Each one of them has different interests and beliefs. They respond to different forms of coaching. They have different senses of humor, and Frey said he wanted them to stay that way.
He leads a group of blockers that have as much hype around them as any IU group in recent memory. IU Coach Kevin Wilson referred to the line as the focal point to offensive success in 2015. The line is the home of some of the most talented players on the team, such as senior Jason Spriggs and junior Dan Feeney.
The individuality is crucial to their development and the different skillsets they bring to the table, Frey said. He doesn’t want any cookie-cutter players.
Frey said he believed the reason the group has had success is because these diverse individuals become a unit.
“It doesn’t matter how good Spriggs is or how good Feeney is. It also doesn’t matter how bad Spriggs is or how bad Feeney is,” Frey said. “It’s how good our offensive line is, and it’s all five of us.”
Those five will be up front each play and will attempt to protect a quarterback who went down with a season-ending shoulder injury last season, pave paths for a running game looking to replace a 2,000-yard rusher and be a piece of a team that makes a bowl appearance for the first time since 2007.
***
Frey, Spriggs and Feeney all laugh when asked questions that prop certain linemen up as stars or make them stand out. They shut people down when the 2015 offensive line is referred to as the best in the Wilson era.
The season hasn’t even started, and Frey has no idea how well they will play when going up against opponents.
He has a hard time trying to give a verdict about which players are better than others because there are so many different types of talent. In the spring, Wilson referred to Jason Spriggs as the most talented and Dan Feeney as the best and most consistent.
Frey doesn’t really know if he sees it that way.
“Working hard is a talent,” he said. “Feeney works hard.”
He said each guy has different strengths and different styles. Junior Dimitric Camiel is 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds, has long arms and can put up 410 to 415 pounds on the bench press. That’s a skill in Frey’s eyes.
It goes back to the battle between Spriggs and Feeney. Who is the best, and who is the most talented?
They are competitive teammates who compare themselves to each other from time to time, but they still work together.
“Me and Feeney, we are competitive guys,” Spriggs said. “We are both going back and forth.”
Feeney said all of the linemen are competitive. They talk trash if one wins a sprint or bench presses more.
However, they said they see Feeney as the example.
Wilson didn’t waste a second at a summer press conference when asked which Hoosier is the most consistent. Dan Feeney. He even puts his socks on well, Wilson said.
“Dan Feeney always sets a proper example,” Camiel said. “Even if he might not be taking a right step, it’s the proper example of how to go hard.”
When Camiel temporarily moved from right tackle to left guard during spring practice, Feeney helped teach Camiel a position they shared at the time.
“Effort is between you and you,” Feeney said. “It’s pretty much non-negotiable for me. I’m just going to try to give 100 percent. I think I was just raised like that.”
***
With quarterbacks, all four are competing directly with each other to be the number one guy. With offensive linemen, five of the top 15 start, and being in the top half generally means playing time.
Frey said being in the top half as a quarterback doesn’t really mean anything. Linemen can work together more because it is not man versus man. The back-up will still rotate in.
Talent aside, it may be the experience and depth on the offensive line that stands out the most. The backups have substantial playing experience, and players refer to the entire starting five as leaders in their own ways.
After working under Rich Rodriguez with high-octane offenses at West Virginia and Michigan, Frey came to IU when Wilson was hired before the 2011 season.
The early goals of instillation were the coach-speak fundamentals: work ethic, mental and physical toughness, and self-confidence. He wants offensive lines that breed consistency and simply do what is asked of them. He doesn’t worry about the past because he said he believed history doesn’t repeat itself and each play is a new play.
Now entering his fifth season in Bloomington, Frey has players who know what to expect from him and understand his style.
“The shock value wears off,” he said. “When I get mad, it’s not ‘uh-oh’ anymore.”
He said the linemen now understand why Frey does what he does. It goes back to the individuality of each lineman and how each needs different types of attention to get where Frey wants them.
“Whether it’s yelling, it’s hugging, it’s bringing in ice cream — whatever it is, the reason behind that is we are trying to get someplace,” Frey said.
He speaks about each player with a father-like sincerity. Frey said he loved watching the group become more mature and seeing young men grow into what he referred to as “fine young people.” He said it is simply fun to be around them.
Spriggs, freshman Wes Martin, senior Jake Reed, Feeney and Camiel. That’s the starting offensive line from left tackle to right tackle. They’re experienced and have been with Frey since coming to IU.
However, there are more names than that.
There’s true freshman Brandon Knight, freshman Delroy Baker, junior Wes Rogers, junior Jacob Bailey, freshman Tim Gardner and sophomore DeAndre Herron right behind them. The staff and starters speak highly of those players as well.
That is what Wilson raves about. There is so much depth and stability. Sure, IU runs a spread offense that moves the ball around, but Wilson said he believed everything begins up front.
“If you can’t play up front in the Big Ten, you can’t play winning Big Ten football,” Wilson said.
