For a program that has had only three winning seasons during this century and hasn’t won a bowl since 1991, positive expectations are hard to come by. That is especially true when yet another new head coach rolls into Bloomington. But a funny thing has quickly happened under Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers are 4-0, averaging 50.5 points per game and have people in basketball country excited.
The hiring of Cignetti did not make too many waves nationally, but it has paid immediate dividends for Indiana. He arrived from James Madison, as he was in charge of the Dukes during their transition from FCS to FBS and quickly turned the program into a winner after the difficult move. And that success has helped the Hoosiers, as he brought several important Dukes with him to Bloomington through the transfer portal.
That is especially true on the defensive side of the ball, where linebackers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker are the leading tacklers on the team, defensive linemen Mikail Kamara and Tyrique Tucker lead the team in sacks and D’Angelo Ponds is a starting cornerback.
Offensively, where the team has been explosive, the leading wide receiver, Elijah Sarratt and two of the top running backs, Ty Son Lawton and Kaelon Black, are all former Dukes.
But Coach Cignetti didn’t just recruit his former players through the portal, several other additions have also proven to be invaluable. And this list must start with quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The redshirt senior had success with Ohio, most notably in 2022 when he passed for 3,257 yards, 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions, but how would he perform at the P4 level? So far, the Indiana offense has been the perfect fit for him, as he has completed 75.5% of his attempts for 1,103 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions.
Aside from Rourke, Cignetti scoured the transfer portal to find other important pieces like running backs Justice Ellison (Wake Forest) and Elijah Green (North Carolina), wide receivers Myles Price (Texas Tech), Ke’Shawn Williams (Wake Forest) and Miles Cross (Ohio) and defensive back Shawn Asbury II (Old Dominion). This blend of new players has worked amazingly well so far, but will it continue?
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The Hoosiers are undefeated and dominating, but their wins have come against Florida International, Western Illinois, UCLA and Charlotte. The three FBS opponents are a combined 3-8, while WIU is 0-3 and has given up at least 51 points in each game.
How legitimate Indiana is will be answered in the next two months, but a good hint will come this Saturday when Maryland comes into town. The Terps aren’t an elite Big Ten team but have played well this season. And there is no debate that they are the best team the Hoosiers have faced this season.
So, to answer the initial question, yes I do think Indiana is legit. Not to the point of competing for the Big Ten title, but enough to have a winning season, make a bowl and be an unexpected nuisance to every remaining school on their roster. They are unexpectedly relevant thanks to Coach Cignetti.
