Mike Katic Returning Offers Big Boost For Hoosiers
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Written by: TJ Inman
Following the 2023 season, a lot of things changed in a very quick period of time for Indiana football. Head coach Tom Allen was let go after losing to Purdue and falling well short of a bowl game again. After a coaching search full of rumors and guesses, IU surprised nearly everyone by hiring serial winner Curt Cignetti away from James Madison.
As often happens in coaching changes, the existing coaching staff was gutted and Cignetti brought in his own staff to help him lead the program. There was a new offensive coordinator, a new defensive coordinator, a new strength coach and new position coaches. Several players came and went via the transfer portal. The one coach that remained in place was offensive line coach Bob Bostad. First, Bostad and Cignetti were able to coax left tackle Carter Smith back to the program, beating out schools like Ole Miss for his re-commitment. IU lost a couple of linemen though and Bob Bostad got an idea in his head to add some stability to his position group.
Bob Bostad thought Mike Katic was gone. Mike Katic thought he was done with IU. Both parties appeared to be headed separate directions. As Bob Bostad put it on Rhett Lewis’ “Under the Hood” podcast series: “We had an exit interview. Then, you know, a couple of weeks go by and a lot of things changed and a lot of things moved around and then I said, you know, I’m going to make a phone call and see what he’s thinking.”
Without specifics, Bostad proposed some different things to Katic and the veteran offensive lineman was open to his ideas. “It was good for us, it was good for him,” Bostad said. In a surprise announcement, Mike Katic returned to the Indiana football program for his final season of eligibility and hoping to make the most of an extra year of preparation for what he hopes is a career in the NFL.
“We’re just really fortunate to have him back. Last year, I thought he did a lot of really good things. Starting all the way back in the spring, being named a captain by the team. You can build off of that kind of chemistry going into the spring. That’s a great start for us in our room.”
“His versatility is a huge part of it. When we went through the transition and then the transfer portal which was like a double gut punch if you know what I’m saying,” Bostad explained. “When you go through those two things, you have to regroup off of that. Mike really came into play right there. Last spring, Mike was playing center and then I think it was practice eleven, we had a guy go down at center and Mike stepped in at left guard.”
The versatility is particularly important with so many unknowns for the Hoosiers upfront. IU has new pieces from Wisconsin in Trey Wedig and James Madison with Nick Kidwell and Tyler Stephens. Having Carter Smith back answers any potential issues at left tackle but the remaining four spots on the line will have potentially new starters in each position. Mike Katic is a veteran leader that has been with Bob Bostad for a season and has been in the IU program for multiple years, his leadership and experience are a valuable component to his return. Beyond the leadership and flexibility is the fact that Katic was a consistent performer on offensive lines that often lacked cohesion and struggled as units. Katic was a part of the improvement in 2023 and he hopes to be part of an awakening of IU football under Curt Cignetti.