IU football finished No. 2 nationally in scoring defense in 2025, and No. 6 in 2024.
The Hoosiers finished No. 4 nationally in total yards allowed in 2025, and No. 2 in 2024.
So there’s not a lot of room for improvement here for defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ unit as the Hoosiers look towards the 2026 campaign.
But Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti delivered some bad news for the rest of Big Ten this week.
Based on what he’s witnessed so far this spring, Cignetti sees the potential for the 2026 defense to be his best yet in Bloomington. He told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, that based on both depth and quality, this year’s defense is better than 2024 and 2025 at the same point in the calendar.
That’s no small statement, not only because of how good Indiana’s defense was the last two years, but also when you consider who the Hoosiers lost following their 16-0 national championship season.
Linebacker Aiden Fisher and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds felt irreplaceable at times over the last two years. They are both likely to be chosen in this week’s NFL Draft. Safety Louis Moore earned first team All-Big Ten and second team All-American recognition, and he has a chance to be drafted too.
And then there’s highly impactful edge rushers Mikail Kamara, Kellan Wyatt, and Stephen Daley. And rover Devan Boykin. They’re all gone too.
So this 2026 defense is going to be better?
Indiana was very aggressive in the transfer portal over the winter, and aimed its approach at the aforementioned voids created by star players.
Hoosier fans will get their first look at the reinforcements at Thursday’s spring game.
Enter defensive linemen Chiddi Obiazor (Kansas State), Joe Hjelle (Tulsa), Tobi Osunsami (Kansas State), and Joshua Burnham (Notre Dame). They all figure to see prominent roles this fall as part of what should be a dominant front.
Returning middle linebacker duo Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones are locked in and provide continuity at their vital roles.
And cornerback A.J. Harris (Penn State) and safeties Preston Zachman (Wisconsin), and Jiquan Sanks (Cincinnati) figure to all have significant roles too after transferring in. Cignetti has said he likes his back end depth better this year. Returners like Ryland Gandy and Byron Baldwin will factor in prominently.
They are all in addition to key returners such as defensive tackles Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino, safety Amare Ferrell, cornerback Jamari Sharpe, and edge rusher Daniel Ndukwe.
And then there’s an emerging young core of second and third-year players in the program, names many don’t know yet but likely will learn in September. And suddenly the Hoosiers are so deep and relatively healthy on the defensive side of the ball, there’s a competitive mismatch this spring.
“We have 49 defensive players out there right now. We’ve got some pretty good depth at some positions,” Cignetti said after the first spring practice in March. “We have 33 on offense right now.
“Defensively we have 18 defensive linemen, between D-ends, D-tackles, good young players, good old players, and we’re playing three groups.”
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