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The Indiana Hoosiers will hold their annual spring football game on Thursday, April 17th and it will be the first time the Hoosiers will tackle all spring. It's a tactic that head coach Curt Cignetti used at IU last year and it paid off.
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Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti looks on during spring practice at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
Bobby Goddin/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The 2025 spring game will look similar to the 2024 spring game.
"We play a half, basically, is what we do, offense versus defense, and then that's it. We're done, you know? So it's really not a game, and in my mind, it's a glorified practice, and it's a third opportunity to get your guys out there in game like conditions, and it's also going to be the only time we tackle the spring." Cignetti said.
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The Hoosiers defense was the top ranked run defense in the country, allowing just 80.23 yards per game. They finished in the top-20 nationally in tackles for loss and 26th in sacks. IU did miss tackles during the season, like every team, but the upside of having a healthier team entering the season from fall camp is worth it.
Also, it's not like IU does not just skip tackling drills in practice.
"We'll do a tackling circuit before practice. And guys coach the fundamentals of tackling. We thought, you know, last three or four years, you know, we haven't tackled every scrimmage." Cignetti explained. "And last three years, I think we've tackled in the spring game. And last couple we didn't tackle it all in the fall. Still led the country and run defense and second in country least amount of yards. So good players can tackle ankle, stiff, knees, hip, stiff athletes have hard time tackling."
The goal is to get out of spring practice as healthy as possible, while also being about to work on the fundamentals of the game. It looks like Cignetti and his staff have a recipe to do both successfully.
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