Everyone across the country will ‘come out of spring football undefeated’. But IU football is out for more. It’s a group that feels it still has ‘some things to prove’

As IU football begins spring practice this year, the vibe, expectations and standards are quite different than just 12 months prior. In year two of Curt Cignetti there are expectations that have been set and standards that need to be reached — at a minimum — after the foundation was built in 2024.

So, as IU’s spring practice got underway over the weekend the goal was clear for Cignetti and his coaching staff.

“It’s spring football, so we want to develop players. We want to improve daily. We want to promote competition,” Cignetti said. “We want to install our offense, defense, special teams, learn about our team, and everybody is going to come out of spring football undefeated.”

Curt Cignetti added a 14th winning season to his coaching resume following an 11-2 record in his first season with the IU football program. It was a College Football Playoff appearance and a season that set a program-best in a handful of categories. IU’s only two losses came against the eventual National Champion in Ohio State, and National Champion runner up with Notre Dame.

Related: Following historic season for Indiana football, it’s back to the drawing board. Why? — ‘That’s part of being never satisfied’

The messaging coming into year one was around consistency and building a true culture. Both were done. Throughout the year, it was about not settling for where they’re at, and making sure they didn’t get complacent despite the quick and early success.

Cignetti echoed that following the year.

“Well, I think you have high standards in everything you do, right? And if you prepare the right way, you expect success,” Cignetti said last month. “You don’t have a lot of time to enjoy it because the next challenge is coming up and you’ve got to get ready and you’ve got to prepare for that accordingly or you’re not going to have success.

“So I think that’s part of being never satisfied. And that’s the separator between good and great, is never being satisfied and resting on your laurels.”

Never being satisfied — the common theme for Cignetti throughout his entire career. However, many coaches and players who go through their careers and reach another level of success quickly, tend to shift their mindset and compromise their morals or system — the exact foundation that helped them reach that level of success.

Cignetti, however, never compromises when it comes to his foundation or demand. And with his second spring practice at IU, his demand is the same and his message is the same — consistency breads success.

“The drill is we’ve got to get better every day, develop consistency in performance day in, day out, practice to a high standard, and that’s how you improve,” he said. “We’ll keep throwing more at them every single day.

” … The most important thing is you come out healthy with your top-line guys and that you develop players and that you improve and begin to form your identity and your mindset.”

It’s not easy to change a culture and form an identity for a program in year one, Cignetti did so. That’s evident.

The system is in place for another successful year with IU football, and it helps that part of the core group in 2024 is back. And that core group hasn’t forgotten about the feeling in December when their season came to an end. While Indiana won’t be a surprise in 2025 like it was last year, the underdog mindset is still something that looms large in the Hoosiers’ locker room.

Why? Because no matter how successful of a season it was last year, there are still doubters based on how the season ended. IU knows it and is ready to prove it wasn’t a fluke. But before they can get there, they have to win the spring — because that’s where the foundation for the 2025 season will be set.

“Look, this is a football team that didn’t finish the season very well,” Cignetti said. “Went up and played in the College Football Playoff and didn’t play like we wanted to play. We have some things to prove.

“But that’s all in the past. These are a whole bunch of new guys, new team. Every team in America is pretty much that way, probably 90 percent of them. Everyone is 0-0 right now, and they will be heading into game 1 in the fall. It’s all earned, not given, between the white lines.”

SEE ALSO: 5 storylines to follow for IU football as spring practice gets underway

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