Indiana Puts Emphasis on Getting David Ellis More Touches This Season

After Indiana's first day of fall camp on Thursday, Tom Allen met with the media, and he spoke about how David Ellis is a player that they want to get the ball to.

Dylan Wallace | Aug 6, 2020

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck was looking over his Big Ten schedule when it was released Wednesday on the Big Ten Network, and he came across the tenth team that was added — Indiana.

Fleck called the job Tom Allen did with the Hoosiers last year "special." Indiana went 8-4, its most wins in a season in 26 years. The historic season was similar to what Fleck did with Minnesota last year, going 11-2, its best season since 1904.

"They have a good football team coming back," Fleck said. "Especially on the offensive side of the ball, which I think is very documented across the country how good they're going to be there."

Fleck is right. Some of Indiana's offensive weapons have received high praise this offseason, and even with a new offensive coordinator in Nick Sheridan, the Hoosiers are still expected to have an explosive offense.

Indiana's David Ellis works out during Thursday's first football practice. (Indiana University Athletics)

That's due in large part to the big names they have returning, such as quarterback Michael Penix Jr., running back Stevie Scott III, receivers Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle, and tight end Peyton Hendershot.

But one name that is flying under the radar that Tom Allen wants featured in the offense more is David Ellis.

Ellis, who is going to be sophomore this season, saw the field a good amount last season. He mostly returned kickoffs and would sometimes be lined up in the slot, and occasionally in the backfield.

He appeared in all 13 games, caught 16 passes for 173 yards, rushed nine times for 53 yards and returned one punt for nine yards. Ellis returned 28 kicks for 579 yards (20.7 average). The yardage ranked third nationally among true freshmen, fifth in the Big Ten, 12th in IU single-season history and 27th nationally. Altogether, Ellis averaged 62.6 all-purpose yards per game.

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver David Ellis (10) runs with the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium :: Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports

His versatility, which he was known for at Chippewa Valley High School in Michigan, is a big reason why Indiana wants to get him more involved this season.

Ellis is listed as a wide receiver/kick returner on Indiana's website, but Allen said they have been working Ellis at running back this summer.

"He’s one of the guys you want to get the ball to," Allen said. "Getting the reps at running back I thought was really important during spring, and then allowing him to continue to develop in that area."

"You'll see him in both spots (receiver and running back) for sure, and obviously on special teams as the return man."

When running backs coach Mike Hart recruited Ellis, he would compare him to J-Shun Harris, Indiana's explosive return man who also played receiver from 2014-2018.

Ellis said during the summer before his freshman season that he expects to be used a lot like Harris, but more so on offense than special teams.

One of the reasons Allen said they are working Ellis so hard on running back right now is because they already know what he can do as a receiver.

“I like them both, honestly,” Ellis said last summer regarding receiver or running back. “Both of them come pretty naturally. I’m looking forward to playing receiver this year and if they want me to learn running back, that’s what I’ll do."

Ellis is learning running back now, and he'll be another versatile piece in Indiana's offense that can cause trouble for opponents in three different areas this season.

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