Author: Mike Schumann

BORDEN, Ind. — IU football coach Curt Cignetti insists he doesn’t want to get into the public discourse about the state of college football. And with the issues so significant and complex they’ve risen to the level of the U.S. Congress, that’s an understandable posture. But Cignetti also lives and breathes the daily realities of the sport. And while no one has navigated the rapidly changing landscape better than Cignetti, he’s no doubt concerned, and probably at times frustrated, with where things are headed.  After all, the unpredictability of it all is suboptimal for a coach who thrives on relentless…

The Big Ten Conference and its media partners revealed today the kickoff times and television designations for the early weeks of the 2026 season. The reigning national champion Indiana Hoosiers open the year with three nonconference home games.  Here are the kickoff times and television details for those games, along with the first two Big Ten games. Sept. 5, North Texas — Noon, FOX Sept. 12, Howard — Noon, BTN Sept. 19, Western Kentucky — 4 p.m., Peacock Sept. 25, Northwestern — 8 p.m., FOX (Friday) Oct. 3, Rutgers — 8 p.m. (TV TBD) Kickoff times and television designations not…

At the heart of much of what has changed in the last five years in college athletics is an interpretation in courtrooms that the NCAA has run afoul of U.S. antitrust laws. From monetization of name, image and likeness, to eligibility rules and the ability to transfer, U.S. antitrust concerns have led to a Wild West scenario across the college sports landscape. New bipartisan legislation from the U.S. Congress could bring about substantial changes to college sports, including a limited antitrust exemption which would allow the NCAA to create and enforce rules. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz reached an…

Class of 2027 wing Gabe Nesmith is a name to know during this recruiting cycle. Indiana offered Nesmith a scholarship in February. Based on the average of the national rankings, Nesmith is a 4-star, the No. 17 overall player in the 2027 class, and the No. 5 small forward. A product of West Palm Beach, Fla., the 6-foot-5 Nesmith attends Overtime Elite in Atlanta. Prior to joining OTE, Nesmith played his sophomore season for Prolific Prep in Napa, California where he helped lead the team to a record of 35-6 and to the semi-finals of Chipotle Nationals. He played for…

– UPDATED –  There’s a strong chance Indiana football will land its best high school recruiting class ever with the class of 2027. The Hoosiers are riding an unprecedented wave of momentum, and they are leading contenders for several elite prospects in the current junior class. Below is a look at the players who have announced their intent to take official visits to Bloomington this spring and summer.  We’ll pin this post to the recruiting drop-down menu, and make changes as updates come in. The periods when on campus visits are allowed are March 2 through May 23, and May…

IU football is trending in the recruitment of class of 2027 running back Da’Jon Talley-Rhodes. Talley-Rhodes said Tuesday on his X account he will announce his college commitment on June 3.  Soon after that, national Rivals reporter Steve Wiltfong posted a prediction for Talley-Rhodes to commit to Indiana. The commitment will be announced just days after Talley-Rhodes visits Indiana.  He recently moved up his planned June IU visit to the weekend of May 29.  Talley-Rhodes also visited IU in late March. Based on the national average of the recruiting outlets, Talley-Rhodes is a 3-star, the No. 35 overall running back…

Indiana and Kentucky have announced a date change for their 2026 men’s basketball game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Previously set for Dec. 27, the game has been moved up to Nov. 20 — a Friday that falls the week prior to Thanksgiving. The border rivalry will air on CBS.  The tip-time is to be determined. IU provided a link to secure tickets for the game.  This is the second in a four-game series agreed to by IU and Kentucky.  The teams are also slated to meet in Lexington in 2027, and Bloomington in 2028. Since it is on a Friday,…

Universal five-year eligibility appears to be on track to become a reality in Division I college sports. The NCAA says it is going to vote on a five-year plan in June, and most national commentators believe it will pass with ease. The new rules will mean every D-I athlete automatically gets five seasons of eligibility in college, and redshirts and waivers will become a thing of the past. So what will that mean for IU football? A lot of Indiana’s current players have already taken a redshirt season, and for them, there should be no real impact. But several key…

The NCAA’s Division I Cabinet discussed on Friday possible implementation of an age-based eligibility model, should the concept ultimately be formally proposed and approved. The Cabinet also signaled it would consider voting on the age-based eligibility model at its June meeting. Currently, athletes generally are allowed four seasons of competition over five years with no age restrictions. The age-based eligibility model would give athletes a window of five years to compete in Division I starting immediately after their high school graduation or 19th birthday, whichever comes first. It also would eliminate waivers for extended eligibility except for pregnancy, religious missions…

IU football coach Curt Cignetti was the honorary pace car driver to start the 2026 Indianapolis 500. Below are some of the sights and sounds from his day via social media. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fy0_ShY0HOY?feature=share https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z3QXBfhDYkg?feature=share Indiana coach Curt Cignetti getting ready to get into the Indy 500 Pace Car. pic.twitter.com/GWvrrSTGPH — Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 24, 2026 Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has his game face on as he prepares to lead the field as the Indy 500 Honorary Pace Car Driver. pic.twitter.com/LV3T3chhC0 — Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 24, 2026 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2vXTQqwjqkI?feature=share “It was awesome… We let it out a little bit at the…