Player Q&A: Amare Ferrell, Carter Smith discuss second week of Indiana football fall camp

Indiana football is wrapping up week two of the fall camp as the start of the 2024 season quickly approaches.

Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti spoke with the media on Monday and Indiana football players Amare Ferrell and Carter Smith spoke with the media on Thursday afternoon to discuss the second week of fall camp.

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Below are the video Q&As from both players in addition to some key quotes. (Amare Ferrell video will be uploaded when available.) 

Amare Ferrell | So. | DB

On the secondary coming together…

AF: I feel like the secondary is coming along good. We’ve got a lot of older guys, I’m probably the youngest guy that’s going to play, but I feel like we all have a good chemistry. We talk a lot off the field and on the field, I feel like the secondary is going to be really good this year.

On the benefits of playing a lot last year and taking that into this year… 

AF: It’s been really beneficial. Last year just seeing the field as a freshman, coming in I was seeing things I had never seen before. This year, I see things and I can play faster.

On the flexibility of the position room between playing cornerback and safety…

AF: Coach (Adams and Ojong) has talked to us about versatility, not just one player, just playing one position. Everybody can play every position, high safety, in the box, high rover, whatever you want to call it. Everybody has to be versatile.

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Carter Smith | R-So. | OL

On how Coach Bob Bostad being back has helped the offensive line…

CS: Keeping two guys on the same offensive line with a complete staff change is huge for us. Me and Mike (Katic) are kind of the frontrunners right now, but we have a lot of older guys that came in from JMU (James Madison University) as well. So, it’s all on us to lead the way for the young guys, and I feel like they’re progressing pretty well, too. As a whole unit, it’s been going pretty good for us. We’re making progress every single day, new installs and yeah, we’re getting rolling. 

On how Coach Bostad has changed in his coaching since the implementation of the new staff…

CS: I would say he hasn’t changed at all, honestly. We’ve kept the same coaching points as we did last year. Obviously, we saw a steady growth last year from 2022 with him coming onto the staff. He’s kept all the same coaching points regardless of what the plays are. 

On his decision-making process to come back to IU after entering the transfer portal…

CS: Keeping (Bob) Bostad was huge for me. He’s very highly regarded. He’s been in the NFL, he’s been all over college football, so with experience like that there’s no way I couldn’t come back.

SEE ALSO: Coach Q&A: Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti provides update on fall camp

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