Written By Sammy Jacobs (@SammyJ108)
Indiana Hoosier Head Coach Kevin Wilson at Big Ten Media Day.
We are inching ever closer, as we mark the days off our calendars until the magical Thursday that is
the opening night of college football. We figured that since you are already longing for
football, we would touch on a few dates that will satisfy, if only temporarily,
that pigskin craving.
July 24th
and 25th – Big Ten Media Days,
Chicago Illinois
This annual event gives the coaches and a trio
of staff selected players a stage to interact with the media and reach out to
the fans with just over a month before the upcoming season kicks off. As a fan you will be hoping to pick-up a bit
of the inside scoop on your programs goals from the players and coaches. Questions will be asked about expectations, injury
concerns, and what new recruits or transfers could make an impact in year one.
It is an opportunity to assess where the
program has grown since the end of spring practice, even if it is layered in
coach speak. Hoosier Head Coach Kevin Wilson has selected three seniors to
travel to the Windy City along side him this summer. He selected a representative from all three
facets of the game in, receiver Kofi Hughes, safety Greg Heban, and kicker
Mitch Ewald. While media days are just a brief tease to peak fan interest,
they are still a fun distraction from life without football
July 31st
– Indiana Freshman Report to Pre-season
Camp
While this may not be the most glamorous day on
the football calendar, it certainly is an exciting one. Fresh faces will
step into the program for the first time looking to make an immediate impact
and grow as players both on and off the field.
For most this is the first time being able to be coached by Kevin Wilson
and the majority of the staff due to the NCAA restriction on contact during the
offseason. There is nothing like a group
of fresh, talented bodies for a pre-season football camp.
August
2nd – Indiana Pre-season Camp Opens
The Hoosiers preparing for the season in a previous edition of fall camp
Hoosier coaches have been eagerly awaiting this
day ever since the final second of the Cream and Crimson game back in April. This
is the beginning of the journey that is the 2013 football season. This is
the time that strength and conditioning coach Mark Hill hands the reigns back
over to Kevin Wilson for the regular season.
The Hoosiers enter camp with an abundant amount of questions at
important positions on both sides of the ball. The most battle during the
fall will be for the starting quarterback job.
The race to be the man under center has carried over from the spring,
and should be one of the most exciting things to watch play out as IU will
enter camp with three quarterbacks who have played significant time in Big Ten
games. Outside of the signal caller, the
defensive tackle position is one that is in flux. After graduating both starters after the 2012
season, Coach Wilson and company restocked the cupboard with both talented
freshman and junior college transfers looking to make an immediate impact.
August 28th
– Indiana Season Opener vs. Indiana State Sycamores
The night we have all been waiting for. This is the date that every Hoosier fan has
had circled on their calendar since the end of the Bucket Game last November.
It’s Opening Night Under The Lights! There is something magical about season
openers. It could simply be the clean slate that every team starts out
with allowing fans to dream of success, or the fact that it has just been so
long since your eyes have seen college football…or maybe it’s just that extra
tailgating you did because it’s still warm outside. No matter what your reasoning, opening night is
a special time for every fan, and something that we have been looking forward
to for far too long. days