Spring football signals a new era for Indiana Football.

Spring is a time for things to begin to bloom. Here in Indiana, snow melts, grass begins to grow, and traces of winter's biting cold begin to fade away. Spring also means the start of college football across the country. Teams begin spring practice as early as late February, while others usually start in March.

For the Hoosiers and new head coach Curt Cignetti, they begin spring football on March 21st, with their Spring Game on April 18th under the lights at 8:00 pm. The Spring Game is the start of Little 500 weekend on campus.

This is the first Spring Game in some time.

Former head coach Tom Allen held a public practice that included a meet and greet last April. Before that spring practice was closed to the public. In addition, there was no game held. Part of new head coach Curt Cignetti's effort to change the culture in Bloomington is to get fans excited about football early in the new year.

What should fans look forward to in the game?

There are 22 new players (and counting) arriving in Bloomington via the transfer portal. Indiana starts a new quarterback, Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke. There should be a buzz on campus for this game. If nothing else, it's the kickoff to Little 500. Hoosier fans, students, and alumni should go and have fun.

Don't be disappointed if you don't see a lot of starters. Spring is usually the time to allow veterans to rest and heal, especially if anyone had an offseason surgery. However, this is the first opportunity to see offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan's offense and defensive coordinator Brian Haynes' defense.

Cignetti's spring schedule is more compact than Allen's, with the Hoosiers beginning the week after spring break and going on every week until the spring game. The game will give fans a window into how he wants to run the program.