Georgia Natives Jordan Grier, Jaquez Smith Peachy About Opportunity to Play at Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Jordan Grier is used to being around the city lights from his hometown of Ellenwood, Ga., about a half hour southeast of Atlanta.
So in Grier's first week in Bloomington, he realized all the stuff he was used to doing back home is now gone. He said Thursday that it was a big leap for him to commit to Indiana, which he did on July 23, 2020, picking the Hoosiers over East Carolina, among others.
Grier trusted the vision of Indiana coach Tom Allen, and he's quickly realized how real and passionate Allen's word is.
"I didn't know anything coming into IU. I have never been to Indiana or Bloomington before. It was a big jump," Grier said Thursday when he met the local media for the first time. "It was a big leap taking coach Allen's word and believing in what he was saying.
"Everyone wants to be coached by a guy like coach Allen. He has everything that I am looking for in a college coach."
Grier had 23 offers to play Division I football, and Indiana was one of four Power 5 schools interested in Grier. The others were Kansas, Kansas State and Pittsburgh.
The defensive back got to Bloomington weighing 173 pounds, but he's already put on a lot of good weight. Grier said he is up to 192 pounds as of last Friday, just a month into college workouts.
"They feed us every day very good," Grier said. "Working out with the guys every morning. Getting up early and drinking protein shakes and all that stuff."
In addition to the coaching staff at Indiana, Grier has received a lot of help from the veterans in Indiana's secondary.
He specifically named Devon Matthews, Bryson Bonds and Raheem Layne as players who have helped him learn the playbook and give him pointers.
The Hoosiers have a deep and talented secondary returning this season, but Grier is confident he can contribute come the fall in whatever role he needs to.
"I believe I can play anywhere in the secondary. I'm ready to compete anywhere at any given moment," he said. "I feel like I'm fundamentally sound. I can play man-to-man, I can play zone.
"The biggest thing is getting in the playbook, working on my technique and getting better at the little things."
Smith's summer schedule
Like Grier, Indiana freshman Jaquez Smith also believes learning the playbook is the most important thing.
Smith kept it simple on Thursday, saying, "if you don't know the playbook, you can't play."
It's a big reason why Smith dedicates two hours outside of practice every day to sit down and study the playbook.
He doesn't just study the wide receiver's playbook, though, Smith believes it's important to understand multiple positions and what they are learning as well.
"The main thing is focusing on everybody's position, not just my own," Smith said. "Make sure where to line up, how to line up, just so I can be ready."
Smith, a four-star receiver from Westlake High School in Atlanta, was a big-time get for Allen and the Hoosiers when he committed to Indiana on Aug. 15, 2020. He is the second-highest graded recruit in Indiana's 2021 class, behind only quarterback Donaven McCulley.
Indiana beat out Mississippi State, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh, among others, for Smith's services. He also had offers from Florida State, Auburn, Tennessee and others.
The four-star, 6-foot-1, 190-pound wide receiver is joining a crowded wide receiver room in Bloomington, including Ty Fryfogle, the reigning Big Ten Receiver of the Year.
Smith came to Bloomington this summer with a strong upper body, so he's been spending a lot of time on his lower body in the weight room, doing a lot of flexibility work.
"The weight room is the best thing in this facility," he said.
Smith has drawn comparisons to Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf, and Smith believes that's because he is a workhorse much like Metcalf. He stays after practice to catch 150 extra balls each day.
"Just keeping that drive and continuing to get better every single day," Smith said.
The main thing Smith is focusing on is staying on his routes during practice. He wants to make sure he's dropping his hips and catching everything with his hands and eyes.
All the extra work Smith is putting in this summer — post-practice catches and playbook study sessions — is so he can be a part of what Indiana is trying to accomplish as a program.
"What I have learned is that we are all talented at the end of the day, but you have to know when to lock in and to stay in our playbook," Smith said. "You have to know what the main thing. Our main goal is getting to the national championship."
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