Spring Game Will Have Same Focus -- Fast, Physical, Relentless
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana’s spring game looms Thursday night at Memorial Stadium, work remains for that and beyond, and through it all, head coach Curt Cignetti demands focus, execution, and effort.
Anything less is unacceptable, a message he delivers emphatically when necessary.
“Sometimes it’s a little X-rated message,” Cignetti says with a smile.
Running back Kaelon Black vouches for that. He’s seen it from Cignetti for six years, first at James Madison, now at IU. As last year’s 11-2 Hoosier debut record -- highlighted by dominating offense and defense -- showed, it works.
“His MO is fast, physical, relentless,” Black says. “That’s what we stuck to. It’s short practices but making sure everything is concise and precise to how he wants it. It’s taking care of his guys on and off the field. That’s how he’s always been since I was a freshman in 2020.”
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the heralded transfer from California, will make his IU public debut Thursday night as he continues his acclimation to a new offense. Cignetti and his staff have had outstanding success with transfer quarterbacks in recent years, including last year’s starter, Kurtis Rourke, the Ohio University transfer who helped lead the Hoosiers into the playoffs.
“(Mendoza) is improving,” Cignetti says. “With every rep and every installation, he learns and improves. He is right now where all the other quarterbacks have been that we brought in new to this offense. He’s the fourth one from the portal in a row, and they’ve all been highly successful. The first half of spring is up and down. The second half of spring you get a little more consistency. In the fall, you see a big difference.”
This quarterback transition is different because IU has a new quarterbacks coach in Chandler Whitmer. He replaced Tino Sunseri, who left to become the offensive coordinator at UCLA. Whitmer has a strong NFL background with four years with the Los Angeles Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons.
Cignetti says he’s coaching Whitmer just as he did with Sunseri.
“I coach coaches all the time, even the ones who have been with me a long time. With Chandler, it’s more about this is what we’ve done offensively, this is the history.
“With everything on my plate as a head coach, I don’t like to have much time spending a lot on all the little details. He’s done a nice job. The great thing about spring ball, you get that trial run.”
Sunseri joined Cignetti at James Madison before they both came to IU. Before that, Sunseri had spent two-and-a-half years as a graduate assistant at Alabama under head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
Cignetti had studied the Alabama offense and wanted to implement some new ideas, which he did.
“There was still some coaching Tino,” Cignetti says. “It was his first full-time job. He had been a graduate assistant. It took him a while. It was like coaching a young player.”
Cignetti sees similar potential in Whitmer, who worked with top-10 passing offenses in three of his four NFL seasons.
“Chandler has been around a lot of good people,” Cignetti says. “He understands what it takes. He has a great work ethic. He’s very detailed.”
As far as using NFL plays at IU, Cignetti says, “I’m not a big guy in taking NFL concepts into college football. It’s a different game. I learned that lesson a long time ago. I’m not saying there isn’t some things (we can use), but the hash marks are different, the proficiency of players is different, the amount of meeting time you have with players is completely different.
“That normally doesn’t translate well to the college game. The focus to this point for the most part is what have we done in the past, what are we seeing in college football that we like we can incorporate.”
That includes utilizing another talented group of receivers. There’s plenty of potential from returning veterans such as Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr. and E.J. Williams Jr., plus transfers such as Makai Jackson from Appalachian State and even young players such as Charlie Becker and Lebron Bond.
The 6-foot-4 Becker, a sophomore, has shown promise. A three-star prospect out of Tennessee (he was a state track champion in the 110-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles, and as a member of the 4x400 relay), he played mostly on special teams for the Hoosiers last season and managed a rushing touchdown against Western Illinois and a tackle against Ohio State.
“I’ve seen him take a step up,” Cignetti says. “I’m excited about his future. He gives you good effort every day. He’s big, tall, and made some plays down the field. He’s tough. I like Becker.”
In 13 spring practice sessions, the Hoosiers will only do live tackling once -- during Thursday’s spring game. The defensive challenge is to refine tackling technique and physicality while minimizing the risk of injury.
Cignetti says IU does a “tackling circuit before practice and guys coach the fundamentals of tackling and we thud.”
“The last three or four years, we haven't tackled every scrimmage, and the last three years we have tackled in the spring game. The last couple of years, we didn't tackle at all in the fall (camp) and still led the country in run defense and were second in the country in least amount of yards (allowed). Good players can tackle. Ankle stiff, and knee-and-hip stiff athletes, have a hard time tackling.”
IU seeks to match if not surpass last season’s success. Leadership is a critical component, from returning veterans such as linebacker Aiden Fisher, defensive lineman Mikail Kamara and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, as well as standout transfers such as center Pat Coogan from Notre Dame. Cignetti says in Coogan’s case, “all things in time.”
“I’m sure a lot of these guys lead in ways I don’t see. I’m not around them all the time -- off the field, in the locker room.
“(Coogan) has the potential to be a great leader. He’s one of those four to five guys who will be a voice on the team. I have a lot of respect for the way he approaches his work and the effort he puts in every day.”