5 questions Indiana football must answer in spring practice to make College Football Playoff

BLOOMINGTON — Last year, Curt Cignetti’s first Indiana football spring season turned out to be an exciting preamble to a historic season. Hindsight proved the seeds of IU’s record-breaking 2024 were sown during Cignetti’s first months on the job.

Now, the Hoosiers try to reload for another go. There are proven winners already bedded in at multiple positions, but if IU is to make another playoff push in 2025, it will need to resolve some key roster questions starting with spring practice.

Here are five storylines worth watching.

Who starts on Indiana football’s offensive line?

Indiana’s work in the portal reloaded its offensive line with depth and impact in equal measure. Now, it’s up to Bob Bostad to figure out how to arrange the players in his room.

Insider: Curt Cignetti rebuilds Indiana football’s roster to curtail backslide. Will wins follow?

Left tackle (Carter Smith) and center (Notre Dame transfer Pat Coogan) take care of themselves. The other three spots will be fascinating to watch.

Is Drew Evans healthy enough to resume his position as starting left guard? He will be among the highest-graded returning interior linemen in the Big Ten, per PFF, if so.

Where does Kahlil Benson play? The Indiana-to-Colorado-to-Indiana transfer has played both guard and tackle in his career. Where he fits into Bostad’s plan dovetails with whatever IU thinks is the best position for Ohio State transfer Zen Michalski, predominantly a tackle throughout his career.

Does Bray Lynch slide seamlessly back in right guard? Does one of those two transfers push him? Given he can theoretically play across the three interior positions, would it make more sense to hold him as a swing player?

First 11: Projecting Indiana football’s offensive two-deep depth chart ahead of spring practice

Behind that core six, Indiana has promising young…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/5-questions-indiana-football-must-094032963.html

Author : Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2025-02-20 09:40:00

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