Indiana Football Names Five Captains for 2020 Season
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Tom Allen announced Monday who the team voted on for captains this season.
On the offense side, it was Michael Penix Jr. and Harry Crider. On the defensive side, it was Micah McFadden, Cam Jones and Marcelino Ball.
Allen said so many players on his team got votes, and that it was the most players he's seen in one season get votes to be captain.
Penix is coming off a season where when he was healthy, he was very successful. He completed 110-of-160 passes for 1,394 yards with 10 touchdowns. Allen has mentioned how he wants Penix to be the leader of this football team as the quarterback, so it's a good sign he has been voted the captain.
A big reason Penix had a lot of success last season was because of the offensive line. Crider appeared in all 13 games last season, and heading into this season, he will be starting at center. Offensive line coach Darren Hiller has praised Crider for his leadership this offseason.
For Jones, he had 35 tackles, 23 solo, two sacks, 4.5 for loss, a 44-yard pick-6, one forced fumble, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries in the 2019 season. His was all over the field, and he's a big part of the linebacking group that defensive coordinator Kane Wommack is excited about this season.
In that group is also McFadden, who led the team with 61 tackles, 42 solos, 10 for loss and two interceptions (tied). He also had 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries (3rd on the team) and one pass breakup. The experience of the defense with McFadden and Jones in the linebacking crew is vital for Indiana.
As for Ball, he will miss the entire 2020 season with a torn ACL, but it shows how much he means to the team that they still voted him as captain. Allen said Ball won't be able to be involved in too much stuff on gameday, but he's been instrumental in offering guys advice despite not being able to play.
"His leadership is obvious by how his teammates feel about him, leading the way," Allen said.
Indiana will open its 2020 season this Saturday against No. 8 Penn State.
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