College football star has his 'a** ripped' by coach at first practice after unforgivable blunder: 'Wake-up call'
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has revealed that new star Nick Marsh had his 'a** ripped' after wearing gold cleats to the first day of spring practice.
Cignetti led the Hoosiers to a first-ever national championship last season and his team returned to the field on Thursday.
Indiana - which has lost Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza to the NFL - attempted to strengthen its roster ahead of the new season, with Marsh among the notable transfers.
Before joining Indiana, he was a starting wide receiver for Michigan State over the past two seasons. But Marsh didn't make the finest first impression.
'I didn't love those gold shoes he came out in today,' Cignetti told reporters when asked about his new receiver.
'He learned what getting your a** ripped is all about. I don't know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State. That was before practice started. That was a wake-up call.
New Indiana star Nick Marsh had his 'a** ripped' after wearing gold cleats to spring practice
Curt Cignetti led the Indiana Hoosiers to a first-ever national championship last season
'But he's really worked hard. He's done a great job for us.'
Earlier this month, Cignetti agreed to an eight-year contract extension worth an average of $13.2million a year.
He has overseen an astonishing turnaround in Bloomington, with Indiana 27-2 in the first two seasons of his tenure.
The Hoosiers are ranked by some as the No 3 team in the nation heading into the 2026 season and Cignetti admitted his coaches have 'more work to do with this group than the first two teams.'
Quarterback Mendoza inspired Indiana to its first national title with victory over Miami in January. The 22-year-old is widely expected to be the No 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
