- Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti said everything 'clicked' into place for QB Fernando Mendoza in the final week of spring practice.
- Indiana football linebacker Rolijah Hardy is a defensive playmaker to watch for the Hoosiers as he takes over for Jailin Walker.
- It didn't take Indiana football center Pat Coogan long to establish himself as a locker room leader in Bloomington.
BLOOMINGTON —Can Indiana football make another playoff run?
The Hoosiers took a step towards that goal by retaining a core group of All-Big Ten honorees — linebacker Aiden Fisher, cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, defensive end Mikail Kamara, and left tackle Carter Smith —but they can’t do it alone.
Indiana’s spring game last week offered the best glimpse of the players who could join them as key contributors in 2025.
Here’s a look at four players on the rise heading into IU’s summer workouts:
LB Rolijah Hardy on fast track to becoming household name
Hardy’s 43-yard pick-six was the highlight of the spring game for the defense, but the play shouldn’t have come as a total shock to Indiana fans. The 5-foot-11, 225-pounder flexed his playmaking ability as a true freshman last year and earned a larger role in IU’s 4-3 package because of it.
His performance during spring practice working with the first-team defense reinforced his status as one of the program’s most promising underclassmen.
“Throughout the entire spring, you saw him take a step every single day,” Fisher said. “Whether that’s beating a block, getting more surface area on tackles, he did something every single day to get better.”
Fisher raving about Hardy’s work ethic is another strong sign that IU’s linebacking corps is trending in the right direction. He worked with Hardy daily during camp to make sure he was ready to take over for Jailin Walker. Walker was a three-year starter for Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines at outside linebacker and his athleticism allowed the assistant to cook up those stifling game plans in the lab.
Hardy’s skill set checks a lot of the same boxes for the Hoosiers.
Is this the year WR EJ Williams Jr.’s production matches his potential?
The most important step for Williams this spring was simply staying on the field.
Cignetti has often used the quote “the best ability is availability” when discussing the former Clemson transfer, whose once promising career has been derailed by a variety of injuries and sidelined him for much of the team’s offseason program a year ago.
No one has ever questioned William’s natural gifts.
Williams has an NFL-ready frame at 6-foot-4, 203 pounds and is a smooth route-runner with exceptional athleticism. It’s what made him a top 100 prospect on the recruiting trail back in 2020, but this spring he needed to show the coaching staff they could rely on him.
Making it through spring practice and competing in the spring game —had a pair of catches for 27 yards — was a promising step in the right direction.
While it feels like a lifetime ago, he lit up opposing teams for then-coach Tom Allen down the stretch in 2023 with 20 catches for 247 yards over the final four weeks of the season. That’s the kind of production Cignetti would like to see from him this fall.
Indiana’s new center Pat Coogan didn’t waste time establishing himself as locker room leader
Indiana must have a four-leaf clover somewhere.
Former Notre Dame starting offensive lineman Pat Coogan fell into IU’s lap after the Irish lost in the CFP finals. He filled an immediate need at center for the Hoosiers as a multi-year starter and respected locker room leader.
Cignetti clearly liked what he saw of Coogan on film and reached out to him directly after his name hit the portal. Coogan didn’t get much of an offseason —he basically went from packing up in South Bend to learning the playbook in Bloomington — but he doesn't have any complaints.
Coogan arrived on campus with Indiana during its off-season training program and made up for lost time by immersing in the playbook while getting to know his teammates. He also made sure he had a strong understanding of the techniques that offensive line coach Bob Bostad emphasizes.
It paved the way for a successful spring camp that has IU optimistic the offensive line will be an even greater strength for the team this fall.
Everything starting to ‘click’ into place for QB Fernando Mendoza
Cignetti never once used the words open competition when discussing Indiana’s quarterbacks this spring. Mendoza came to Bloomington as a 3,000-yard passer at the FBS level and arm talent that's generating buzz among NFL scouts.
He was the Hoosiers’ clear-cut starter for 2025 from the moment he committed, but that’s not to say he could coast through spring on his strong reputation. The Cal transfer had to earn the coaching staff’s trust and show a strong command of the offense.
Mendoza made steady progress towards both goals throughout camp, with the greatest strides coming in the final block of practices.
“I thought he had a really good last week,” Cignetti said after the spring game. “Now, I'm not -- I haven't watched tonight's film, okay, so I'm going to take tonight out of the mix. But I thought his last three practices, one of which was a scrimmage, he made major strides. It really started to click.”
Mendoza drew high praise throughout camp from his new teammates as well. They were quick to mention his arm strength and accuracy —it was a rarity to see a ball hit the ground during open viewing windows —along with his mobility, which he mostly needed to use last season to avoid incoming pressure beyond a weak Cal offensive line.
Indiana’s coaching staff will likely find a more strategic use for it by moving the pocket to help the offense move the ball downfield the same way they leaned into Kurtis Rourke’s strengths to set up his record-breaking season.
Having an unquestioned No. 1 quarterback coming out of spring camp, with the talent of someone like Mendoza, is a huge advantage for the Hoosiers going into the 2025 season.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
