Indiana Spring Game Recap
My best attempt at a tempered, responsible reaction to a spring scrimmage 4.5 months before the season kicks off
Indiana hosted its first Spring Game since 2019 on Thursday night, which on its own is huge news. The amount of recruiting capital and fan interest the previous staff was willfully surrendering by not hosting a Spring Game was astounding. But fans showed up in Bloomington on Thursday, and you could feel the excitement in the air, as fans tailgated before the gates opened and notable Hoosiers like Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson, and most of the Indiana Women’s Basketball team attended. Folks are excited about the future of the program, and it’s because of the attitude and early competence and momentum new head coach Curt Cignetti has manifested in just four and a half months.
The structure of the scrimmage pitted the offense versus the defense with particular scoring methods for both sides, and as drives ended, the staff sent out different units for both sides. The best signifier of which units were on the field was who was playing at QB. Most programs will split up the talent to either gain work in specific scenarios or to even the teams, but it was pretty clear that Kurtis Rourke’s unit was the starting unit, since the OL featured Carter Smith, Mike Katic, and Trey Wedig and the defense had Mikail Kamara, Jacob Mangum-Farrar, Aiden Fisher, and Kobee Minor. The skilled positions on offense were certainly split up, as Donaven McCulley played primarily with Tayven Jackson on the second unit.
Like any Spring Game, it was imperfect. There are still a few areas this team needs to bolster in the portal come May, and there are even more things it needs to tighten up during Fall Camp. But in 2024, that’s to be expected, particularly when a team adds 22 transfers. However, there are several macro and micro signs that are encouraging for the potential of the Hoosiers in Year 1 of a new regime.
One must always be careful about taking away too many things from a spring scrimmage, especially a spring scrimmage featuring a team that hasn’t tackled yet, but after watching in-person and watching a recording of the broadcast, these are the Bite-Sized Bison responsible takeaways from the scrimmage.
1. The Offense is Dynamic
Offensive scheme and gameplanning was a major source of frustration for Indiana fans, not just in 2023 but in the two prior years as well. Under Walt Bell and even Rod Carey, there was a desire to force a run-first strategy that didn’t seem to fit the personnel. Well, after Thursday, it seems fairly clear that this team will pass to set up the run.
Aside from the play of QBs Kurtis Rourke and Tayven Jackson, the offense was far more dynamic than IU fans have come to expect. This starts with the TEs. There were very few instances of multiple TEs on the field at the same time, and when they were on the field, they were everywhere – working in motion, lining up in slot, maneuvering in blocking situations along the line. Of 28 Big Ten TEs with 10+ targets in 2023, Bradley Archer and Trey Walker ranked 6th and 8th in percent of snaps positioned along the line. There just was no creativity with TEs because they were needed to run-block, and they graded horribly there too. But Thursday, on one play, Walker lined up in a trips set out wide and dove into a crossing route, where Rourke found him for a handful of yards. JMU transfer TE Zach Horton was also targeted 5 times (by my count), which is more than a third of Walker’s 2023 team-leading target total (14).
The Hoosiers had several packages in spread concepts too, which opened up a lot of space in various areas of the field, not only in the pass but in the run too. This allowed the RBs to get north-and-south. The routes deployed also collaborated to intentionally shift the defense toward or away from certain areas of the field, and watching it was a breath of fresh air, personally.
While Thursday was just an introduction to the scheme, I walked away feeling encouraged about the prospects of this team’s offensive philosophy in 2024.
2. Offensive Line Personnel
I wrote in the Spring Game preview to watch for who plays left guard because that position is fairly uncertain at this point, but I also noted that we might not get a straight answer here because of injuries, particularly to Nick Kidwell – the expected starting RG. And this was true.
The first unit (with Rourke) featured the following OLs from left to right: Carter Smith, Drew Evans, Mike Katic, Bray Lynch, and Trey Wedig. The second unit (with Jackson) featured: Cooper Jones, Tyler Stephens, Will Larkins, Max Williams, and Austin Barrett. This second unit fluctuated a bit more than the first, with Lynch also getting time at center.
These personnel units don’t really tell us that much except that Evans is a bit ahead of my expectation and that the staff might like what it sees from Lynch. Evans made a couple really nice seals in run-blocking, as the offense mostly ran to the left.
3. Quarterback Play Wasn’t Bad but Needs Time
Kurtis Rourke had some good moments, but it was clear that more time is needed for him and his offense, which is to be expected. The ball looked good coming out of his hands, and there were some really crisp moments, like hitting Elijah Sarratt on an out route late in the scrimmage and connecting with Myles Price in slot a couple times. He also made an extremely difficult floated pass near the endzone to Zach Horton, but it was defended well by Jamier Johnson.
Tayven Jackson is likely who most folks will be talking about after the scrimmage, though. He looked comfortable running the offense, and he showed off his arm talent, connecting with Andison Coby on two deep balls and hitting Donaven McCulley in the back of the endzone. It should be noted, though, that Jackson was playing a pretty weak second-unit defense, as both the Coby deep ball and the McCulley TD were over redshirt freshman walk-on CB Lincoln Murff and the long Coby YAC reception was a result of early-enrollee freshman Dontrae Henderson falling in coverage.
Curt Cignetti said this about the second-team offense after the scrimmage: “I was trying to figure out if the 2 offense was that good or if the 2 defense was that bad. I think I know the answer to that.”
The ultimate takeaways from the QB play Thursday were that Tyler Cherry is not competing for the starting job, as he ran one series with the third unit and was passing to walk-ons, and that we didn’t really learn much more about the QBs than what they looked like playing in Indiana uniforms.
4. Defensive Scheme
Bryant Haines has said that one feature of his defense is that there is a lot of movement, and this seemed to be true. The surface-level alignment of the defense is not all that different than what Tom Allen’s was, as there is a hybrid DE-LB (stud) and a hybrid S-LB (nickel). The nickel mostly exists across from the slot WR, but the strong safety will fall down near the line of scrimmage for a Cover 1 look or draw back for more of a Cover 2 look. This forms something like a triangle of safeties across the back of the defense. The stud would be in either a three-point or two-point stance on the end of the line.
Something that was effective Thursday was the disguised blitz. A safety or LB would position themselves in any various spot they’d positioned themselves before, but instead of falling back, they’d blitz aggressively. Sometimes, they would just be delayed blitzes, like Isaiah Jones did once from the LB spot. This clearly made it difficult for the offense to predict because these blitzes often got to the QB.
5. Interior DL Help is Needed
JMU DT transfer James Carpenter was unable to play in the scrimmage, so the leading DT was Marcus Burris, and after him, it was Robby Harrrison. That’s likely not what the staff is hoping for. The middle of the line was there for the RBs to exploit Thursday, and I’m willing to bet the credit goes to a lack of depth at DT. Rhett Lewis explained on the BTN broadcast that Bryant Haines sees his defense as a vertical attack, beginning with the interior DL, and if that’s the case, that should probably be the highest priority for the staff entering the May portal period.
5. Running Backs will Mash
The only RB Indiana returned from 2023’s room was David Holloman, and he had one carry with Tyler Cherry and the third unit. The rest was up to Kaelon Black, Ty Son Lawton, Justice Ellison, and Elijah Green. While Green had a couple decent carries, it seems – in conjunction with Cignetti pointing to these three RBs after the scrimmage – that Black, Lawton, and Ellison are leading that charge at the moment. All of them have similar builds and skillsets, which is interesting.
Black looked tough. He saw green space on his first carry Thursday and turned the corner quickly for 24 yards. If you saw that run in-person, the speed from Black was notable. On the next play, he popped Aiden Fisher pretty hard up the middle. Neither of these plays translated as strongly through the broadcast, but his explosion will be a weapon.
Lawton and Ellison both showed power in their pushes into the endzone, Lawton’s in space near the sideline and Ellison’s up the middle to run through defenders for the scores. But there’s a balance in their speed as well.
Something that stood out from the RBs was how often they were used in the passing game. I had noted in a previous BSB that Lawton and Black were targeted more than any RB in the Sun Belt, and Indiana actually targeted their RBs a good amount in the passing game too, but that was with Jaylin Lucas in the backfield. The play designs also don’t seem to only see the RBs as check-down options but rather open space for RBs to create after the catch too.
There will be a noticeable uptick in Indiana’s speed and aggression at this position, I can say confidently after seeing them in-person.
7. Wide Receivers Growing toward Potential
This was a position I was super excited to see, and it didn’t disappoint. While EJ Williams and Ke’Shawn Williams didn’t play, these were my thoughts on each WR I saw:
Donaven McCulley: He made a great catch in the back of the endzone and seems to be positioned to do what he did last season. He will be a huge redzone weapon for Indiana, at the very least, especially given Indiana’s stable of WRs. Additional note: There seems to be a line between McCulley and the rest of the WR room, in terms of sheer size and athleticism, that could manifest in some real production and potential. Seeing that in-person further emphasized how important it was to get McCulley back, and if he “picks it up” like Cignetti asked him to, there could be something real here that wasn’t fully unleashed in past seasons.
Elijah Sarratt: He was targeted often by Rourke but never did get the big play. The athleticism is there, though, which was shown on a slick out route that left him wide open. Think this connection simply needs some time.
Miles Cross: He impressed me more than anyone in this room. He lined up in slot often, which I’m not sure if that’s by design or more because Ke’Shawn Williams wasn’t playing. But he’s a versatile WR with surprising speed. His routes were crisp, and his catches were smooth. He hit openfield quickly after a screen from Jackson, and I said, “Oh wow” to myself. He dropped a TD pass that nearly hit an official on its way to him, which is uncharacteristic.
Omar Cooper: Cooper had a bad drop along the sideline, but he looked good overall. I think he could be a strong part of this offense given his versatility, similar to Cross.
Andison Coby: He’s always had athleticism, and I’ve never understood why he hasn’t been used more often since transferring from Tennessee. He might be one of the best deep-ball threats on this team, and he had two deep plays Thursday. He most impressed me, though, when he beat Jamier Johnson in the corner of the endzone. His other two big plays were against a walk-on and a true freshman. His teammates also love to shout “Coby!” when a pass goes his way.
8. Defensive Backs Flash
There were several interesting notes about the defensive backs that I’ll again list individually. It’s difficult to tell who is actually part of the 1’s or 2’s because, like WRs and RBs, they’re easy to move around.
Kobee Minor: He feels like the safe No. 1 CB. He was all over. He made two plays on passes by cutting off routes and nearly intercepting the balls. He also made an open-field tackle on Kaelon Black straight up. That’s not an easy thing to do for a CB.
Jamier Johnson: We didn’t see Johnson much last season because of injury, but he made an extremely good play on a nice ball from Rourke to Sarratt that would foil a lesser DB. He also defended a great ball from Rourke to Horton near the endzone. He was beaten one-on-one by Andison Coby in the endzone, though.
Amare Ferrell: I was surprised to see the true sophomore running with Unit 1 as the nickel, but he was all over the field, particularly in run defense. He’s one to watch before the season kicks off.
Shawn Asbury: The transfer from Old Dominion worked mostly from the strong safety position with the first unit and intercepted a pass that didn’t count because Rourke was whistled down. He also looks bigger on the field than his listed height (5-foot-9).
Terry Jones: The other Old Dominion safety transfer worked with the second unit as the nickel and had a really nice interception off Tayven Jackson, where he dove backward for a pass behind his position. His experience makes me think he will see the field this season.
Dontrae Henderson: The early-enrollee CB slipped in coverage and allowed a huge gain to Andison Coby, but he also made a massive open-field tackle before ever tackling at the college level. Getting the opportunity to work with the second unit already tells you what you need to know about his future, if the staff feels comfortable challenging him like that.
Nic Toomer, Josh Sanguinetti, and Tyrik McDaniel worked in as safeties but weren’t particularly notable. The same goes for Jamari Sharpe and JoJo Johnson at CB.
9. Aiden Fisher is the Man at LB
In the least surprising of developments this spring, it appears junior JMU LB transfer Aiden Fisher is the man at LB. He was at JMU too. He was all over the field Thursday, and he had this quote for the broadcast during the scrimmage: “We’ve got a fire win. We don’t take to losing lightly, and we won’t do a lot of it here. Winning is coming to Bloomington.”
An immediate note about his play, and the play of Kaiden Turner and Isaiah Jones next to him, was that he didn’t play up on the line of scrimmage as often as Tom Allen asked his LBs to do. Fisher was able to sit back a bit and actually made some plays in coverage, whether in defending passes or bringing down pass-catchers. This is another reason why the defense needs help on the interior DL.
Jailin Walker didn’t play Thursday, but I’d anticipate him playing next to Fisher during the season. We won’t see him until September, but he’s special too.
10. Things that will take time
In short, EVERYTHING. This team is far from a finished product, and we simply were able to watch one practice. There’s a ton of improvement left, so this is not the team that will take the field in September.
These are just a few things that need some more time before getting near Cignetti’s standard:
Jacob Mangum-Farrar at Stud DE: He certainly looked the part, being notably larger on the field, but he’s clearly still learning technique in pass rush. I’m curious to see what happens here.
QBs and WRs: There were several plays by both QBs and their respective WRs that were obvious miscommunications. Those connections take a lot of time to develop. That’s why Jackson’s pass to McCulley in the endzone looked so smooth – he’s thrown those types of balls to McCulley many times.
Nickel: Just like JMF needs to learn the Stud DE position, the DBs tasked with learning the nickel position need to do the same. The staff also needs time in identifying and coaching the right guys. They just added Cedarius Doss from Austin Peay to play this spot in some capacity, so it’s not finished either. Tom Allen and his staff struggled to find the right players for their similar Husky position, it seems the Cignetti staff is open to many possibilities, ranging from the 6-2, 200-pound Ferrell to the 5-8, 175-pound Doss.
Kurtis Rourke: Rourke didn’t blow anyone away Thursday, mostly because he wasn’t asked to. He’s still learning Mike Shanahan’s system, as well as a new environment at a new level, with (nearly) entirely new teammates. Rourke will be better in the fall than he was Thursday.
Depth: There will be a lot of concerns about depth after watching this scrimmage. It’s not necessarily fair to judge the depth by Thursday’s performance because we don’t even know who the starters are; however, simply looking at the scholarship chart will show that while Cignetti and his staff are building talent for a decent 2024 season, the depth will need to come from the high school ranks, as Cignetti has explicitly stated already. This means true depth will take some years. As far as 2024, it’s difficult to say how deep this team is, except for the obvious areas like the defensive line.
11. In-helmet communication seemed effective
A new development in 2024 is the in-helmet communication technology, instituted as a response to the Michigan scandal with Connor Stallions. The QBs seemed to operate well with the new tech, and Aiden Fisher seemed to do even better on the defensive side. It was strange not looking to the sideline to see something like a Chick-fil-A logo on white poster board, though.