Lynch and Hoosiers start over after ‘Playing 13’

IU coach Bill Lynch made a brief stop back in Bloomington on Friday from his recruiting trail to hold a press conference with his final thoughts on the season that was, and what lies ahead for the Hoosiers.\nLynch said all the good and bad things that happened in his inaugural year as head coach will have no bearings on what IU is able to accomplish next season.\n“That is the beauty of college football,” Lynch said. “Regardless of what happens during the season, when it is over and you start your off-season program, you are at square one.”\nThe most important off-season task for Lynch and the Hoosiers will be replacing the starters that either will have graduated or, in junior wide receiver James Hardy’s case, leave early for the NFL draft. Perhaps the position with the most question marks is cornerback, where four-year starter Tracy Porter and fellow starter Leslie Majors will leave a gaping void.\n“Of all the places, that is where we don’t have the answers there,” Lynch said. “Cornerback, it is pretty wide open, which can be healthy. (Sophomore) Bruce Hampton probably has the most experience ... (junior) Christopher Phillips is obviously a guy that has played a lot, and we feel really good about him.”\nThere is also concern over the wide receiver position, which was a strong point for the Hoosiers last season. The departure of Hardy is a huge blow to the team, and there is the possibility that sophomore Andrew Means could be drafted by a Major League Baseball team before next football season. Lynch acknowledged that there’s a chance Means could leave next year, but said he still thinks he’ll be back for another year of football.\n“I have never had that conversation with Andrew,” Lynch said. “I have heard all of it, but I am not too concerned about it right now. I think he really enjoys playing football, and I know he is looking forward to baseball and we’ll see how it works out ... My sense is that he is going to come back and play with us.”\nAnother void that needs to be filled will be team leadership. Porter and fellow captain and fullback Josiah Sears will both be gone after serving as co-captains this past year. Lynch did not specify any players he has in mind to take over as captain, but continued to stress that all phases of the program would be starting over.\n“I think each football team is different, so that’s why I said we are starting back at square one again,” Lynch said. “I don’t care what your season was like or what you are doing ... any good football team starts over because if you assume anything, something is going to slow you down.”\nDespite the notion that his team is going to be starting over, Lynch expressed optimism for next season, saying the off-season is going to be the key for the team to be even better than they were this season. \n“I think there is a lot of hope, and we have some good young football players that want to get better,” Lynch said. “If we can get them better individually over the course of the off-season, then we are going to be a better football team come next August.”