Mullen, Jones, Barner to Represent Indiana at Big Ten Football Media Days
After a hectic offseason of transfers, draft decisions and recruiting, the college football season is right around the corner.
But first, coaches and players will discuss the upcoming season at Big Ten football media days on July 26 and 27 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. Indiana football announced Monday that cornerback Tiawan Mullen, linebacker Cam Jones and tight end AJ Barner will represent the Hoosiers alongside head coach Tom Allen.
The event will begin with a press conference with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren at 10:15 a.m. ET. Seven head coaches will then address the media, including Allen at Noon ET on July 26. Indiana's student athletes – Mullen, Jones and Barner – will speak from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. ET, and Allen will hold a second press conference from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. ET. The other seven coaches and their team's representatives will speak the following day, July 27.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen speaks to the media during Big 10 media days at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
Allen and the Hoosiers are looking to rebound from a disappointing 2-10 season in 2021. Indiana gained the fewest yards per game and allowed the most points per game in a 2021 season that began with all-time high expectations. Indiana reached bowl games in 2019 and 2020 with a combined 14-7 record, but that momentum came to a screeching halt in 2021.
Last season's disappointment signaled wholesale changes for Allen and the Hoosiers heading in to 2022, hiring new offensive coordinator Walt Bell and defensive coordinator Chad Wilt, along with a slew of new position coaches. The offensive is replenished with Missouri transfer quarterback Connor Bazelak, who is competing with Jack Tuttle for the starting job, as well as a group of incoming transfers at running back and receiver. Allen also secured the Indiana's highest-ranked recruiting class of all time in 2022 as the Hoosiers look to get back on track.
So which season is closer to Indiana's long-term trajectory – the success in 2019 and 2020 or the collapse in 2021? It might be too early to say, but the 2022 campaign will surely help answer those questions, and Mullen, Jones and Barner will play a big role in the response.
Mullen has been a major contributor for Indiana since his freshman season, and now he's entering his senior year. The cornerback from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. led the Big Ten in pass breakups as a freshman, and was named a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America in 2020, leading to NFL Draft talks heading into his junior season.
But Mullen was limited to just four starts and seven appearances in 2021 after an injury in Indiana's win over Western Kentucky. Mullen's leadership, ball-hawking skills and overall health will be crucial to Indiana's success in 2022.
Joining Mullen as one of Indiana's media day representatives is linebacker Cam Jones, who is entering his fifth season as a Hoosier. Jones was Indiana's Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2018, and he became a force at the weak-side linebacker position, totaling 134 total tackles from his sophomore through senior seasons.
Jones will be without his linebacking partner Micah McFadden, who became a fifth-round draft pick by the New York Giants in 2021. Jones and McFadden grew into quite the duo in the middle of Indiana's defense, but Jones will now have to lead a young group and a trio of transfers in an effort to replace McFadden.
Indiana's final representative at new week's event is tight end AJ Barner, who will look to fill the shoes of Indiana's all-time yards and receptions leader among tight ends, Peyton Hendershot. Barner enters his junior season at Indiana with less recognition than Mullen and Jones, but he has the physical tools to take a big jump this year.
Barner primarily played special teams as a freshman, and he appeared in 12 games with one start at tight end in 2021. He hauled in 14 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown as a sophomore, and he blocked a punt in Indiana's win over Idaho. Barner's 6-foot-6 frame and two seasons learning under Hendershot make him a potential breakout candidate for the Hoosiers in 2022.
Related stories on Indiana football:
- SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: BIG TEN EAST OPPONENTS: The Big Ten East is loaded with tough opponents yet again, including three teams that won 11 or more games last year. Let's take a look at Indiana's 2022 Big Ten East Opponents: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Maryland and Rutgers. CLICK HERE
- SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: BIG TEN WEST OPPONENTS: Indiana football opens its season with a Friday Night Lights matchup against Illinois. The Hoosiers will take on Big Ten West opponent Nebraska in week five, and finish the regular season playing the in-state rival Purdue Boilermakers in Bloomington. CLICK HERE
- SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS: Indiana hosts Idaho and Western Kentucky in weeks two and three before completing its home-and-home series at Cincinnati in week four. Here's an early look at each non-conference opponent. CLICK HERE
- DONAVEN MCCULLEY MOVING TO RECEIVER: Donaven McCulley appeared in seven games at quarterback for Tom Allen and the Indiana football team as a true freshman, but he could be making a positional change ahead of his sophomore season. Indiana play-by-play announcer Don Fischer said McCulley has embraced the move to wide receiver. CLICK HERE
