Save The Date: 4 Days that Will Satisfy Your Indiana Football Craving

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