BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Offensive lineman Mike Katic was ready to embark on the next chapter of his football playing career.
"I knew that I wanted to move on and work towards the NFL," Katic told the media following Indiana's fourth spring practice back in March.
However, one fateful Wednesday morning, amidst on offseason rich with turnover within the Indiana football program, Katic received a phone call from a good friend.
That friend was none other than Indiana's offensive line coach Bob Bostad, the lone holdover from the Hoosiers' previous coaching regime.
When Bostad dialed up Katic's phone number, he wasn't calling to check in or to ask how the NFL Draft preparation was going for Katic. Instead, Bostad had just one simple question.
"Would you want to come back and maybe play center," Katic said recalling what Bostad asked him over the phone.
After talking things over with his family and new head coach Curt Cignetti, Katic took some time to think things over for himself.
A self-described 'undersized' offensive lineman, Katic understood that his path to playing time at the next level was likely to come at the center spot. Starting mostly at left guard throughout his career in Bloomington, center wasn't a spot Katic was super familiar with -- although he did play a little bit at the position in 2022.
Knowing that another year in college under the tutelage of Bostad would "only help," Katic elected to make his return to Bloomington for a sixth season just a handful of days before the turn of the new year.
"It was a pretty easy decision for me," Katic admitted.
Ahead of his sixth season of college football, Katic now has to adjust to a semi-new position. Even so, Katic is not worried about making the transition to being the 'quarterback of the offensive line,' citing it's been a "smooth" transition thus far.
"I'm familiar with the position,"Katic said confidently. "There's not many adjustments I have to make, there's just a new voice behind me, that's all."
"I have to know what everyone is doing," Katic continued, explaining the biggest adjustment to his new role. "I have to know who's with me and where we're going. I have to see the safeties and where they're dropping down, coverages and all those kinds of things."
The 6-foot-4, 315 pound offensive lineman credits his experience for being able to adjust both mentally and physically to his new position along the offensive line.
While Katic is back donning the familiar cream and crimson, the cast of characters around the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native is filled with new faces.
However, Katic does share one connection with a handful of members of the Indiana coaching staff.
Cignetti, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri are all natives of Pennsylvania, something Katic didn't even realize until he was already back on campus.
That Pennsylvania connection Katic said, is important as he figures out how to captain the Hoosiers into a new era of Indiana football.
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