Author: Mike Schumann

The Football Writers Association of America released its 2026 Bronko Nagurski and Outland Trophy Watch Lists this week. The Nagurki list includes 68 defensive standouts as contenders for the national defensive player of the year, while the Outland recognizes 68 returning standout interior linemen on both sides of the ball. Indiana leads all schools with four defenders on the watch list for the Nagurski in linebackers Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones, defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker and safety Amare Ferrell. Fifth-year offensive tackle Carter Smith returns to the Outland watch list after being a semifinalist for the award last season. Tucker…

Indiana’s already strong defensive line got a major boost on Tuesday afternoon. Edge rusher Stephen Daley is returning to the Hoosiers for a fifth season. After transferring in from Kent State during the offseason, Daley became one of Indiana’s most valuable defensive players as the 2025 season progressed.  He was rotating early in the season but saw his role progress over time, especially when starter Kellan Wyatt went down with a season-ending injury. Through the end of the regular season, Daley led the Big Ten and was tied for the national lead in tackles for loss.  He had 19 tackles…

The first official 2026 college football preseason poll was released on Monday afternoon. And Curt Cignetti has likely found another motivational tool for his third season in Bloomington. Indiana is No. 6 in the preseason coaches poll, a panel of 73 coaches across the nation that includes Cignetti.   The coaches put Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame ahead of the Hoosiers.  Despite being ranked sixth, IU received the second-most No. 1 votes (14) behind Ohio State (38). This is the highest IU has ever been ranked in the preseason coaches poll, but a surprising outlook for the reigning…

For 63 years, as an assistant and then lower level college head coach, Curt Cignetti could leave the house while enjoying relative autonomy. His public life started changing during Indiana’s 2024 season, when the Hoosiers stunned the college football world with an 11-1 regular season and an invite to the College Football Playoff.  By then he’d be recognized while stopping at the local gas station, and on other occasions here and there. But after IU’s magical 16-0 run to the national title, the 65-year-old’s profile went global. “I’m a little surprised by that, honestly,” Cignetti said of his newfound fame,…

Can IU football have a repeat winner of the Maxwell Award? Quarterback Josh Hoover is on the preseason watch list for the honor, which goes to college football’s best player. Hoover is college football’s leading returning passer with 9,629 yards and is second in touchdown passes with 71. He has 16 career 300-yard games and three with more than 400 yards. Fernando Mendoza won the Maxwell in 2025.  He was Indiana’s second winner after running back Anthony Thompson in 1989. Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced Nov. 10, while the three finalists will be announced on Nov. 24.…

The news is not good after former IU football star Mikail Kamara was carted off the field at San Francisco 49ers camp this weekend. Kamara was diagnosed with a torn ACL, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. The 49ers waived Kamara with an injury designation on Sunday, and he will revert to the team’s injured reserve list once he clears waivers. After signing as an undrafted free agent, Kamara was competing for a role as a pass rusher and special teams contributor for San Francisco. A product of Ashburn, Virginia, Kamara appeared in 52 career games with 51…

IU football players were learning for the first time on Thursday the Big Ten Championship game might soon become a thing of the past. Commissioner Tony Petitti confirmed at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago last week the 24-team College Football Playoff he is pushing necessarily means the end of early December conference title games. “We won’t be playing a championship game if we go to 24,” Petitti said. “I think that’s been pretty settled in terms of when we make this decision as a league, are we going to support 24, that’s where you start the conversation.” In the…

IU football fans looking forward to a home-and-home series with Notre Dame were dealt disappointing news on Monday afternoon. According to multiple reports, the games originally set for 2030 and 2031 in Notre Dame and Bloomington, respectively, have been cancelled. National reports indicate Indiana decided to cancel, but it’s worth noting Notre Dame has already replaced the 2030 meeting date with a game against USC.  The Trojans insisted on early season weekends in order to renew their rivalry series with the Irish. The games were originally contracted in 2021, when Tom Allen led IU and Brian Kelly led Notre Dame.…

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Yeah, that seems like a good plan for IU football, at least for the moment. Much has been made from the outside about Indiana’s nonconference schedule since Curt Cignetti took over as head coach.  But after a 16-0 national championship season that included six top-10 wins, those complaints are falling on deaf ears. Over the last couple year, the Hoosiers dropped games from the schedule against both Louisville and Virginia and opted to play FCS opponents instead.  IU’s nonconference opponents are known for the next six years, and they’re all lower-level teams…

Sam Alexis announced Sunday afternoon his intent to return to the IU basketball program for the 2026-27 season. What does this mean for the Hoosiers in coach Darian DeVries’ second year at the helm? INDIANA HAS SERIOUS SIZE AND EXPERIENCED FRONTCOURT DEPTH With the addition of Alexis, IU has a three-man rotation at the power forward and center positions measuring 7-foot-2 (Samet Yigitoglu), 6-foot-11 (Aiden Sherrell) and 6-foot-9 (Alexis). It’s no coincidence that three of top seven teams (out of 365) in KenPom average height (measuring the average height of the players on the court) were Elite Eight teams in…