Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti returned to spring practice with the Hoosiers fresh off winning the program’s first national championship three months ago. Cignetti hit the transfer portal aggressively, recruiting a top-10 portal class as he attempts to turn the Hoosiers into perennial winners.
Cignetti won the battle to sign one of the most coveted players in the portal when former Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Nick Marsh committed to Indiana.
Curt Cignetti’s Old School Stance on Nick Marsh and Gold Cleats
While speaking to reporters last week after spring practice, Cignetti grabbed headlines when he revealed that he had dressed down Marsh for attending his first spring practice in Bloomington in golden cleats.
“I didn’t love those gold shoes he came out in today,” Cignetti said. “He learned what getting your (butt) ripped was all about. I don’t know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State. That was before practice started. That was a wake-up call. He’s really worked hard, he’s done a great job for us.”
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During Tuesday’s segment of “The Triple Option” podcast, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer defended Cignetti’s criticism of Marsh and explained why the golden cleats could pose a problem for coaches.
“It’s old school, everybody looks alike,” Meyer said. “That’s the way I was. Everybody looks alike and that’s the way it is. I had some rules. I worked for a guy named Sonny Lubick and he was like, ‘Fight the fight. Make sure they go to class, make sure they live right, make sure they play hard. There’s only so many things you can do.”
“I remember everybody wanted to wear those visors and then jersey numbers. So, I love it. I think it teaches discipline and teaches that no one person is bigger than the team. However, pick your fights. You can go on forever with all the rules. I got away from that and had very few rules. Gold cleats would have been a problem.”
Marsh had a stellar season for the Michigan State Spartans last year, tallying 662 receiving yards on 59 catches, resulting in six touchdowns. He earned a PFSN College Wide Receiver Impact score of 76.1.
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In two seasons at Michigan State, he registered 1,311 receiving yards on 100 catches, resulting in 9 touchdowns.
He will have huge shoes to fill after wide receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr., who departed Bloomington for the NFL Draft process, turned the Hoosiers into one of the most explosive offenses in the country last season.
