If you know the history of Indiana football, then you know it has rarely been a program about winning.
Across over 125 recorded seasons of football at Indiana University, only 29 of them have ended in a positive record. Indiana has only been to 13 bowl games, with three of those ending with a victory. Since 1959, Indiana has finished last in terms of conference record 19 times. In the 2022 season, the Hoosiers were recorded to be the first Division 1 program to record over 700 losses.
So how do you respond? One answer: win.
Curt Cignetti’s hiring was announced just over four months ago, and since then, the overall message of next season was clear.
“We got to change the way people think about Indiana,” Cignetti said in early February. “When you’re successful on the field, then you start to change the way the public, the state, the Big Ten and the country think about Indiana football. You start putting more people in the stands, selling out games, then it’s hard to get tickets. That’s what we’re going to do.”
It’s expected from any new head coach to say they want to win day one, and Cignetti’s vision of adding wins hasn’t changed one bit. His confidence in winning, above all, has shown through the most.
“I win,” he said. “Google me.”
And now, players are starting to feel that same confidence.
Take Mikail Kamara for example, who has experience winning under Cignetti at JMU. When speaking with media on Tuesday morning, Kamara said his overall goal for Indiana is to get back in the win column.
“My first main goal is, I want us to win,” Kamara said this week. “I want to turn this program around a lot. A lot of people I talk to…they don’t really believe in us. That’s the first thing I want to do, I want to put us on the map.”
Kamara had no shortage of winning at JMU, who went 19-5 overall across his two seasons of play. However, it speaks levels for a talent of Kamara’s level to help grow the Indiana program, even if his aspirations extend beyond college ball.
“Personally, I just want to become a league guy,” Kamara said on Tuesday. “I intend to play this season, get whatever accolades, and then make my journey to the next level.”
Indiana has had some limited recent success bringing guys to the NFL, with Aaron Casey expected to be the next IU alumnus to find a roster spot.
However, with over four months to go until we see the Hoosiers back on the field, the most they can do now is up the level of competition in practice.
Competition has been especially intense in the wide receiver room, with incoming Texas Tech transfer Myles Price at the center of it all.
“Everybody wants to be in, everybody wants to make plays, everybody wants to make that play to end practice,” Miles Price said on April 11th.
Although there are many names to go around for the job, Price does admit that the competition is an added bonus in practice.
“I think that’s a blessing to have honestly…when it becomes game time, it’s almost like second nature to you,” he said. “I think just having that competitive edge, everyone wanting to be the guy. That’s a blessing to have in a room because not everybody in the country has that.”
Price was one of four transfers brought into a receiver room which already boasted talent with EJ Williams, Omar Cooper, and Donaven McCulley. Even with those coveted names and a highly-competitive atmosphere, Price has already found a fit within the program, and thinks it’s a healthy mix of competition and fun.
“I think it’s just about being around the guys, being around the coaches, and developing the chemistry with everybody,” Price said. “Then we we get on the field, it’s time to strap up, and it’s competitive.”
With a group that looks to have the most depth on the team, Price is one of many vying for a starting spot.
The same goes for running back Kaelon Black, who also looks to provide a big impact on the offensive end. Even if playing time may be up in the air, Black recognizes that the importance of the winning attitude.
“Definitely with the coaching staff and the help of them just bringing in winning traditions and winning plays,” Black told the media on April 11th. “Just trying to filter out last season and bring in new Indiana.”
Although there is competition for minutes across many different positions, not everyone will get their name called as often as they’d like. However, players are starting to realize that, in order to try and reverse the bad omens of the program’s history, it starts with themselves.
“I feel like the players have definitely came a long way, making sure everyone is on the same page and being humble,” Black said. “We have to act like we’ve been here before.”
Indiana will have to wait to get any official wins until the fall, but anyone looking to get an early look at the Hoosiers can attend the spring football game tonight at 8 p.m. ET. The game will also be televised on BTN.
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