Todd’s Take: Indiana’s Spring Football Game … Are You Into This?

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Football coach Curt Cignetti has been at Indiana for over a year now, but I’m still trying to figure him out.

Last Thursday, during his final media availability before Indiana’s Spring Game, I asked him a question about Nebraska canceling its spring game – not a decision that is minor considering that it sold out – for fear of having players scouted for the transfer portal.

I asked Cignetti what he thought of that and what he expected fan turnout to be for the Spring Game?

I wasn’t sure what answer he would give to the Nebraska thing – that’s why we ask questions – but I thought he’d seize on the fan part of it as yet another moment to sell Hoosier football.

As it turned out, he didn’t even address the fan part of it. His answer to the question about the Nebraska situation elicited a response explaining Indiana’s philosophy on the spring game.

“We play a half, basically, it's what we do, offense versus defense, and then that's it. So it's really not a game. And in my mind, it's a glorified practice, and it's a third opportunity to get your guys out there in game-like conditions. And it's also going to be the only time we tackle in the spring, so that's how I look at it,” Cignetti said.

“Actions speak louder than words (in terms of having the spring game where Nebraska didn’t), the fact that we're going to go through with it, that's what I believe. And I don't really have an opinion about other people canceling their spring games. It's not on TV. It's just another practice,” Cignetti added.

Oh.

If Cignetti is somewhat downplaying the opportunity to use the spring game to sell his program, where does that leave fans?

Spring football is an interesting phenomenon in the first place. At places that have always worshipped football, it’s a tradition. This is especially true in the South, where football has always been king.

Football has never been king at Indiana. It’s not just true for Indiana University. Taking Notre Dame out of it because it has a national focus, the college football-playing schools elsewhere in the state do not treat spring football with breathless reverence. More like casual apathy.

Curt Cignetti. — Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti looks on during spring practice at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, April 3, 2025. | Bobby Goddin/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To wit, the main thing on the Indiana University calendar in April is not spring football; it is Little 500 weekend. More than once, the spring game has been scheduled around Little 500 – or rescheduled because of it.

Can you imagine that at a place like Alabama? They schedule a tradition around the spring football game, not the other way around.

Indiana fans responded in droves to the Hoosiers’ 2024 success during the season. And why not? An 11-2 season wasn’t in anyone’s wildest dreams. The bandwagon justifiably had nitrus in the engine.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Indiana fan passion translates to spring ball. There’s a difference between being interested in winning and being interested in football. You have to be into ball to be into spring ball. You have to care about second and third units and reps.

It’s a test not many casual fans would pass or even want to pass.

So it will be interesting to see what kind of turnout there is at Memorial Stadium on Thursday. Will the support Indiana got by the end of the season translate to the Spring Game?

We’ll see, but there’s one more reason to treat the Spring Game with your kid gloves on.

For a long time, spring football at the FBS level was a sort of signpost. At the FBS level, it was very difficult to add any players after spring practice ended. (Players could always come in after spring ball at the FCS level, so Cignetti is well-placed to adjust his roster as he used to at Elon and James Madison.) Spring football was a good way to know the state of a program.

Now? That’s all out the window. Football has two transfer portal windows, and one of them opened on Wednesday. It’s a short window – it ends on April 25 – but you can commit any time in the window.

This particular window will be chaotic because of the continued House settlement saga. The House settlement has not been approved yet, so any NIL deals signed and paid before July 1 will not be subject to the “fair market value” clearinghouse that will be created as part of the House settlement.

It means players are going to maximize what they can make from NIL collectives. The cost of building a roster is expected to skyrocket, much as it has for the basketball portal.

It’s why players like Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava have gone into the portal. Now is the time to get more money while it’s still unregulated.

So what is seen at the Spring Game on Thursday is just a picture of a moment. Indiana’s roster will almost certainly change before August. It is possible some Indiana players could jump into the portal to maximize their value.

This portal window will be a real test to see how committed players are to Cignetti and a test of how much Indiana is willing to invest in the seemingly bottomless NIL well needed to stay competitive.

So that’s the environment in which this Spring Game is being played. Not exactly a selling point for the fans.

It would be great if enthusiasm from the fall season translates into a spirited turnover on Thursday at Memorial Stadium. It’s part of the evolution of being a football school.

But I would totally understand if fans gave it only passing interest. This is just a snapshot of a moment. The real 2025 Indiana team won’t be fully formed until August.

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