Indiana Football's terrible decision sparks buzz before NFL Draft
The Hoosiers aren't going to win over anyone with this one.
Indiana Football's terrible decision sparks buzz before NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . As the 2026 NFL Draft moves closer on the calendar, the Indiana Hoosiers quarterback remains the consensus No.
1 pick and is expected to start his career with the Las Vegas Raiders. While the Heisman Trophy winner won't be in Pittsburgh for the event, there's also a less obvious conflict for those involved with the IU Football program. For whatever reason, Indiana has scheduled this year's Spring Game at the same exact time as opening night of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Why would anyone feel the need to compete against the league's biggest offseason event? There are a few takeaways from this. Maybe the decision was made to have everyone in the stadium with the draft playing on the jumbotron, as Mendoza was taken by the Raiders with an instant reaction.
This would also be a recruiting pitch for head coach Curt Cignetti to mic'd up and give his thoughts on the Draft broadcast. If neither of those two things happen, what's the reasoning behind having Indiana's exhibition game on the night of the Draft? In any regard, this comes off as a terrible decision to try and grab ratings on the Big Ten Network.