Indiana has added some key pieces to the roster this spring, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive lineman C.J. West (Kent State), cornerback D’Angelo Ponds (James Madison), and linebacker Nahji Logan (UMass) are post-spring practice additions just in the last week who seem clearly capable of competing for a starting role at fall camp.
And now in the aggregate, IU’s transfer portal haul leading into the 2024 season is beginning to emerge as one of the nation’s best.
On3 ranks team performance in the transfer portal in a unique way, examining both transfer portal gains and losses to develop a “Team Transfer Portal Index.” This is how they describe it:
The On3 (P)erformance score measures a team’s production during the transfer process, compared relative against its roster and not a comparison against other schools. This proprietary algorithm determines if a school has improved its overall team talent, stayed the same, or declined in talent during the transfer window.
Based on the On3 Index, Indiana ranks No. 16 in the nation when it comes to the improvement of its roster via the transfer portal this offseason.
The Hoosiers have certainly lost talented players, including Nick James, Trent Howland, Zach Carpenter, Matthew Bedford, Louis Moore, Kobee Minor, Philip Blidi and Jaylin Lucas, to name some of the more significant.
Based on our offseason tracker, IU has lost 34 players via the transfer portal and gained 28.
But still, the influx of talent has been more significant.
In addition to West, Ponds and Logan, IU landed likely starters in quarterback Kurtis Rourke, offensive tackle Trey Wedig, wide receivers Myles Price and Elijah Sarratt, tight end Zach Horton, an entirely new running back room, edge rusher Mikail Kamara, linebackers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker, and several other players with extensive experience who should compete for starting roles.
New head coach Curt Cignetti’s efforts in the portal have been aided significantly by his ability to bring many of the top players from James Madison to IU with him. He won’t always have that wind at his back. But he also hired assistant athletic director for player personnel Matt Wilson, and a staff under him to lead the now significant effort involved in building a college football roster.
And collectively, the staff has delivered so far.
Looking at the On3 tool from the Big Ten perspective, Indiana ranks No. 3 in the conference in net roster improvement via the portal this offseason, trailing just Oregon and Wisconsin.
Four teams in the conference actually have a net negative score, and they are all teams IU faces in 2024 — Maryland, Michigan State, UCLA and Northwestern.
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