Curt Cignetti’s focus has shifted toward helping Indiana defend its national championship in the 2026 season. The challenge will be greater this year, with the Hoosiers set to face Ohio State and Michigan in consecutive weeks, but they also welcome several new playmakers who are expected to make a big impact throughout the season.
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In a recent episode of the “Adapt & Respond” podcast, host RJ Young discussed Indiana’s outlook for the 2026 season, placing particular emphasis on Michigan State transfer wide receiver Nick Marsh.
“One of the guys to ring out is Nick Marsh,” Young said. “Nick Marsh, who came to Michigan State, was immediately their best wide receiver. Nick Marsh, who shows up at Indiana a couple of years later, wears gold cleats, and gets his a** chewed out by Curt Cignetti cuz that is just not what we do here.
“But that’s the first time I’ve heard something like that where some guy was stepping out of what you would call a line for Curt Cignetti. And Curt Cignetti had to put him back in line quick, fast, and in a hurry. And that is indicative of the number of guys and the kind of guys he’s brought in.”
Marsh was one of Michigan State’s top receiving threats before transferring to Indiana. Across 23 games with the Spartans, he had a freshman season with 41 receptions for 649 yards and 3 touchdowns.
He followed that with an even more productive sophomore season, recording 59 catches for 662 yards and 6 touchdowns, but his average yards per reception dipped to 11.2. He finished last season with a 76.1 score in the PFSN College Football WR Impact metric.
Meanwhile, Marsh has interestingly been a consistent challenge for Indiana over the past two seasons. He scored touchdowns against the Hoosiers in both 2024 and 2025, including a 7-catch, 64-yard performance in Bloomington.
Speaking on “Andy & Ari On3,” Yahoo Sports analyst Nate Tice said Marsh stood out as one of the more intriguing evaluations on his board. Tice also said that though he was already familiar with Marsh and had been tracking him for some time, the receiver ultimately impressed him enough to earn the No. 11 spot in his rankings for the year.
Marsh carries a $725,000 NIL valuation, according to On3. Under Cignetti, he is expected to immediately fill the high-volume receiving role left behind by former star Elijah Sarratt.
Indiana is also looking to replace production after Omar Cooper was selected in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. As a result, expectations are high for Marsh, who will join returning receiver Charlie Becker, a playmaker who averaged 20 yards per catch last season.
There is growing optimism that Marsh and Becker can form one of the Big Ten’s top receiving duos. Together, they are expected to provide TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover with a dynamic one-two punch on the outside.
Hoover also had high praise for Marsh this spring.
“Nick, I mean – just a freak athlete,” Hoover said. “Unbelievable guy, just super good, super good guy, and love being around him. So I have great expectations…”
Indiana will kick off the upcoming season with a game against North Texas on Sept. 5.
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