'We're definitely far more ahead than we were last year': Indiana offense confident it can replicate -- and exceed -- success from last year

Indiana had one of the most explosive offenses in the nation last year and while pieces of that unit return in 2025, a large part of the group doesn’t. Because of that, it’s easy to temper expectations as spring practice gets underway. Instead, there is optimism within the locker room that this offense may be ahead of last year.

Year two of Curt Cignetti’s tenure at Indiana comes with high expectations, standards and goals following a record-breaking year in 2024. So while there will be some new tweaks and adjustments made to the scheme, the bones and structure of the offense will stay largely intact.

“Just keeping things the same and building on that,” IU wide receiver Elijah Sarratt said this month. “We didn’t turn the ball over a lot last year and we want to keep that the same. Run game. Pass game — we want to be balanced. A few minor tweaks but nothing crazy. We’ve just got to keep on building from what we started last year.”

Indiana ranked 2nd in the nation in points per game (41.3), scoring 40 points seven times last year. That was in large part to the dynamic and consistent big-play attack that both the running and passing game had. The Hoosiers saw Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison run for 10+ touchdowns each, while Kurtis Rourke threw 30 touchdowns (10th in the nation) to just six interceptions.

Now Indiana turns to Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza, looking to replicate the season that Rourke had at the quarterback position a year ago.

“The offense — the simplicity but also the complexity of it. There’s so many shifts, motions, different RPOs and everything we run. But it’s very concept based,” Mendoza said of IU’s offense.”As far as you learn the concept there’s so many ways to dress things up. But in reality, when you learn the concept, when you learn the ins and outs and the intricacies of each play, you’re able to master it at a high level. Personally I think I needed more reps at that to get to the mastery level, but that’s why it’s great having a veteran in the room (my brother) Alberto, and a great coach in Coach Whitmer.”

So far through the first few practice in spring, Mendoza is turning heads and ‘flips the switch’ a bit when he’s on the field.

“First impression is he loves the game of football,” Sarratt said. “Just going out there on 7-on-7 routes, he is throwing passing and yelling at us like ‘good job’ and ‘great catch.’ He flips the switch a little bit when he’s on the field and I like seeing that. He throws the ball great as you’ve all seen during Pro Day — he was spinning it, just out there he’s spinning it to me. It’s all a process. It’s not going to happen in one day so we are just building reps.”

Sarratt is just one of the key returners for Indiana in 2025. He is joined by Omar Cooper and EJ Williams in the wide receiver room. That trio was added to this offseason with the notable additions of Makai Jackson (Appalachian State) and Tyler Morris (Michigan).

Sarratt posted 957 yards and eight touchdowns last year while Cooper had 594 yards and seven touchdowns. Jackson, who was a 991-yard receiver playing alongside Sarratt as a freshman, had 745 yards and five scores last season.

So, the talent and experience is there for Mendoza to come in and continue where the offense left off from last season.

“It’s been great. We have a phenomenal receiving core and that’s one of the main reasons I came here as well,” Mendoza said. ” … these guys are fast and they’re really good. It’s been a little bit of an adjustment to get used to these guys, build chemistry, how they get out of their breaks because they get out of their breaks extremely fast. Like pros. All those guys are future NFL receivers … It’s pushed me and I hope to be a point guard and get them the ball because that’s my job.”

Replicating success isn’t always easy — in fact typically more difficult to do than the initial surge. Indiana understands they are the hunted, not the hunter, in many scenarios now. So it’s about maintaining the same level of standards that contributed to the success in 2024.

“We’ve already shown the country what we have the capabilities to do,” IU offensive lineman Carter Smith said. “I think this is just adding on to the fact that what we did last year, it’s not over.”

So as Indiana takes the field for the remaining portion of spring practice, there’s one thing that comes to mind for a guy like Sarratt — who saw the first hand success last season; this group is ahead of schedule.

“We’re definitely far more ahead than we were last year,” said Sarratt. “This time last year we didn’t do a lot of 7-on-7 just because we were all new and everybody had to be on the same page. But we have guys who were here last year and everybody’s familiar. So definitely smoother than it was last year.”