'We miss him being out there': Charlie Becker likely to be sidelined for remainder of spring practice

Indiana will likely be without its breakout star from postseason play last year for the remainder of spring practice.

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Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said wide receiver Charlie Becker will likely be out the rest of the spring with a hamstring injury.

“I don’t know if he’ll be back or not the rest of spring,” Cignetti said on Thursday. “And certainly, we miss him being out there right now.”

This hamstring injury is a similar one that Becker dealt with during fall camp last August.

Becker returns to Indiana after becoming a household name during IU’s postseason run. In the final four games of the season, Big Ten Championship and the three playoff games, Becker totaled 14 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns. That included 126 yards in the Big Ten Championship against Ohio State, and two critical third and fourth down receptions late in the National Championship game against Miami.

For the year, Becker had 34 receptions for 679 yards and four touchdowns.

“I think the way he finished this season, he was one of the top receivers, certainly, in the Big Ten Conference. Another guy that took advantage of his opportunities,” Cignetti said. “Then we couldn’t take him off the field.”

Becker’s emergence initially took place with back-to-back 100+ yard games against Maryland and Penn State midway through the season when Elijah Sarratt missed time due to a hamstring injury.

He had just five receptions in the first eight games of the season before his breakout against Maryland. He would have at least four receptions in four of the last seven games of the year.

Becker returned this year after Indiana saw Sarratt and EJ Williams graduate, in addition to Omar Cooper Jr head to the NFL after his junior year.

The Hoosiers went into the transfer portal to snag one of the top players in the country from Michigan State wideout Nick Marsh, and added to the room with Tulane’s Shazz Preston. That duo combined for 102 receptions for 1,385 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025.

Indiana also brings back Tyler Morris — a Michigan transfer who missed the entire 2025 season with a knee injury. Before his injury, Morris was expected to start in the slot. Freshmen Davion Chandler and Lebron Bond round out the room, which will once again be one of the more talented groups in the Big Ten.

Becker’s absence is creating more opportunities for some of the younger guys — a trend that will continue in the final two weeks of spring camp.

“Davion Chandler’s a guy that has taken advantage of his opportunities. Bond always practices really hard. Tyler Morris made a few catches today. I see Nick Marsh and Chaz coming on,” Cignetti said. “I think you gotta remember about our receiving corps, like even in the past, like Elijah Sarratt would go five days and not catch a ball in camp. What (Defensive Coordinator Bryant) Haines does is tough, and this particular spring’s a little different than last spring. Last spring, we had a lot of offensive linemen, a lot of veteran offensive linemen, and were replacing some guys on the D line.

“It’s the exact opposite this year. So we get in the team periods, quarterbacks haven’t had a ton of time to throw, which affects the receiver’s ability to catch the ball. So I think we’ll be okay. I think the emphasis is probably bringing the two young ones along, Chandler and Bond, and getting Marsh and Shazz going and learning the offense so they’re not thinking. Which I see progress every day, and it was really good to see Tyler Morris make a couple catches today.”

Indiana has two more weeks of camp before its spring game on April 23.

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