Author: Mike Schumann

Indiana starting cornerback Jamier Johnson missed Indiana’s final regular season game against Purdue due to an undisclosed injury. But Johnson is back out on the practice field, and going into Friday night’s contest against Notre Dame in South Bend (8 p.m. ET, ABC), the Hoosiers appear to be in good shape on the injury front. “Yeah, our health is good,” IU coach Curt Cignetti said on Monday.  “Jamier is out there practicing, looks good. We’re in pretty good shape.” Despite missing a game, Johnson ranks seventh among IU defenders with 588 snaps this season.  So he’s clearly someone the staff…

A former star of the IU basketball program has passed away. The Phoenix Suns reported Monday Indiana native and former Hoosier Dick Van Arsdale has died at the age of 81 years old. Along with his twin brother Tom, Dick played basketball at IU under head coach Branch McCracken from 1963-65.  He was the team’s co-Most Valuable Player in both 1964 and 1965, along with Tom. Dick was All-Big Ten and an All American in 1965.  He also earned Academic All-American in both 1964 and 1965.  He finished his IU career with 1,240 points and 719 rebounds. He went on to…

IU edge rusher Mikail Kamara put together an All-American worthy resume in 2024, and he received that recognition on Monday. The redshirt junior was named an AP third-team All-American. A 12-game starter, Kamara ended the regular season ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten in sacks (10.0) and tackles for loss (15.0).  He finished atop the Big Ten and No. 2 in the Power 4 in total pressures (64) per Pro Football Focus. The Virginia product totaled 44 total tackles with multiple tackles in 11 of 12 games. “Mikail is the hardest worker on the defense,” defensive coordinator Bryant Haines…

Back in October the NCAA announced the elimination of the national letter of intent, a program that had been in existence since 1964. In its place are athletic aid agreements under a new system intended to function better than the NLI in the upcoming world of player revenue sharing. Under the new rules, transfer athletes are allowed to sign with a new school after they’ve formally entered the portal. Per the NCAA, once a prospect has signed a written offer of athletic aid, other schools will be “prohibited from recruiting communications.” That phrase is in quotes both because it is…

Indiana has landed a transfer portal commitment from one of the most coveted defensive tackles available. Western Kentucky’s Hosea Wheeler will play for IU next year according to multiple reports. In addition to IU, Wheeler also visited Wisconsin and Texas A&M over the last week. A product of Elk Grove, Calif., Wheeler was named First Team All-Conference USA at defensive tackle following the 2024 regular season. Coming to IU from the Group of Five, 6-foot-3 and 300-pound Wheeler fits Curt Cignetti’s motto of production over potential. He ranks second on WKU in total tackles with 74, while adding five tackles…

Indiana’s special teams got a boost for 2025 via the transfer portal on Sunday afternoon. UCF punter Mitch McCarthy and Texas State kicker Brendan Franke both announced transfers to Indiana. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, McCarthy is a product of Australia. He has punted 115 times over 37 games.  He has a career average of 43 yards per kick, including 44.1 yards in 2024.  He had the 42nd best average in the nation, a few spots behind current IU punter James Evans. McCarthy was 52nd nationally in 2024 with 18 punts inside the 20, and 23rd in hangtime at…

The newest addition to Indiana knows something about the next opponent. Northern Illinois cornerback Amariyun Knighten has committed to Indiana, he announced on Sunday. Knighten had three tackles in NIU’s victory over the Notre Dame earlier this season, along with his first career interception in the fourth quarter. He picked off Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard with under six minutes to go, returning the interception 33 yards to give NIU the ball at the fifty yard-line to set up the Huskies’ game-winning drive. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j3uJsN5bTJY?feature=share The 6-foot product of Hollywood, Fla. played in eight games this season and recorded 17 tackles…

Arizona transfer safety Gunner Maldonado was on the IU campus this week as the Hoosiers look for replacements on the back end of their defense. Maldonado’s 2024 campaign was cut short by an injury.  He played in four games for the Wildcats this season before he suffered a season-ending leg injury against Texas Tech.  That created the opportunity for a redshirt season and a sixth year of college football. The 6-foot and 194-pound Maldonado was a mainstay in the Arizona defense the three years prior. He appeared in all 13 games with 12 starts during the 2023 season.  Maldonado recorded…

Indiana will be looking to replace several key contributors at wide receiver when their College Football Playoff run comes to an end. One of the top prospects in the portal is a name likely familiar to many IU fans. According to multiple reports, Miami (Ohio) transfer receiver Javon Tracy visited Indiana this week. Listed at 6-foot, 206 pounds, Tracy is from Indiana.  He played for Decatur Central High School in Indianapolis where he also played some at the quarterback spot. Coming off his best season, Tracy was named first team All-MAC last week.  He ranks seventh in the MAC in…

There were points during the 2024 season when it appeared IU quarterback Kurtis Rourke might be invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. But six missed quarters due to injury, and six challenging quarters against Michigan and Ohio State ultimately took him out of that conversation. Nevertheless, Rourke’s final 2024 regular season numbers were eye-catching.  He completed 70.4% of his throws, threw for 2,827 yards, and he had 27 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions while leading IU to an 11-1 season and the College Football Playoff. It has been one of the best seasons ever by an Indiana…