It went by in a flash, but Indiana’s spring football camp is coming to a close with the conclusion of the 2025 Spring Game. This year’s game drew a bigger crowd than last year, and the players looked very promising, especially the running backs. The Hoosiers seem a lot more in sync after this spring compared to last spring.
“I think we've established the run game a little earlier,” Carter Smith said in a press conference after Thursday’s game. “You know, our offensive line is doing really well, and I think the running backs are hitting the holes pretty well as well. I think Fernando is getting comfortable in the pocket too. So as long as we keep hitting those coaching points, I think we're going to be rolling in the fall.”
It wasn’t very pass heavy on offense Thursday night, but the running backs looked explosive. Kaelon Black started out the scrimmage with the 1st team and was able to carry the ball consistently while splitting time with Hemby. Hemby had a good couple of runs too, he looked very physical and was able to find holes in the defense. It wasn’t until later in the second quarter, Kaelon Black made a 40+ yard rush to the 7-yard line. He shot out like a cannon and there was nothing but open space. Kaelon has been with Cignetti and his crew since 2020 at JMU and Cignetti loves the energy that he brings to the team.
“High-energy guy. He's [Kaelon Black] always started camp real well early in the year. Just staying healthy has kind of been his deal. He's got good speed. He's got a lot of juice. He's been with us a long time,” Cignetti said about Kaelon during his postgame press conference.
Kaelon really shined tonight with his electric runs, but he wasn’t the only outstanding running back. Running back transfer from UAB, Lee Beebe Jr., had a stellar game that showed off how powerful and agile he is. He had multiple big runs and kept pushing and pushing until he scored. The whole in general just looked great! We already knew Fernando Mendoza had a cannon from his throws from Pro Day, but seeing his mobility is a game changer for the Hoosiers.
“Some of the differences I see is just how moveable he is, and he scrambles to throw. He’s not scrambling to run, so that’s something you see in a quarterback that you really don’t see. I think he’s special in my eyes. I seen a lot of good things from him. He has a strong arm, and just his mobility is what separates him, in my opinion,” D’Angelo Ponds replied about some of the differences he has noticed between Mendoza and Rourke’s play style.
Fernando’s ability to use his legs was on full display when he shifted defenders to extend plays. His pass release is quick, and he loves to sling the ball. Cignetti was very proud of the improvement he saw from Fernando and also Alberto too.
“I thought he had a really good last week. Now, I'm not -- I haven't watched tonight's film, okay, so I'm going to take tonight out of the mix. But I thought his last three practices, one of which was a scrimmage, he made major strides. It really started to click. I felt really good before the scrimmage where we were there with him. I think Alberto had a good spring, too,” Cignetti stated on Fernando’s progress during spring.
It's hard to tell if Fernando has a favorite target. Elijah Sarratt and Makai Jackson didn’t suit up today due to a minor injury in practice, and from what we saw from the Mendozas, they like to spread the ball around. Omar Cooper looked good today with two touchdowns. E.J. Williams caught a first down and so did Holden Staes, but Staes was on fourth down. True freshman, Myles Kendrick, had an 18-yard reception to convert on fourth down and another true freshman receiver, LeBron Bond, had a few catches and even a touchdown on Thursday. “I thought Bond gave us a really good effort, practice in, practice out,” said Cignetti in his press conference. Bond and some of the other freshmen on both sides of the ball looked promising, but they still have some ways to go before Cig thinks they’re ready.
Luckily, no players were injured during this year’s scrimmage. There’s a lot of ambition when it comes to this team and many fans just simply cannot wait for the season to start. The players aren’t ready to start the season yet, but they have made a lot of progress, and they’ll continue training when August 30th comes around.
