Curt Cignetti addresses Nick Marsh golden shoes, 'expecting big things'
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Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti is expecting a huge season from Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh, even if the receiver left a bad first impression on the reigning national champion.
Marsh, one of the top receivers available in the transfer portal, wore gold cleats to the Hoosiers' first spring practice after joining the program. Cignetti issued a "wake-up call" in response, one that garnered headlines back in March.
In the months since, though, Cignetti has been impressed with Marsh, who will lead Indiana's receiving corps alongside returning starter Charlie Becker.
"Think you're probably talking about the gold shoes first day of practice," Cignetti said at Big Ten Football Media Days on July 30. "We don't do that where I coach. He got the message and he's been great. Had a great summer and I'm expecting big things from him."
Marsh caught 100 passes for 1,311 yards with nine touchdowns in his first two college seasons at Michigan State, although his tape is more impressive than his numbers, due to the Spartans deploying one of the worst offenses in Power Four during his time in East Lansing. The former four-star recruit was the No. 5-ranked receiver in the transfer portal, per 247Sports' Composite.
In the spring, Cignetti eluded to his coaching style likely being different from Michigan State's staff during Marsh's tenure.
"I didn't love those gold shoes he came out in today," Cignetti told reporters in March. "He learned what getting your (butt) ripped was 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."
There are a lot of yards up for grabs in Indiana's offense following the departure of NFL draft picks Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt, and the Hoosiers are hoping Marsh and Becker can pick up the slack. TCU transfer Josh Hoover will also look to follow in Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza's footsteps, especially as Mendoza was also a furst-year transfer last season from Cal.
It's a good sign for Indiana fans that Marsh appears to be on the right track, and his gold shoes incident was just a small blip in his development, according to Cignetti.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Curt Cignetti addresses Nick Marsh golden shoes, 'expecting big things'
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