When Indiana football’s new personnel group got to Bloomington in late 2023 and early 2024, it had to learn Curt Cignetti’s eye for talent fast. The head coach had brought most of his position coaches over from James Madison, but the staff responsible for recruiting and evaluation was largely new, and that meant adjusting to a very different set of priorities.
For most programs, a receiver’s hands, speed and size sit near the top of the checklist. Cignetti wanted something else front and center.
“When we were watching film with Coach Cig that first weekend we were here, he was talking about how a receiver blocked,” Director of Player Personnel Mike Ferrara said on the Up Close in Personnel podcast with Alex Brown.
“I was like, ‘He can catch the ball pretty well, too, don’t care about that?’ He was like, ‘I gotta see this guy block.
Is he physical? Is he aggressive?
Is he gonna put his face on someone?’ I’m like, okay, that’s different.
Obviously (ability to catch the ball) is gonna be a big part of your offense, but he’s watching junior high school tape wondering if this receiver is gonna block and show aggression.”
That emphasis has shown up in public comments from IU receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper, Jr. over the last couple years, along with Cignetti himself. In this program, wideouts are expected to set the edge in the run game and keep blocking downfield until the whistle. It’s not optional if they want to play.
The approach may sound old school, but it also reveals how detailed Cignetti’s operation is behind the scenes. Those little things matter in his system, and the personnel department had to recalibrate quickly to match him.
“That difference opened our minds in our department,” Ferrara said. “None of us in our department were with him (Cignetti) at JMU, so coming in we all had to adjust and kind of mold our thought process of evaluation to what he was looking for. And that was a big thing for me that stood out at one of the first points, like, alright, he wants receivers to block, they better be willing to put their bodies on the lines for this team when they step between the white lines.”
In Other News...
Indiana Faces Uncomfortable Questions After Tim Garl Takes Legal Action
Tim Garls exit has now become a legal fight, and it adds another uncomfortable layer to Indiana basketballs offseason conversation. The longtime former head trainer, who spent 44 years in the role, has filed a lawsuit against Indiana Universitys Board of Trustees and athletic director Scott Dolson, accusing the school of wrongful termination and age discrimination. His case is bolstered by letters of support from notable coaches and former players, underscoring how much his name still carries inside the program.
The suit asks for reinstatement, attorney fees and monetary damages, putting Indiana in the position of defending a decision that reaches well beyond one staff change. Garl says the university wanted to move on from him after decades of service, and the dispute now turns on what was said behind the scenes and why the move was made. For a program that values continuity and tradition, it is the kind of public clash that invites even more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]
Omar Cooper Jr. Is Already Facing Early Pressure With The Jets
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Coopers transition, though, has already brought a little early-season pressure in New York. The Jets are counting on him to be part of the passing-game picture this season, but his spot in the receiver pecking order is not settling as smoothly as hoped in training camp, where another young wideout has made a strong case to climb the depth chart. For Indiana fans watching from afar, it is the first real reminder that a promising college resume does not guarantee a clean path once the NFL preseason starts sorting roles. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Transfers Are Already Shaping The Tone Of Fall Camp
Indiana kept building through fall camp as it prepares for the 2026-27 season, and a big part of the early tone has come from the newcomers who are settling in quickly. The Hoosiers are working through player development and team cohesion, and both the running back room and the wide receiver group have already started to reflect that mix of returners and transfers. Turbo Richard, who came over from Boston College, is part of a running back rotation that is giving Indiana more variety, while the receiver unit has leaned on the depth and versatility of players such as Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh.
What stands out at this stage is how smoothly some of those transfers are fitting into the program. Rather than just learning the system, a few are already taking on leadership roles in practice, which is usually a good sign for a camp still taking shape. For Indiana, the hope is that this kind of buy-in carries over once the intensity rises and the roster has to translate offseason momentum into something more durable. [Read more 🡒]