Ask any Hoosier fan and Fernando Mendoza will be considered a legend in their eyes. So much so that, in time, we might even see a statue of him outside Memorial Stadium, diving on that natty winning touchdown against Miami. With an undefeated season and excellent pre draft interviews, Mendoza is almost a lock for the 1st overall pick in the NFL draft on April 23. But many loyal Indiana fans might have their Hoosiers loyalty tested courtesy of Curt Cignetti.

According to reports, the Hoosiers have decided to play their spring game on April 23, the same day of the NFL draft’s first round. Interestingly, both events are scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. So, many Indiana fans who might have made plans to see their natty hero get drafted have to choose between attending the spring game and watching Mendoza make history.

Not just Fernando, NFL teams will likely take Hoosiers’ ace wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. in the first round. Though he isn’t a clear first-round pick in many drafts, many prominent mock boards have placed Cooper Jr. at least at 26th overall. “The Bills are a franchise with aspirations to win now, making this a great fit for Cooper Jr.,” ON3’s Colin McMahom predicted. A similar case is for Hoosiers’ ace DB D’ Angelo Ponds.

Ponds is a legit dark horse going into the 2026 NFL draft, and he has appeared anywhere between rounds 1 and 3. Although his size at 5’9″ and 182 lbs is a concern for many, he compensated for it with an explosive 4.35 seconds 40-yard dash and a 43.5 inch vertical jump. It would be no surprise if several teams decide to take Ponds in the first round.

This scheduling conflict is a new development under Cignetti. In previous years, the team consistently avoided an overlap; the 2025 spring game was on April 17, a full week before the draft began on April 24, and the 2024 game was on April 18, with the draft starting on April 25.

This year, the Memorial Stadium’s gates will open at 6:30 p.m., and the final spring game will be Indiana’s 9th and final spring practice. Naturally, many fans will feel keen to attend the game to watch the 19 freshman enrollees and 17 portal additions perform.

Curt Cignetti has his work cut out to land a prized CB, a day after the spring game

Curt Cignetti, in his two years with Indiana, hasn’t really relied on high school recruiting; he’s used the transfer portal. Just last year, IU’s recruiting class ranked 53rd nationally, while Cignetti brought in 23 transfer portal players. A similar case occurred in 2024, when his class ranked 60th in the country, but he still brought in 31 portal players. However, Cignetti understands that the model isn’t sustainable, and he is now focusing on high school player pursuits.

Cignetti is heavily recruiting East St. Louis cornerback Raheem Floyd, as he is the 22nd player in his position in the 2027 recruiting class. While programs like Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Missouri, and in-state Illinois are after him aggressively, IU is now miles ahead of each of them. Raheem has officially locked in a visit to Indiana and is already praising the Hoosiers.

“I love Indiana,” Raheem said. “I love the coaches, the brotherhood, and they’re coming off a national championship.”

Raheem will visit Indiana just a day after the program’s spring game on April 24. Currently, IU has a 95% chance to land him, and Cignetti will do everything to lock him down before other programs swoop him in. The 4-star CB would be the 5th commit in Cignetti’s 2027 class, which is currently ranked 30th nationally.