Author: Mike Schumann

Curt Cignetti and Indiana were deep in enemy territory, but it was 4th and 5 late in the fourth quarter, and the Hoosiers needed a touchdown. It was going to take a little extra to push the ball across the goal line. Okay, no, we aren’t talking about an actual football game here. We’re talking Fernando Mendoza.  You may have heard of him. Back in December of 2024, upstart Indiana found itself in a bidding war for the Cal transfer quarterback. And IU AD Scott Dolson found himself in a suite at Notre Dame Stadium with multi-billionaire Mark Cuban. It…

May 8 Updates Below… Below you can find Indiana basketball offseason roster activity and transfer portal prospects, along with roster movement across the Big Ten Conference. The college basketball transfer portal entry window runs from April 7 to April 21, with portal additions permitted beyond that timeframe. This post will be updated daily and pinned to the home page and menu.  Check back regularly for developments. INDIANA ELIGIBLE TO RETURN Confirmed returning: Trent Sisley Decision not announced: None ARRIVING VIA PORTAL Jaeden Mustaf (Georgia Tech) Darren Harris (Duke) Markus Burton (Notre Dame) Samet Yiğitoğlu (SMU) Aiden Sherrell (Alabama) Bryce Lindsay…

Cal State Fullerton forward Ben Winker is a name to know on the IU basketball front as the staff looks to add depth in the frontcourt. Winker took a visit to Indiana this week. The 6-foot-10 and 230-pound Winker played sparingly for the Titans as a true freshman in 2025-26.  He averaged .9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 4.4 minutes a contest, appearing in eight games. Bradley was a school involved in his high school recruitment.  Winker attended Chaminade H.S. in St. Louis, Mo.  IU staffer Mike Bargen was at Bradley at the time.  Several members of the IU staff,…

IU football coach Curt Cignetti credits his time working under Nick Saban at Alabama as highly instrumental in his career development. Cignetti credits to Saban much of the day-to-day process that has allowed him to go 79-11 over the last seven years despite in that span taking one program through a transition from FCS to FBS, and then taking over the FBS program with the most losses ever. But the first time he got a chance to coach against the Crimson Tide, Cignetti coached like he had vengeance on his mind. Perhaps he believes he should have been promoted to…

The NFL dream remains alive for former IU football offensive lineman Kahlil Benson and wide receiver Jonathan Brady. Benson, a Mississippi product, signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs after participating in the team’s rookie minicamp. Meanwhile, Brady landed a free agent deal after participating in the Raiders’ rookie minicamp. The pair are now two of eight members of the 2025 Hoosiers on undrafted free agent deals, along with the eight players from the team who were drafted last month. Benson played at IU for five years, beginning with the memorable 2020 campaign.  He left to play…

For the second year in a row, IU basketball is planning to take a summer tour. The team is headed to Lima, Peru to play in the FISU America Games. TDH first learned of the plan late last week.  The Indiana 247Sports site appears to have first reported the news on Monday.  Indiana has not confirmed any plans to this point. The event runs July 20 to August 1. Indiana will represent the United States and compete against teams from North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean. An international competition for university students, the FISU America Games…

Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is already fully locked in at his new home in Las Vegas. And for that reason the No. 1 overall NFL Draft choice doesn’t anticipate accompanying the IU football team on their visit to the White House to celebrate the 2025 national championship. Mendoza was asked Saturday following day two of Raider rookie mini-camp if he was going to Washington D.C. with the IU players and coaches on May 11. “I believe May 11 is the first day of OTAs, if I’m not mistaken,” Mendoza told the assembled media. “If it is on the first…

With rosters still in a state of fluctuation, it’s remains a bit too early to be talking about preseason rankings for the next college basketball season. But the first look at 2026-27 from an analytical perspective proved to be irresistible. Popular college basketball analytics site barttorvik.com published its first 2026-27 projections based on what we know about rosters to this point. Indiana is ranked 25th overall in Torvik’s 2026-27 projection, with the No. 18 offense and No. 38 defense.  That’s good for seventh in the Big Ten, behind Michigan (No. 2), Michigan State (No. 7), Illinois (No. 13), Nebraska (No.…

A year ago the idea of an IU football player winning the Heisman Trophy still seemed a bit far fetched, even with the program trending in the right direction. Now and for the foreseeable future?  Why not? Following Fernando Mendoza’s first-ever Heisman win by an IU player, the IU quarterback is likely to be among the leading contenders going into each season. And that’s the case in 2026. TCU transfer Josh Hoover is hovering around 12/1 odds on average across multiple books to win the Heisman in 2026.  Those are the best preseason odds we’ve seen in recent years for…

Most of Fernando Mendoza’s greatest accomplishment at Indiana came very soon after adversity. He threw fourth quarter interceptions at Iowa, Oregon and Penn State — and led game winning drives after all of them. Mendoza also demonstrated on multiple occasions he could take a big hit, pop right back up, and play even better. The entire team seemed to rally around Mendoza when he took a wicked hit at Iowa along the sidelines and didn’t miss a beat.  And he quickly shook off bone-jarring shots in the Big Ten and national championship games to lead IU to victory. Mendoza has…