Indiana Football Standout Transfer to Miss Spring Practice with Injury

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football will have to wait until the summer to see perhaps its most intriguing solution at a position in question.

Redshirt freshman tight end Brock Schott, who transferred from Miami to Indiana over the winter, won't participate in spring practice due to injury. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti announced the news Wednesday afternoon during an appearance on Big Ten Network.

"Brock Schott from Miami had a labrum surgery in his hip while he was at Miami," Cignetti said, "and he won't be cleared until after spring."

Indiana may also be without rising freshman tight end Trevor Gibbs, a consensus three-star recruit who arrived on campus needing screws in his foot, Cignetti said. The Hoosiers don't expect Gibbs to fully participate, but the extent of his availability is unknown.

"I'm not quite sure how much he's going to be able to do," Cignetti said about Gibbs.

Schott's injury and subsequent absence is particularly noteworthy given the new-look nature of Indiana's tight ends room. The Hoosiers lost Riley Nowakowski, Holden Staes and James Bomba to graduation — the trio played 1,251 of the 1,252 total snaps played by the Hoosiers' tight ends in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus.

Rising redshirt freshman Andrew Barker, who played one singular offensive snap as a true freshman, has the most on-field experience of any Indiana tight end apart from Schott, whose experience is also minimal.

Schott played 16 snaps across two games during his lone season with the Hurricanes. He earned his most action in a Week 2 victory over Bethune-Cookman, playing 15 snaps and catching two passes for 24 yards — one went for a 10-yard gain, the other a 14-yard pickup.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Schott saw nine offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and eight came as an in-line tight end. The other was in the slot. He added six snaps on kickoff coverage and one more on field goal protection.

But Schott's recruiting pedigree suggests he's poised to see the field. He attended Leo High School in Leo, Ind., three hours northeast of Bloomington, and graded as a four-star prospect and top 20 tight end in the 2025 class by all major outlets. Ultimately, Schott chose Miami over offers from Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State and many others.

The Hoosiers have six tight ends on their roster for 2026 — three redshirt freshmen in Schott, Barker and Blake Thiry, and three true freshmen in Gibbs, Parker Elmore and PJ MacFarlane.

Cignetti preaches production over potential, and Indiana has no proven commodity at tight end. Schott appeared well-suited to stake his claim for playing time during spring practice, but his labrum surgery adds another layer to an already questionable position group.

"That's probably the biggest question mark right now, as I look at the offense, is how that thing will end up looking come the end of fall camp," Cignetti said. "But we'll figure it out."