Author: Mike Schumann

Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones flew into spring practice under the radar, at least from the outside looking in. All-American Aiden Fisher was back at one middle linebacker spot, and the expectation was sophomore Rolijah Hardy would line up next to him to replace Jailin Walker. Meanwhile Jones’ opportunity to see the field seemed similar to what it was in 2024.  He’d likely play against 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends) and on special teams.  Jones says he was fine with that if the team is winning. And the way he agonizes over talking about himself rather than…

Indiana has big shoes to fill on the edge after losing defensive end Stephen Daley to a freak injury during the Big Ten Championship game celebration. And it isn’t just Daley’s production defensive coordinator Bryant Haines must replace. The Hoosiers previously lost Kellan Wyatt for the season.  He was starting in Daley’s role at field end. Combined Daley and Wyatt had 27 tackles for loss and eight sacks.  They are the top two players on the team in tackles for loss per game.  And all of that production is gone as the No. 1 Hoosiers (13-0) get set to face…

March Madness meet December Disorder. On Wednesday news broke that former Detroit Pistons second-round pick James Nnaji had enrolled at Baylor and is immediately eligible to play college basketball. Nnaji, 21, went 31st overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.  He never signed an NBA contract, and instead has been playing in Europe. International pros moving over to American college basketball is nothing new.  In fact, Indiana has a former international pro on its roster.  Aleksa Ristic was a three-year professional player for KK Dynamic in the Serbia KSL, the top league in Serbia.  Down the road, Illinois is basically a…

Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt has embraced the nickname Waffle House. “He’s open right now,” his father Donnie, who came up with the nickname, said of Elijah as he shot an interview with the Big Ten Network for an episode of the Journey about his son. Donnie couldn’t have known whether Elijah was really open at that very moment, but that’s the whole point.  Elijah, like Waffle House, is always open, you see. And over his career, Sarratt has 228 catches, 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns to back up that claim. But did you know Waffle House also offers delivery?…

Here are Indiana’s season-long leaders in various categories at PFF through the Big Ten Championship game. No. 1 Indiana (13-0) faces No. 9 Alabama (11-3) in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. ET (ESPN). OFFENSE: Most snaps:  Carter Smith, Bray Lynch — tied  at 825. Top overall offensive grade:  Fernando Mendoza Top pass blocking grade:  Carter Smith Top run blocking grade:  Carter Smith Least pressures allowed by starting OL:  Carter Smith — 6 Top receiving grade:  Omar Cooper, Jr. and Charlie Becker — tied Most targets:  Omar Cooper, Jr. — 76 Highest reception…

Not every coach around college football has bought into Curt Cignetti’s production over potential mantra when it comes to the transfer portal. In a report this week by Candace Buckner of the Washington Post, IU senior running back Roman Hemby said he was pushed out of College Park by his head coach. “It was (Maryland) Coach Locksley that … said that, you know, the door was kind of open for me to leave and they wanted to kind of seek new avenues and restart and build a new culture and get some younger players,” Hemby told Washington Post. Hemby has…

Heard you missed IU football. Good news — they’re back. With the Rose Bowl set for next Thursday, it’s officially game week once again. It’s been nearly three full weeks since Indiana’s Big Ten Championship clinching 13-10 win over Ohio State on Dec. 6.  And if you’ve learned nothing else about coach Curt Cignetti, you know this time has not been wasted. Sure, Cignetti broke his own 24 hour rule and gave the players 48 hours to celebrate their win over the Buckeyes.  25 days between games provided that luxury. And yes, there was the little matter of Fernando Mendoza…

When No. 1 Indiana takes on Alabama on Jan. 1, Curt Cignetti will be facing the remnants of a program that was instrumental in his journey towards becoming one of the best coaches in the sport. In his mid-40s Cignetti joined legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban’s first staff in Tuscaloosa in 2007, serving as the recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach. The son of a Hall of Fame head coach, Cignetti knew he wanted to become a head coach himself eventually, and he was in the perfect spot to put the finishing touches on his readiness to lead his own…

College football players who participate in four or less games in a season can utilize a redshirt year for that season provided they have not already taken a redshirt year in a previous season. Games played in the postseason do not count towards the total of four.  So the determination of which IU players can utilize 2025 as a redshirt year is final. There is a movement afoot to eliminate the redshirt rule and simply allow all players to play five seasons irrespective of the number of games played.  If that were to somehow take effect in 2026, several stars…

With two weeks off until league play resumes, this Indiana team is going to have to figure out how to stay locked in for a full 40 minutes. Much like Saturday, the Hoosiers started strong, opening up an 11-0 lead four minutes into the game.  An 8-0 run to end the first half gave IU a comfortable 26-point advantage at the break.  IU’s comfort became a problem.  Siena worked the lead down to 16 midway through the second half, and Indiana could never really impose their will after the break. Let’s take a deeper look at how Indiana won 81-60…