Following up on a national championship-winning season will not be easy for Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers. IU has to replace a core group of players from that team, and while progress is being made early in spring, it is not fast enough for Cignetti.
“We can’t make progress fast enough with all the new people we have in our program,” Cignetti said on Thursday. “Kind of treat every practice sort of like it’s a game. We got 13 practices, and try to prepare the same way in terms of the things we demand on the practice field, so we can form winning habits and get rid of losing habits and kind of clean our ball up.”
The Hoosiers do not have to be ready to play a game tomorrow, but Cignetti is pointing towards IU’s first spring scrimmage, set for next Saturday, as a mile marker for his program.
“I thought we cleaned our ball up a little bit today, but there’s still a lot of improvement to be made. I do think we’ve made some progress up to this point, and I’ll be anxious to see where we are, maybe like after day seven, with the scrimmage coming up day eight.” Cignetti said.
Running Back Room Progressing Nicely
The Hoosiers saw Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby on the field in Bloomington for the final time for IU’s Pro Day on Wednesday. IU retooled at the position with the addition of Turbo Richard and will get Lee Beebe Jr. back before the season starts.
“I like what I’m seeing from our running backs, and Lee, Beebe will join that group in the fall. Really like what I’ve seen from turbo and Khobie (Martin) and the freshman, you know, is doing a nice job. (Sean) Cuono) has gotten better.” Cignetti said.
Despite Injuries, Tight End Room Showing Signs of Encouragement
Judging the Indiana tight end position is difficult this spring, as all but two players are unavailable to practice. While it does give Blake Thiry and Andrew Barker plenty of opportunities, it just feels incomplete. Despite all of that, Cignetti does like what he sees on the field and what is coming in the pipeline.
“I think that position will look a lot different in fall camp,” Cignetti said. “I think both the guys out there practicing right now are getting better, and I can see them making progress. I’m really excited about (Brock) Schott and (Trevor) Gibbs. I think they’re outstanding prospects. So you know, it’s gonna look a lot different in the fall.”