Notebook: Friend Moves From Tight End To Tackle To Aid Offensive Line Depth
Jordan Wells / TheHoosier.com
During a conversation about personnel overall between IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and head coach Tom Allen, redshirt senior tight end Danny Friend's name came up.
Allen said Friend is still recovering from offseason surgery which has limited his mobility, so the two coaches tossed around the idea of playing Friend at tackle. This week, Friend made the switch - for now.
"He's a great person and he's been working real hard, but it's going to take him a little bit of time to get back," DeBord said Friday. "We talked about depth and where he could help us the most, and so Coach Allen called him in and typical of Danny Friend, he says, 'Yes, however I can help this football team.' That's how he's going to help us."
While playing tight end last season, Friend pulled in seven receptions for 65 yards and a pair of touchdowns and started in all 13 games. His blocking ability helped IU finished second in the Big Ten in passing offense at 273.8 yards per game and third in total offense at 426 yards per game.
In joining the offensive line, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Friend adds depth to a position group that could use it with junior right tackle Brandon Knight still limited due to an undisclosed injury.
DeBord, who also coaches Indiana's tight ends, said at the moment Friend's move to tackle move is a long-term one but wouldn't rule out him remaining involved with his original position group.
"I mean, who knows," Debord said. "We might get him in some tight-end stuff on short-yardage or things like that."
Given Friend's physical build and state right now, moving to tackle makes sense. Allen also praised Friend's attitude toward the change.
"We need some depth on the offensive line, and with his physical position and physical state right now, I think it's a good match for him," Allen said. "We're just going to see, as we did a few days ago, what it looks like. He's got a such a great attitude, he just wants to do whatever we've got to do to win."
Knight "right on schedule"
IU junior offensive lineman Brandon Knight is still on the mend with an undisclosed injury that has kept him out of fall practices so far. However, head coach Tom Allen is optimistic after the latest report.
"Progressing. Very, very pleased," Allen said. "Got a great report yesterday from him. I continue to be very, very optimistic about his progress and I think he's right on schedule."
Knight started six games at right tackle last season before suffering a season-ending injury, helping IU's offense rank second in the Big Ten in passing offense (273.8 yards per game) and third in total offense (426 yards per game).
Allen previously said at the program's local media day earlier this month that the hope is for Knight to return before the end of preseason camp.
Outside of Knight, Allen had no other injuries to report with Week 3 of camp close to concluding.
"We've just had guys dinged up a little bit in and out of practices, which is typical," Allen said. "But we don't have anybody that's (out) long-term besides the ones we listed prior to the start of camp."
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