Curt Cignetti Roasts Indiana Transfer Nick Marsh Over Gold Cleats

Stoic Curt Cignetti isn't interested in your brand. The Indiana head coach has no plans to let his Hoosiers go Hollywood. Prized transfer wideout Nick Marsh learned that lesson the hard way this week. 

The former Michigan State standout strolled onto the field for spring practice wearing flashy gold cleats, and Cignetti didn't wait to make his point.

"He learned what getting your a** ripped is all about," Cignetti told reporters on Thursday, humbling the young star. The coach didn't just target the shoes. He also took a shot at the culture Marsh left behind in East Lansing.

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"I don’t know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State," Cignetti quipped. "That was before practice started. That was a wake-up call."

Former Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Nick Marsh. (Photo by Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Marsh eventually answered with a spectacular one-handed grab at practice, but the wardrobe correction was already noted by the coach.

For all his "tough love," Coach Cignetti has Indiana where it is now. 

After leading the Hoosiers to a school-record 11 wins and a College Football Playoff berth in 2024, he followed it up by taking Indiana to a 16-0 season and a national title.

To his credit, Cignetti later said Marsh had "really worked hard" and has "done a great job for us." 

Still, the message and standard had already been communicated. 

In Bloomington, you earn the gold on the field before you wear it on your feet.

Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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