The weekend of the Little 500, “The World’s Greatest College Weekend,” got off to an earlier start than usual. Indiana football hosted its 2026 spring game on Thursday night, kicking off a weekend filled with recruits, alumni and tons of Hoosier fans.
There was a big showing from the Hoosier faithful for the spring game this year. Certainly the most attended spring game of recent memory. This could be for one of a few reasons.
There is tons of hype around this year’s team and it was another excuse to “Pack the Rock.” Two, former Indiana quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza was going to get drafted No.1 overall and people wanted to celebrate with other Hoosier fans. Oh, and number three is the fact that this program is the reigning national champions, and winning draws people in.
Whatever the reason was, or what combination of the three was, a lot of eyes were looking for an early look at this year’s squad.
Now with any spring game, there are very few solid takeaways that you can draw from it. There are tons of mixed reps with starters against reserves, and players out with injury.
Indiana had numerous starters out with injury in this year’s game. Charlie Becker, Bray Lynch, Carter Smith, AJ Harris and a few others all missed the game due to injury.
With that being said, there were a few standout performances and things that stood out to me in the final spring outing of the season.
Two transfer WRs stand out
There are high expectations for transfer wide receiver Nick Marsh coming into the 2026 season. Marsh is coming off of a season with 59 catches for 662 yards and six touchdowns at Michigan State. Marsh’s 6-foot-3 frame brings a wide catch radius that can produce a high contested catch percentage.
Marsh had two catches for just 23 yards on the night, but the junior was the main focus on the defensive end with Becker out. He was able to flash at times after the catch and drew a penalty on a deep ball in the endzone late in the first period of play.
The biggest individual standout of the night came from another transfer from the Great Lake State. Senior receiver Tyler Morris transferred to Indiana before the 2025 season but had to miss the whole year due to an ACL injury.
This season, the senior is expected to battle for slot reps with Tulane transfer Shazz Preston and sophomore Davion Chandler. Morris made his case on Thursday night, hauling in three catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Indiana has a variety of weapons that quarterback Josh Hoover can turn to this year, and seeing Morris flourish in spring ball is a great sign heading into the summer, not only for Indiana, but for his health and availability as well.
The running back position is a threat to be elite
So far under Curt Cignetti, Indiana has been able to have a successful run game with multiple options to run the ball with.
In 2024, it was Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton. In 2025, it was Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black.
In 2026, it will be Khobie Martin, Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. Martin saw some reps last year but will certainly step into a bigger role this year, while Richard transfers in from Boston College and Beebe Jr. returns from an ACL injury from last year.
The spring game showed no sign that this year's running back room will take a step back in comparison to years prior. In fact, it showed that it could be even better.
The numbers don’t jump off the page, but the offensive line is dealing with injuries, allowing the defensive line to have constant penetration throughout the night. The vision and the ability to find gaps and hit them, was on full display.
Martin had nine carries for 25 yards and a touchdown, while Richard had eight carries for 34 yards. There is a sense of swagger and confidence within this group. If you add in production, that becomes a scary combination for opposing defenses this year.
The kicking game is an underlying weapon
Kicking field goals is not an easy task, just ask Ohio State. It is an operation that needs a good snap, good hold, and good kick.
Everyone knows that the name of the game is scoring points. Ideally, the offense scores a touchdown every time down the field and teams never have to worry about kicking field goals.
However, having a reliable kicker when you need those three points is critical. Indiana has had one of those over the past two years in Nico Radicic. Radicic was 10-for-11 in 2024 and 18-for-19 in 2025 on field-goal attempts. That consistency can bring an offense and coaching staff a sense of confidence that you can almost guarantee at least three points when you get the ball inside the 30.
Radicic was perfect on the day, nailing two extra points and three field goals, one from 49 yards out.
While Radicic has been essentially automatic, he has yet to attempt, let alone make a field goal longer than 50 yards in his career.
Insert Troy transfer Paddy McAteer.
McAteer didn’t have many opportunities at Troy but was known as their kickoff specialist and their “long field goal guy.” He will all but likely be that for Indiana this year.
He drilled a 56-yard field goal with about 10 or more yards to spare, leaving everyone in the stadium, and the press box seemingly either speechless, or buzzing about the potential weapon that brings.
If McAteer can find consistency from deep range, Indiana’s offense becomes that much more dangerous. The field instantly shrinks and allows some breathing room for the offense to still come away from drives with points more often.
Obviously, it’s very early, and it’s just spring ball, but there are reasons for fans to be optimistic, and certainly a reason to have a buzz surrounding a team defending a national title.
On Sept. 5, Indiana kicks off the 2026 season against North Texas and we will see if any of this means anything. Until that point it is all smoke and mirrors before the season gets underway.
