Indiana Wide Receivers Note Change In Tone From Tom Allen To Curt Cignetti

Tough love, but also, good feedback for Hoosiers wideouts.

Indiana's Omar Cooper Jr. (3) runs after the catch during the Indiana football spring game at Memorial Stadaium on Thursday, April 18, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana wide receivers Donaven McCulley and Omar Cooper Jr. passed the test as far as being inherited players that new Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti wanted back.

Their value is self-evident, especially when it comes to McCulley. During his junior season, McCulley had 48 catches for 644 yards and six touchdown catches. He was the Hoosiers’ most dynamic playmaker on the 2023 offense.

Cooper had 18 catches for 267 yards and a pair of touchdown catches. His production would have been higher had he not suffered a season-ending leg injury against Wisconsin on Nov. 4.

They are known quantities in a receiving corps that has plenty of proven ability. However, just because they have established themselves doesn’t mean they were going to auto-pilot their way into Cignetti’s good graces.

Cignetti has been demanding of all of the Hoosiers – something that both receivers made a point of mentioning when they spoke with the media on Wednesday at Memorial Stadium.

“I love Coach Allen, but last year, he wasn’t as hard on us and yelling at us to pick up the tempo and stuff. Then, there’s the fast-paced practice. Last year was kind of a little slower. That’s different,” Cooper said.

Indiana University's Donaven McCulley (1) during the first day of fall practice at the Mellencamp Pavilion at Indiana University on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

McCulley said he was challenged by Cignetti during spring practice and continues to be.

“Coach Cignetti is really coaching me hard. I wasn’t as used to it when he first started coaching me hard, but now I’m used to it,” McCulley said.

While both players said tough love is part of the menu when they’re on the practice field, it is balanced by words of encouragement or advice.

“On the field, he’s going to tough love coach you, but at the end of the day he’s going to come back to you and tell you if he was happy with what you did. He’s trying to progressively trying to get closer,” Cooper said.

The Indianapolis native cited one example.

“The other day, I ran an over route and I didn’t take it high enough. He pulled me to the side and told me how I was supposed to run it and that they expect better,” Cooper explained.

McCulley, who was briefly in the transfer portal during the offseason before he elected to return to Indiana, accepted what he was getting into with a new coaching voice in his ear.

“I told him, coach me hard, do what you got to do,” McCulley recalled. “Him getting on me in the spring and challenging me it kind of helped me learn how he operates and how the team operates. I took the initiative to really get in my playbook more and try to master the playbook.”

What the coaches like to emphasize are the nuances of the game. Cooper noted the attention to detail that co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Mike Shanahan brings to the Hoosiers.

“The little things matter. He’s real big on alignments and how stances start. How we start off the ball. That’s a little thing, but it really matters, but it can make a difference in a route or play you make. That’s one of the best things that I learned from him and it will take me a lot further than I think,” Cooper said.

Cooper said he likes the fast pace and the station-to-station nature of how the practices are structured. He also noted how the other side of Cignetti smooths out the rough edges.

“He’ll come up in the locker room or if he sees us walking around. He’ll just have a little conversation with us and try to put a smile on our face,’’ Cooper said. “That’s the biggest thing he’ll do.”

Related stories on Indiana football

• QUARTERBACK PICTURE COMES INTO SHARPER FOCUS: Curt Cignetti said after Indiana's first scrimmage on Aug. 10 that quarterback Kurtis Rourke Has ‘Separated Himself Significantly’. CLICK HERE.

• MCCULLEY CHALLENGED: Curt Cignetti challenged Donaven McCulley during the spring. CLICK HERE.

• SHANAHAN HELPS SET THE OFFENSE: Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Mike Shanahan is a trusted assistant for Curt Cignetti. CLICK HERE.