BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football quarterback Josh Hoover joined running back Khobie Martin as a volunteer at the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center’s summer day camp last week.
While he wasn’t a part of IU’s title run in 2025 like Martin, he could have easily talked to campers about all the season’s key moments. Hoover told The Herald-Times that he’s watched every game from 2024 and 2025 as he looks to get up to speed on coach Curt Cignetti’s offensive scheme.
He’s mixed in full games while pouring over cut-ups of various formations and specific plays going all the way back to Cignetti’s time at James Madison.
“I kind of just watch everything,” Hoover said. “I want to see how different plays were executed, and how guys went about doing it. And what made them successful and trying to learn from them.”
Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan have a remarkable track record together. In Bloomington, they have guided IU to a top-three scoring offense in each of the last two seasons, while their starting quarterback has surpassed 3,000 passing yards both years. The Hoosiers only had three 3,000-yard passers before their arrival.
In 2024, Kurtis Rourke had the second-best passer rating in the country (176.01). Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy last year with the FBS’s top passer rating (182.91).
“You want to see where the ball goes on certain plays, where it’s gone the most and how those guys have done things,” Hoover said. “I’m looking to see what I can take from their game, Kurtis and Fernando, and even the JMU guys.”
Hoover has an impressive body of work of his own, having thrown for 9,629 career passing yards, the most among all returning FBS quarterbacks, and 71 touchdown passes. Cignetti has praised that body of work, as well as his mechanics and accuracy. Indiana’s coach has also mentioned areas where Hoover will need to improve — cutting down on turnovers and practicing with more “urgency.”
The quarterback’s dedicated film study habits should help him build on the progress he showed during the spring.
“I think spring ball was fun,” Hoover said. “And the spring is always an interesting time learning the offense and learning different things and just kind of how we operate. The summer is a time to get more comfortable with what you’re doing, and just continue to kind of chip away at all the different things you’re trying to get better at. And I’m definitely feeling more comfortable.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: IU football QB Josh Hoover diving into film study to prep for 2026 season
Reporting by Michael Niziolek, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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By Michael Niziolek, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
