Course Correction – Katic’s Return Boosts Promising Offensive Line
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Mike Katic has put in the work. Fatigue shows as Indiana’s senior offensive lineman leaves Mellencamp Pavilion and jogs into a cold and dreary April late morning, another spring football practice in the books, more progress made, more coming.
Katic is adjusting to a new position (center), a new head coach (Curt Cignetti), a new offense, new teammates, and a renewed sense that something special is coming as the Hoosiers enter a new Big Ten era with the addition of USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon.
“I’m excited to see how this all gels,” he says.
The 6-4, 315-pound Katic didn’t expect to be a Hoosier anymore. He figured five college seasons, totaling 39 games with 37 starts (27 at left guard), were enough. It was time to prepare for NFL opportunity.
But life, as it so often does, delivered a course correction.
“I was going to fully part ways,” he says. “That’s how I envisioned it from the beginning of last season. I knew I wanted to move on and work toward the NFL.”
A lack of NFL team interest got him thinking. An offer to return to IU for a final season under Bob Bostad, one of the nation’s best offensive line coaches, was intriguing. So was a chance to play for Cignetti, whose impressive resume includes a 119-35 head-coaching record with zero losing seasons.
Then there was the Pittsburgh, Pa., connection. Katic was part of a Pennsylvania state title team for the city’s Pine-Richland High School. Cignetti, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, and quarterbacks coach/co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri all have Pittsburgh roots.
“I know a lot about of their families,” Katic says. “They know a lot about mine. I really connected with them. I felt like I’ve known them all my life even though I haven’t.”
Bostad’s pitch included a chance to play center. Katic had done it sporadically as a Hoosier, but mainly had been a left guard. Versatility is crucial in the NFL, where injuries often force teams into offensive line position switches.
“I talked with my family,” Katic says. “I talked with Coach Cig. I could get another year under Coach Bostad, which will help me even more with my development. A year under center would help me in the NFL. I’m an under-sized lineman. Center would most likely be my spot. Looking at all those factors, it was an easy decision for me.”
Katic says the transition to center has gone smoothly even as IU works to find a new starting quarterback. Tayven Jackson and Broc Lowry return. Kurtis Rourke has transferred in after a strong career at Ohio University. True freshman Tyler Cherry out of nearby state-of-Indiana power Center Grove High School shows promise.
“I’m familiar with the position,” Katic says. “It’s just a new voice (at quarterback) behind me. There aren’t many adjustments I have to make. I have to get comfortable with the guys around me.”
Comfort includes handling all the responsibilities that come with playing center.
“At guard, you’re worried about yourself and the tackle in combination,” Katic says. “Now, I have to know what everyone is doing. I have to know who’s with me, and where we’re going. I have to see the safeties and where they’re dropping down. I have to recognize coverages. These are all thing that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve picked up on. It’s easier for me now. If I was a freshman or sophomore, it would be a lot harder.”
Beyond that, Katic says the way Bostad reads defenses is different than the way previous offensive line coaches did it.
“The main differences are the declaration and reading defenses. The verbiage is different, but offensive-line concepts are offensive-line concepts. They’re all the same.”
Katic’s work isn’t limited to center. He’s also practicing at left and right guard.
“It’s the versatility and getting comfortable,” he says.
Katic was a team captain last season. That role likely won’t be determined until fall camp. For now, he says, leadership is a work in progress as everyone continues to get to know each other.
“In the off-season,” Katic says, “we trained with the offensive and defensive linemen. Leading that group is one thing. Everyone on the offensive line knows how my leadership is. Going to the whole team, and building relationships is the biggest thing I can do with the guys I don’t interact with a lot. It’s about earning respect from your teammates by the way you play and carry yourself.”
This is Katic’s sixth spring practice. How is it different under Cignetti?
“When you look at spring ball over these years,” he says, “the previous ones were much longer and more tedious. This year, we’re doing what we need to do and get out. We’re improving our technique and fundamentals. We’re getting better. If that means short practices, that’s the way (Cignetti) does it.”
Bostad’s impact on Katic and all the linemen can’t be overstated. He is the only coach retained from previous head coach Tom Allen’s staff.
“I’ve really matured, not only in the mental preparation, but the physical,” Katic says. “Another year under (Bostad) will only help me.”
The offensive line showed significant improvement last year in Bostad’s first season after previous struggles.
“He is so important,” Katic says. “Seeing what he did for us last year, the progress we made. It was enormous. It’s so important to have that kind of leadership in our room. He holds everyone to the same standard.”
Overall, Cignetti says, the offensive line “has got the potential to be one of the strengths of our team if it develops like I think it will."