BLOOMINGTON – Curt Cignetti didn't always wax lyrical about his team at length during his first spring season at Indiana University, but when he had a message he wanted to convey to the Hoosiers' new coach, he wasn't shy. It wasn't a shop.
As on Tuesday, after last weekend's scrimmage and unfortunately poor practice, Coach Cignetti suggested that too many players were “coming out like old Indiana.”
more:Transferred WR Ilya Surratt is familiar with Kurt Cignetti's offense. He has grown up in it.
And even when he didn't want to overshare, Cininetti was honest about it. For example, we just pulled back the curtain a few inches on the quarterback race.
Ultimately, the situation should become clear starting with next week's spring game. Following IU's coaching change last winter, many positions were revamped or reshaped, not just quarterback. With that in mind, here are his five position groups to watch on April 18th.
quarterback
Let's start with the most important.
Understandably, Cignetti reserved much of the obsequious praise he initially gave Curtis Rourke. The Ohio State transfer is the most qualified and most experienced signal-caller on the roster, and also the one the coaches have drafted most often.
“I'm not going to talk about quarterback rotation,” Cininetti said April 2. “I might not be so open about it going forward. I'm impressed with Rourke's progress. Let's just say that.”
Based on Cignetti's evaluation, returner Taven Jackson may be the closest to Rourke at this point. Jackson recently suggested that Cignetti had some good days and some bad days in the spring.
True freshman Tyler Cherry hasn't seen as many snaps as his older teammates, but Cignetti's comments suggest that Cherry is now firmly entrenched in the third string. And while his work rate doesn't match the two Hoosiers before him, Cherry caught Cininetti's eye.
“He’s getting some reps,” Cininetti said. “He doesn't get as many reps as a second or two, but he gets reps every day. He often throws the ball to the right guy even though he's not ready yet. Arm His strength and accuracy needs to improve, but for a freshman to come in and find open receivers, he doesn't always get the ball, but he's working hard and getting better every day.”
wide receiver
Cininetti has made a number of moves at receiver to increase both depth and experience in the receiver room, which will be a regular call-up in the fall.
Cignetti has hinted since he took over that he might move to four receivers, which Indiana tended to use under coach Tom Allen, with Tom Allen's coordinators moving more toward H-backs and tight ends. They often favored dependent formations. James Madison, by comparison, was happy to expand his field.
To that end, Cininetti and his staff acquired Myles Price, Keshawn Williams, Elijah Surratt and Myles Cross from the transfer portal last winter. The Hoosiers also retain top receiver Donaven McCallie, and Cignetti is a player who needs to step up his game in a newly competitive receiver room.
“I like the room, so I’m not worried,” Cininetti said. “The cream will rise to the top.”
offensive line
After rebuilding the line through a combination of retention and portals over the winter, Cininetti likes what he's seen from the Hoosiers' offense so far in spring practice.
“I thought the offensive line was pretty solid for the most part,” Cininetti said.
For a coach who doesn't always hand out praise — it wasn't the first time Cininetti expressed such confidence — that assessment could not go unnoticed.
The big issue from IU's perspective may be depth. Returners like Mike Katic and Carter Smith give the Hoosiers organizational knowledge. A small number of transfers should compete to start immediately. Especially in the (mostly) controlled environment of a spring game, young linemen like Austin Barrett and Bray Lynch are ready to block Indiana's starting five and capably fill in if needed. Is it possible to stand out in a way that suggests that you are good at it?
defense line
This ranking will be worth keeping an eye on even after April 18th.
Indiana entered the spring season knowing it had a short defensive line. Still, the impact of missing players (due to surgery and subsequent rehabilitation) such as Benson Snead, Ranel Carr and James Carpenter, who was transferred to James Madison, is significant.
New coordinator Bryant Haynes and his defensive staff will have a lot on their minds as spring game begins next week. There are several young players they could be keeping an eye on, and the hope is that with additional opportunities, someone can flatten their development curves.
But they may also be keeping an eye on the transfer portal, which Cignetti knows will be more active than usual this spring because the NCAA's unrestricted transfer policy is still in place. It makes sense that Indiana would contribute to that effort, and there may be no position group that needs more help than the defensive line.
secondary
There were some references to moving parts here, including Nick Toomer sliding to safety. IU also strengthened its position with several productive transfers, including Old Dominion safeties Sean Asbury and Terry Jones.
Corner is a bit more of a mixed bag. Snaps are coming back in the form of players like Kobe Minor and Jamari Sharp. There are some intriguing returners like Jamier Johnson, who was thought to be a more meaningful contributor before being sidelined by injury last season.
Asked about his progress for the second time Tuesday, Cininetti sounded like a coach who still intends to keep his options open through the remainder of the spring season.
“I think they're all working hard and growing,” he said. “Once spring is over, we're going to evaluate that position like we would any other position and see if we think we have what it takes to be successful in the fall.”
Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.
