Indiana State University Athletics recently issued the following announcement.
It was a brisk Tuesday morning as Indiana State football took the field for its first official practice of the 2022 spring slate. The Sycamores hit the field for the first of 15 scheduled practices this spring leading up to the Blue-White Game on April 30.
ISU started with a fast pace over the first morning session spending time on special teams, positional work, and also an offense-defense segment at the end of practice in their first time on the field since November 20.
Head Coach Curt Mallory was glad to see the team back out on the field and knew the energy was going to be there on opening day.
"These guys put a lot of work getting ready for this," Mallory said. "It started the day after Thanksgiving break and the guys stayed committed to the process in the weight room and on the field. We saw guys make tremendous gains over the offseason and they were itching to get going today."
Coming into the spring season, Mallory received a contract extension that will carry through the 2027 football season and he touched on that heading into his sixth year at the helm of the program.
"Obviously my wife and I are ecstatic about it," Mallory said. "We love Terre Haute and being a part of the Sycamore family and couldn't be happier. It goes by quick and doesn't feel like we've been here for five years. Being from Indiana and having family here, this is home."
Eyes will be on the Indiana State offense this spring with several coaching adjustments made over the offseason. The Sycamores introduced Mike Bath as the new offensive coordinator earlier this month, while also announcing changes with Tyler Funk (offensive line) and Patrick Shepard (tight ends) also assuming new coaching roles on the staff.
Mallory saw some positives from the offense throughout the first day of camp and looks forward to the energy that will be reflected under Bath's leadership.
"I've known Mike for some time and we've worked together before," Mallory said. "He has a lot of energy and I know the offense is going to move fast and play with urgency. From today, we have to take care of the ball better and clean things up, but that comes with practice and repetition. I like what we've been seeing so far."
Redshirt senior wide receiver Dante Hendrix is a familiar name for many Indiana State fans as the Florence, Ky. native returns to camp again this spring. He looks to build off a season impacted by injury, but saw the 6-3 athlete lead the Sycamores in receptions (42), yards (447), touchdowns (3), and receiving yards per game (74.5).
"I feel close to 100 percent this spring and definitely feel confident in moving out there on the field," Hendrix said. "Taking away from last season, one of the focuses we need to continue to establish is putting four quarters together. This offseason, we've been emphasizing that to the guys about putting together a complete game. We have a lot of guys with potential to help us out this fall, but need to keep improving every single day."
Defensively, the Sycamores lost several key playmakers including All-Missouri Valley Conference defensive lineman Inoke Moala. However, rising redshirt sophomore linebacker Geoffrey Brown has emerged as one of the leaders on the unit and looks forward to seeing what the team can do this spring.
"I feel great out there and feel like I can be a leader with some of the younger guys," Brown said. "The whole team attacked the offseason with the intent of getting back to where we were in 2019. We planned on getting bigger, stronger, and faster and having that translate to the field."
The Sycamores will be back on the field two more times this opening week before strapping on the full pads over the next week at Memorial Stadium.
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