Outback Bowl Provides Homecoming for Many Hoosiers

Many of Indiana's players are from Florida, and this trip to the Outback Bowl is a special opportunity for multiple Hoosiers.

Dylan Wallace | Jan 1, 2021

TAMPA, Fla. — Saturday's Outback bowl presents plenty of connections to Indiana's players in terms of their home state.

A good portion of the Hoosiers' roster is from Florida, so much like last year's bowl game in Jacksonville, it will be a homecoming for a lot of the roster. Fans are allowed at the game as well, so family and friends will be able to attend.

Here is the full list of Indiana players from Florida: Raheem Layne, Devon Matthews, Whop Philyor, Tiawan Mullen, Juwan Burgess, James Head Jr., James Miller, Michael Penix Jr., Jonathan King, Josh Sanguinetti, Noah Pierre, Jamar Johnson, Liam Zaccheo, Thomas Allen, Micah McFadden, Ricky Tamis, Gary Cooper, Khameron Taylor, Michael Ziemba, Jeramy Passmore, Antoine Whitner Jr. and Tramar Reece.

D.K. Bonhomme and Sio Nofoagatoto'a are from different countries, but they both played high school football at Clearwater Academy International.

Philyor, Burgess, Miller, Penix, King, Allen and McFadden all played in the Tampa area, which is where the game is being played.

Head coach Tom Allen has loved being back in the area as the team prepares for Ole Miss.

"I love being back here in Tampa, a place that we know well," Allen said. "Just staying a few hundred yards from where we used to live for a few years here. It is so neat to see so many of our guys have family down here already and for them to be so excited to be so close to home.

"Even the guys that are from Miami and cities that are not necessarily Tampa, but it is just a cool thing for sure."

Florida has been a big recruiting spot for Indiana. Having back-to-back bowl games in the state has only amplified the recruiting for Allen and his staff.

Despite not being able to do any in-person recruiting due to the pandemic, Allen still found a way to make things effective.

"Had a chance to, could not talk to the recruits but had a chance to have some guys there watching us practice, and just being able to have the Indiana football team here in Tampa has been a great, great thing," he said.

The Outback Bowl isn't just about location, but it's about the opponent, too.

Two of Indiana's best players this season come from the state of Mississippi — wide receiver Ty Fryfogle and defensive lineman Jerome Johnson.

Both Fryfogle and Johnson said this week that they grew up watching Ole Miss football and the SEC. Johnson said he doesn't know anybody who plays for the Rebels, but Fryfogle has friends and even a cousin on the opposing roster.

Five members on the Indiana staff also at one point worked for Ole Miss: Allen, defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, safeties coach Jason Jones, receivers coach Grant Heard and senior director of recruiting Lee Wilbanks.

Fryfogle admitted it was possible that he might've gone to Ole Miss if Heard never joined Allen in Bloomington and recruited him to come there.

"But I like where I'm at now," Fryfogle said.

Even though this game presents a lot of chances to reminisce about the past, the Hoosiers are fully focused on the task ahead.

After practicing in Tampa Thursday, Indiana will have a walk-through on Friday and then kick-off at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium.

"They have trained well. Just got to keep preparing," Allen said. "We have a big saying around this place, just keep coaching until kickoff. And it is just that mindset that no matter what is going on we just keep preparing, keep preparing, keep preparing. This is what we do."

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