Indiana Spring Game Information
What: Indiana Hoosiers Offense vs. Defense
When: Thursday, April 23 at 8:00 pm
- Parking Lots (4,9,10,11,12) open at 3 pm
- No tickets or passes are required for parking in surface or grass lots or entry into Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
- Thursday will be the final day of Indiana’s National Championship Trophy Tour. Postseason trophies from the Rose and Peach Bowls, Big Ten Championship, and the National Championship, along with the Old Oaken Bucket, will be on display in the North End Zone (Gate E1) from 3-6 pm.
- Stadium gates will open at 6:30 pm. IU will also have an IU Football Giveaway station by Gate E3 in the East Concourse.
- Player drills will begin on the field at 7:45 pm and “Kickoff” will be at 8:10 pm.
- IU will have in-game draft and coaching award announcements.
Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN
How to Watch: The game is being televised on BTN. Hoosier Huddle will have a Live Game Thread on the Hoosier Huddle Forums.
What’s at Stake
The most important thing for any Spring Game is that the team emerges healthy. It appears that Indiana is relatively injury-free after spring practice and the coaches will certainly aim to keep it that way throughout Thursday night’s scrimmage. The Hoosiers have a number of new pieces that will be playing in front of what is expected to be a very crowded Memorial Stadium for the first time. While there will not be a true winning or losing team, at least a few individuals will have standout performances and possibly increase the opportunity to see more snaps when the action is live against North Texas.
A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR
1. Next Men Up At Quarterback
Quarterback is always going to be a position that gets a lot of attention and a new starter will be a headline to watch in the spring. When you are attempting to replace the Heisman Trophy winner and the public debut for your new starter is on the same night that your former quarterback is going to be drafted number one overall in the NFL Draft?
Needless to say, Josh Hoover will be in the spotlight with a lot to live up to all season and that begins on Thursday night. The TCU transfer has plenty of experience and a great arm but the entirety of the offseason will be working with Hoover to limit the amount of times he puts the ball into danger. Turnovers were the primary weak spot in his game and if Curt Cignetti and Mike Shanahan can really cut those down for the 2026-2027 season, Indiana will have another All-Big Ten caliber gunslinger.
Beyond Hoover, IU fans will finally get a chance to see Tyler Cherry. Cherry is a 6’5” redshirt freshman that is returning to action after a devastating leg injury that nearly ended his football career. The former Center Grove Trojan has a rocket for an arm and is a former four-star prospect that could be next season’s starter if he can continue to develop. For now, Cherry is working on beating out veteran Grant Wilson for the role of backup and we should see plenty of snaps for them both on Thursday night.
2. New Offensive Weapons
The Indiana offense was awesome last season and several departed stars (beyond Fernando Mendoza) are expected to be selected in the NFL Draft: Omar Cooper Jr., Elijah Sarratt, Kaelon Black, Roman Hemby and Riley Nowakowski all could hear their names called.
Established players like Khobie Martin, Charlie Becker are returning and the coaching staff reloaded in the transfer portal with the addition of several new potential stars. Indiana fans will get their first glance at players that are returning from injury (Tyler Cherry, Lee Beebe and Tyler Morris) along with new portal additions like Nick Marsh (Michigan State), Shazz Preston (Tulane), Turbo Richard (Boston College) and Brock Schott (Miami).
The Hoosiers are expected to continue to lean on a strong running game and the trio of Khobie Martin, Lee Beebe and Turbo Richard will try and replicate the success of last season’s dominant running game. Nick Marsh is expected to plug right into the starting lineup at receiver and the duo of Marsh and Becker could be as good as any in the country with players like Preston, Morris, Davion Chandler and Lebron Bond fighting for playing time alongside them.
Tight end is a position in flux with a lot of talented young players but virtually no experience. The Spring Game will be the first opportunity to see how those battles are unfolding as the team heads into the summer workout period.
3. Reloaded Defensive Line
There are new faces on the defensive line, but the expectations and standards for the group will not change. If anything, there is a realistic hope that Indiana can be a bit better up front than they were even a season ago. Indiana added an impressive amount of size and athleticism to the front as they landed transfers Joe Hjelle (Tulsa), Chiddi Obiazor (Kansas State), Tobi Osunsanmi (Kansas State) and Josh Burnham (Notre Dame).
Those three added to an already impressive returning cast anchored by Tyrique Tucker, Mario Landino and Daniel Ndukwe. Fans should also get to see young players like Quentin Clark, Tyrone Burrus, Cam McHaney, Jhrevious Hall and others.
Curt Cignetti often talks about “being on the hunt for complacency,” and that will undoubtedly be on display during Thursday’s spring game as the Hoosiers continue preparations for the pursuit of a second-straight national championship.
Thursday night will also be a time to celebrate the season that was and remember a ride that none of us will ever forget. Fernando Mendoza’s selection as the first pick in the NFL Draft will be shown on the big screen inside Memorial Stadium. Omar Cooper Jr. is expected to hear his name called later that night and as many as seven other former Hoosiers will likely be drafted by Saturday evening.
The spring game will be a celebration of those players and that historic season, while also looking ahead to the coming campaign and beginning to get answers to the question: Who’s next?
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