The Indiana Hoosiers football program kicked off their season last night as the offense (Red) defeated the defense (white) 31-23 in the two-quarter intra-squad scrimmage.
The Hoosiers’ defense created a pair of turnovers, intercepting redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza and recovering a fumble. Mendoza unofficially went 10 of 14 for 123 yards passing as he tossed two touchdowns as reported by The Indiana Daily Student Dalton James
Here are the five biggest takeaways from the Indiana Hoosiers 2025 spring game from Thursday night below. See you in the fall when the Hoosiers take on Old Dominion at home on August 30th at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
1. Fernando Mendoza could be an upgrade at QB for the Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers have a new signal-caller in town from Cal and his name is Fernando Mendoza. The Miami, Florida native threw for 123 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 10-for-14 completions.
Mendoza’s ability to be a true dual threat quarterback in Shanahan’s RPO heavy offense give the Hoosiers a different dynamic this season as Mendoza takes over for Kurtis Rourke.
2. The Hoosiers will be using running back by committee
Replacing Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison won’t be easy but the transition to this season in the back field looks promising and bright for the Hoosiers going forward.
Kaelon Black is joined in the running back room by Maryland transfer Roman Hemby and UAB transfer Lee Beebe Jr.
The three backs combined unofficially for 141 yards, all averaging at least 3.7 yards per carry.
3. Bryant Haines defense could be top 10 in the nation again
Indiana had some key losses this off-season on defense including defensive tackle C.J West. But, Indiana still has three All-American’s returning in cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, edge rusher Mikal Kamara and inside linebacker Aiden Fisher.
4. Lebron Bond and Byron Baldwin Jr have freshman All-American potential
The top true freshman recruits Indiana landed LeBron Bond and Byron Baldwin Jr had stellar performances in last night’s spring game and could potentially be freshman All-Americans as both are projected to start this season.
Bond, is a three-star wide receiver from Norfolk, Virginia and Byron Baldwin Jr. is a four-star safety from Baltimore, Maryland. Bond is likely be a slot receiver early on and develop into a long term starter, Baldwin Jr will likley start at safety or Joker for Indiana’s defense.
5. Depth is still a problem for Indiana at the end of the day
Indiana’s problem even after their historic season was depth with their roster espically up front in the trenches. Cignetti guided Indiana to an 11-2 record in 2024, but the pressure is on this season for Indiana to replicated what they did last season and make another CFP berth in 2025-26.
