If you thought there would be sugarcoating after Indiana wrapped up its 2026 spring game inside Memorial Stadium, you’re wrong. Curt Cignetti doesn’t do inflated praise, there’s no complacency in his vocabulary. He set the tone saying IU still isn’t a good team. But there’s no panic because beneath that blunt honesty, there’s a roster in transition and a QB under the microscope. 

“We got a lot of work to do,” Curt Cignetti said after IU’s spring game. “Got to have a great summer. And we’re not a great football team. We’re not a good football team right now. But we don’t need to be until we run out of the tunnel for the first game. So, got a lot of work to do. It’s going to look a lot different in the fall.”

Indiana still has several things to improve on. The Crimson offense beat the Cream defense 26-13 across two quarters and 11 drives. But note that the Hoosiers were patchwork in multiple spots, with key contributors sidelined due to offseason surgeries and lingering spring injuries. The only major blow is CB Ryland Gandy getting rolled up. Otherwise, they escaped relatively clean. But personnel gaps showed as timing was off and protection broke down. Curt Cignetti acknowledged all of it without flinching.

As Curt Cignetti said, this spring version of Indiana isn’t the final version. And if you look closely, you could see why he’s willing to wait because the main narrative is about the one replacing a legend. Josh Hoover didn’t light it up but he didn’t play small either. 

Replacing Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman winner, national champ, and No. 1 overall pick is high pressure. Everyone knows that. But the TCU transfer came in with real production. He threw for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2025 but Thursday’s game was more about reality. And early on, it wasn’t pretty. 

Josh Hoover opened with 2-of-9 passing with missed reads and misfires over the middle. A couple of plays, his timing just wasn’t there and the O-line didn’t help. He was sacked multiple times, including drive-killing hits from Mario Landiano and Tobi Osunsamni. In one early sequence, he threw a promising 21-yard strike to LeBron Bond. But it was immediately followed by stalled momentum, penalties, and a sack that forced a 56-yard field goal.

As the game wore on, Josh Hoover settled and his footwork tightened. He started finding Nick Marsh and Andrew Barker on short throws and finished 6-of-14 for 94 yards. 

“I thought as it went along, he made a couple of plays,” Curt Cignetti said of his new QB. “We’ve got to protect him. It’s been an issue kind of all spring. We’re not game planning anybody. He’s got some things he’s got to clean up. But he finished on a positive note.”

Still, if Indiana doesn’t fix its protection issues, it won’t matter who’s at QB. And the head coach who’s overseeing a new roster, knows that. Curt Cignetti brought in 17 transfer portal additions. Multiple QBs are rotating behind Hoover including Grant Wilson, Tyler Cherry, and Jacob Bell. This is a rebuild. And as he said, this team doesn’t need to be good right now. It just needs to be ready when it matters.

Bloomington showed up for Indiana spring game 

Indiana’s football team may look unfinished but the environment didn’t. This spring game came with a different energy. The east side of Memorial Stadium was packed as tailgates filled the lots. Fans are showing up like it meant something because now, it does. The Hoosiers are coming off a national title and Fernando Mendoza just became the program’s first No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick in 88 years. 

“I thought it was a tremendous turnout, a lot of excitement with Fernando, the draft, and getting back on the field,” Curt Cignetti said of the crowd. “Really appreciate the crowd coming out, and I thought it was a really good night.”

That support is also pressure which will reveal whether last season was a peak or the beginning of something sustainable. Indiana’s spring game gave us clues as they head into summer with consistency.

“Once you have your team, you’re looking for play-in, play-out, day-in, day-out consistency and improvement,” Cignetti said. “So, the new guys, it’s our second time through it. Any time you do something twice, you’re better the second time. And we want to push and take this team as far as we can in terms of their improvement. And then get out there and play.”

That’s the only blueprint that matters right now. Because when this team runs out of the tunnel for Week 1, nobody’s going to care how honest the spring evaluation was. They’ll care whether the offensive line holds up and whether Josh Hoover takes command. Right now, Indiana isn’t a good football team. But Curt Cignetti is betting on August. And if he’s right, this honest spring might end up being the moment everything started to click.