMU guys have had success. They’ve felt it, they’ve done it at a championship level. So, there’s a lot of buy-in and that’s a good thing. 

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Mike Shanahan | Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers

On what he has seen out of Kurtis Rourke.. 

MS: I think he is pretty much the guy we’ve seen on tape, and he is doing his best to continue to grow and improve. Coach [Tino] Sunseri has done a great job with him; teaching him the nuances of the offense and, not only the scheme on the surface level, but the true nuances within each play. I think you just see him continue to get better and better. He has worked on his body this offseason and I think he made another step in that direction over the summer, as well.

On his time with Curt Cignetti…

MS: I really enjoy working with him [Cignetti] and working for him. He is a guy who I have learned a lot from since 2016, my first job with him at IUP coaching the receivers. Just continuing to learn and I feel like I get pushed every single day to be the best that I can be. He does a good job of making sure every person in the building is someone that has high character and is fun to be around. It makes coming to work every day more enjoyable, whether it is coaches or players, anybody on his staff. It is kind of a no brainer for me.

On how he has meshed with Cignetti since 2016…

MS: There was not one particular moment [when it all clicked with us], I feel like we have been through a couple of different spots, difference levels, different schools, and I think naturally when he kept continuing to climb, my goal was to coach at this level. So, whenever he presented the opportunity, I jumped on it right away. I just feel like we mesh, and we see the game the same way. We have the same core principles and values, which you have heard him speak about, but when it comes to scheme or fundamentals and Xs and Os, we’re definitely in line. Everybody in our offensive staff room is aligned.

SEE ALSO: IU football quarterback Kurtis Rourke named to Golden Arm Award watch list — given to top upperclassman QB

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