Author: Mike Schumann

The rise of Indiana under Curt Cignetti overlaps almost perfectly with the fall of Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State. Cignetti came to the program with the most losses in the history of college football and the most losing seasons since 2000, and immediately went 27-2 and won a national title. Gundy had 18-straight winning seasons and 18-straight bowl appearances.  He had four seasons of 10 or more wins and two conference titles.  But Gundy was just  4-11 over the last two seasons.  He was fired midseason in 2025 after a 1-2 start. The rise of Indiana and the fall of…

Curt Cignetti has turned down a lot of speaking engagements and appearances offered since he led Indiana to the national championship. But he couldn’t say no to driving the pace car at the Indy 500. “It’s a great event, and it’s part of the fabric of the state,” Cignetti told Anthony Calhoun of WISH TV.  “I can remember watching the Indy 500 growing up.  I just hope I can handle it.” The car Cignetti will be handling is a Corvette ZR1x, known as America’s quickest production car. “America’s hypercar will be front and center at the Indianapolis 500, and it…

Which 2026 games present the biggest obstacles to an IU football program intent on a third-straight appearance in the College Football Playoff? The Hoosiers should have a good chance for a fast start as they put the nation’s longest overall winning streak, and the longest home winning streak, on the line. Below we rank each of their 12 games from easiest to hardest. vs. Howard, Sept. 12 The combined score of Indiana’s last two games against an FCS opponent is 150-3, and there’s not much reason to expect a significantly different outcome this time around.  Howard is by no means…

Each of the last two years, Curt Cignetti has said publicly the program didn’t lose anyone to the transfer portal it was trying to retain. That’s a bit of a harsh statement at the surface, but when you drill down a bit it also looks like an honest assessment. But Cignetti had to stop himself after uttering the statement last week. There was one member of the 2025 squad lost to the portal he wanted back. “We retained everybody we wanted to retain,” Cignetti said on the Andy and Ari podcast.  “We didn’t lose anybody we didn’t want to lose.…

Indiana has completed spring practice and now turns the page to summer workouts and the start of fall camp in early August. What does the IU depth chart look like for the reigning national champs? Here’s an estimation of where things stand for the defense. In case you missed it, here’s where we believe things stand with the offense. ————————————— DEFENSIVE TACKLE 1s – Tyrique Tucker, Mario Landino 2s – Joe Hjelle, Several There is no more heavily rotated position than defensive tackle, so all of the ones and twos and beyond will see significant action.  The early nod goes…

The class of 2027 has a chance to be the greatest of all-time for IU football. And why shouldn’t it be?  The Hoosiers have gone 27-2 over the last two years, with consecutive College Football Playoff appearances including a 16-0 national championship campaign. The unprecedented success orchestrated by head coach Curt Cignetti has forced everyone to reexamine what they think they know about Indiana. And that includes high school recruiting prospects. One of the top targets on the 2027 board is 5-star in-state wide receiver Monshun Sales.  The 6-foot-5 and 205-pound standout is the No. 1 overall ranked receiver in…

After no first round picks for more than 30 years, could IU football see multiple first round selections in back-to-back years? Could the Hoosiers tie or break records just set in 2026 with two or even three first round selections in the 2027 NFL Draft? There’s a long way to go to next year’s draft, and much will change between now and then.  So chalk this up to pure entertainment at this point. But here’s what some outlets are thinking as it relates to IU football players one year out from the 2027 NFL Draft. Three players on the 2026…

Pete Thamel of ESPN is reporting the expansion of the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments to 76 teams is on track to be formalized in the upcoming weeks and would begin this coming season. Thamel’s reporting suggest the expansion was pushed by the Power 4 conferences to generate more at-large bids for teams in those leagues.  The Indiana men were one of the first teams out of the field each of the last two years and would have been an at-large selection under the new format. Under the anticipated new approach, 52 teams will qualify for the traditional 64-team bracket,…

Indiana is in the running to add another freshman to the 2026-27 squad. The Hoosiers are one of six finalists for 6-foot-9 and 205-pound forward Ladarius Givan.  A former Mississippi State commit, Givan reopened his recruitment in January. Givan’s final six schools are Indiana, LSU, Seton Hall, Mississippi State, NC State and UCF, Sam Kayser of League Ready is reporting. Kayser said on X Givan begins a visit to UCF today and plans to head to Indiana and potentially Seton Hall next. Givan initially committed to Mississippi State as a sophomore. He opted to not sign with the Bulldogs in…

IU football is in the final four schools for class of 2027 offensive tackle Conner Rutherford. Rutherford is also still considering Miami, Minnesota, and NC State. A 6-foot-6 and 300-pound offensive tackle from Chillicothe, Ohio.  He’s a multi-sport athlete, also competing in wrestling. He has played on both the offensive and defensive lines in high school, but he’s an offensive line prospect for IU. Rutherford is a consensus 3-star prospect, the No. 723 overall player in the class, and the No. 50 offensive tackle. The Hoosiers formally entered Rutherford’s recruitment with an offer this month and they’ve been showing increasing…