Author: Mike Schumann

IU football fans are living through an unfamiliar age when virtually all of the news about the Hoosiers is positive. Take for example this social media post by PFF that highlights the elite caliber of multiple returning players to the team this fall.  The Hoosiers will welcome back four players who were, among returning players, in the top-eight highest-graded at their respective positions in 2024.  That group includes two on offense and two on defense. D’Angelo Ponds is the No. 3 overall returning cornerback according to PFF, Elijah Sarratt is the No. 4 overall returning wide receiver, and OT Carter…

Two former IU basketball players have earned a major opportunity this week. After shining at the NBA G League Elite Camp this weekend, Mackenzie Mgbako and Tamar Bates have been called up to the NBA Draft Combine this week in Chicago. Bates averaged 14 points in two G League Elite Camp games over the weekend, while Mgbako poured in 20.5 per contest. Both players came to IU after decorated high school careers and spent two seasons in Bloomington playing for Mike Woodson. A national top-30 recruit, Bates was originally committed to play at Texas but flipped to IU following a…

Class of 2027 guard Chase Branham will take an unofficial visit to Indiana on Thursday, Sam Kayser of League Ready first reported. Branham is a 4-star recruit, the No. 84 overall player in the 2027 class, and the No. 18 shooting guard according to the average of the national recruiting sites. Branham attends Logan-Rogersville High School in Rogersville, Mo.  For spring and summer basketball, Branham plays for KC Run GMC on the Under Armour circuit. As a sophomore at Rogers, Branham averaged 19.2 points, 3.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 61.9% from the field. The 6-foot-4 Branham was the…

Class of 2026 4-star forward Latrell Allmond has announced an offer from IU. Allmond announced the offer on his Instagram page. The 6-foot-8 Allmond is from Richmond, Va. where he attends John Marshall H.S. Allmond is a consensus 4-star prospect at the national recruiting sites.  On average he is the No. 41 overall player in the 2026 class, and the No. 6 power forward. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, he averaged team-highs with 21 points, 2.3 blocks and a 63% field goal percentage as a high school junior. Allmond added 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game while…

How good can Indiana’s offense be in 2025? With more time to throw, Fernando Mendoza has the potential to reach new heights in his promising career. And with a mobile quarterback, IU has the potential to unlock part of the offense that wasn’t an option a year ago. Can they improve on the nation’s second-best scoring offense (41.3 ppg) and 34th most yards per game (426.4) posted in 2024? The potential is there. According to PFF, Mendoza was under pressure when dropping back to pass 156 times (33.9% of the time) for Cal in 2024, the 12th-highest total in the…

The San Francisco 49ers have signed former Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke to his rookie contract. Rourke was selected in the seventh round with the 227th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. According to Over The Cap, Rourke’s four-year deal is worth approximately $4.33 million. It includes a signing bonus of $134,236 and carries a 2025 salary-cap hit of $873,559. All rookie contracts are set at four years under the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which extends through the 2030 season. Only first-round picks come with a team option for a fifth year, which doesn’t apply to Rourke. Rourke won’t…

On Saturday Indiana announced all of the spring 2025 graduating athletes. The full release from IU Athletics follows. ——————————————— Indiana Athletics Celebrates Spring Graduates BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Indiana Department of Athletics honored 120 graduates on Saturday, May 10, upon commencement from Indiana University. “Congratulations to the Indiana University Class of 2025! Commencement is a special day, and I am particularly excited for our student-athletes who can now call themselves Indiana University graduates,” said IU Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Dolson. “I look forward to welcoming them back as alumni and lifelong fans of IU Athletics and this great university.…

Longtime IU Athletics physician and former All-Big Ten football player Brad Bomba, Sr. has passed away.  He was 89. His grandson and IU football player James Bomba posted about his passing Friday on Facebook: “It’s with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my grandpa. He was the backbone of our Bomba family. His presence felt larger than life. Filling every room with warmth and wisdom. Even though he is no longer physically with us, his spirit will live on in all the lives that he impacted. Rest in peace, Grandpa. Until we meet again.” Bomba was on…

Indiana will get a June visit from class of 2026 wing Sammy Jackson according to Dushawn London of 247Sports. His visit is set for June 13-14 and will be followed by a visit to Texas on June 16-17. Jackson also announced an offer from IU on Friday evening. The 6-foot-7 Jackson attends Roman Catholic H.S. in Philadelphia.  He helped lead Roman to the PIAA 6A title game and averaged 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  He made 51 threes on his junior season. Based on the average of the national recruiting sites, Jackson is a…

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee at its meeting this week in Indianapolis proposed changes to help enhance the flow of the game for the 2025-26 season. Recommendations include a coach’s challenge at any point in a game to review out-of-bounds calls, basket interference/goaltending and whether a secondary defender was in the restricted-area arc. Committee members also recommended modifications to the rule on continuous motion on field goal attempts. Other enhancements to help with the flow of the game included new emphasis for the basketball officials for 2025-26. Points of emphasis will include directives to address delay-of-game tactics, limit time…