Author: Mike Schumann

Just a month after his fellow offensive star featured on IU’s last Rose Bowl team, Jade Butcher has passed away. Considered one of the top receivers to ever play for Indiana, Butcher was a 1969 first team All-American. Butcher was a key piece of the 1967 Hoosier squad.  He helped lead a Hoosier offense that marched all the way to the Rose Bowl and turned in a 9-2 season.  His teammate and fellow IU Hall of Famer John Isenbarger passed a month ago. A Bloomington native, Butcher was a two-time All-Big Ten selection for the Hoosiers, earning the distinctions following…

Mike Woodson has made a living at Indiana landing recruits following coaching changes and decommitments. But don’t look for that to happen following John Calipari’s decision to leave Kentucky for Arkansas. Calipari landed three class of 2024 players Indiana pursued to varying degrees. The headliner was point guard Boogie Fland, who chose Kentucky over Indiana in what was to many a surprise move in October. The Hoosiers also secured an official visit from Overtime Elite big man Somto Cyril, who letter committed to Kentucky.  And IU offered guard Travis Perry, who also later signed with the Wildcats. Fland and Cyril…

Indiana men’s soccer head coach Todd Yeagley announced Wednesday the addition of two transfer student-athletes to the 2024 roster. Virginia goalkeeper Holden Brown and Tulsa midfielder Luke Jeffus will move to Bloomington when preseason kicks off in August. Both athletes join the program as graduate transfers, with Brown retaining two years of eligibility. Indiana has brought in four newcomers via the transfer portal this offseason. Yeagley announced in January the additions of Louisville defender Quinton Elliot and Northwestern forward Justin Weiss, meaning IU has added a player with collegiate experience in each position group. Yeagley also announced a nine-man freshman…

As Indiana shows interest in transfer portal prospects we’ll provide a quick profile with our transfer portal names to know series. Of course we’ll cover prospects more if things progress beyond initial interest. Next up is Grace College center Elijah Malone, who was named the NABC-NAIA National Player of the Year.  He was also selected as the NCCAA National Player of the Year as well. Indiana had a Zoom meeting with Malone last week. Malone is from LaGrange, Ind., where he attended Prairie Heights, H.S. The senior center will graduate from Grace with four-year totals of 1,953 career points and 1,017…

As Indiana shows interest in transfer portal prospects we’ll provide a quick profile with our transfer portal names to know series. Of course we’ll cover prospects more if things progress beyond initial interest. Next up is Indiana State transfer guard and Indianapolis native Ryan Conwell.  He helped lead the Sycamore to a memorable 32-7 season that saw them just miss the NCAA Tournament, followed by a run to the NIT championship game. The 6-foot-4 Conwell was named second-team All-MVC after he averaged 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  His shooting splits were 48.2% overall, 60.7%…

As Indiana shows interest in transfer portal prospects we’ll provide a quick profile with our transfer portal names to know series. Of course we’ll cover prospects more if things progress beyond initial interest. Next up is Kentucky 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw. Bradshaw is from New Jersey and was an AAU teammate of Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako. The McDonald’s All-American recovered from an offseason foot injury and made his debut for UK on Dec. 2.  That delay seemed to impact his ability to find a rhythm and make a major impact as a freshman.  He flashed his potential Bradshaw at Florida when…

Indiana will have a familiar face on campus later this week. Minnesota transfer forward Pharrel Payne will visit Bloomington late this week according to Darren Wolfson of 5 News in Minnesota. The 6-foot-9, 255-pound sophomore played in 32 games, with 19 starts, for the Golden Gophers this season. He averaged 10.0 points 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks.  He shot 60.2% from the field and 47.2% from the free throw line.  Payne is not a three-point shooter. The Minnesota native is a standout on the offensive glass.  He ranked 67th nationally (third in the Big Ten) with a 12.6% offensive rebounding…

As Purdue prepares to face Connecticut in Monday’s national championship game, Zach Edey said he’s been hearing words of encouragement from Big Ten fans, and yes, even IU fans. “We’ve gone on this run and I’ve had fans of other schools message me ‘hey we’re rooting for you, we’re cheering you on.’  I’ve had IU fans (say) ‘hey we love what you’re doing right now,'” he said. A media member followed up.  “You never thought that — IU fans?” “Yeah, it’s pretty wild,” Edey said. What percentage of Indiana fans are rooting for their rival on Monday evening? The Daily…

Indiana won’t be facing John Calipari when their series with Kentucky resumes in 2025. Multiple reports have Calipari leaving Lexington to take the opening at Arkansas. On Sunday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Arkansas is signing Calipari to a five-year deal to be the Razorbacks’ next head coach. Calipari is coming off a disappointing postseason. Kentucky fell in its opening matchup against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament. The Wildcats then lost to No. 14 seed Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky has only won one game in the Big Dance in the past five seasons. The…

Indiana picked up a commitment from Virginia based class of 2025 wide receiver LeBron Bond on Sunday. He announced the commitment on his X account. 1000% COMMITTED @IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/Z1mMqwrKoH — LeBron Bond 🃏 (@LeBronBond1) April 8, 2024 Bond’s announcement follows a recent visit to Bloomington. The speedy 5-foot-9 and 160-pound Bond led Maury H.S. (Norfolk, Va.) to a 15-o season and a Class 5 state title. As a junior, Bond caught 47 passes for 1,347 yards and 16 touchdowns. Bond does not appear in the national rankings, but he also held offers from Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Syracuse, Virginia Tech,…