Sean Cuono was simply following directions.
When the running back first started playing football at age six, he lined up at defensive end to start his first game. The recent Indiana commit didn’t know what he was doing, but his coach told him to tackle whoever got the ball.
Cuono recalled coming off the edge after the quarterback took the snap, and he made the tackle. At first, he wasn’t sure how to react.
“I didn’t even know it was good until they started jumping up and down, that I got a sack. So that was pretty cool,” Cuono said. “Everyone else was hyping up, and I was so confused.”
Cuono doesn’t remember many other specific plays from youth football, but he’ll always remember getting a sack on his first play.
The Clearwater, Fla. native has come a long way since then, growing into the 5-foot-10, 185-pound running back who committed to IU on June 3. Cuono is rated a 3-star prospect by 247Sports Composite after a strong junior season — he rushed for 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns on 145 carries, and he caught 12 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Cuono likes the versatility he can bring to the position by impacting both the running game and the passing game. He said IU running backs coach John Miller has told him he’ll get more work in the pass attack in Bloomington than he’s had in high school thus far.
Growing up an Atlanta Falcons fan, Cuono said two of his favorite running backs to watch film of and incorporate things from their games into his own are Devonta Freeman and former IU All-American Tevin Coleman. He said he liked Coleman’s underdog mentality, along with his speed and physicality.
He’s looking forward to displaying similar athleticism at IU. Some of his most memorable moments at Clearwater Central Catholic have featured it. Cuono said he’s hurdled defenders three or four times in games, but none of those stand out as much as a practice move he made against then-Army defensive back commit Daylan Moore.
“Me and him were talking all day, all practice. We were talking crap to each other. And the first play out the bat, we did a — I think it was a 29 stretch to the left. I get that handoff to the left. I see him over there at the corner, I look at him, and I already knew what I was going to do. I was going to jump right over him. And no hesitation, I just — he went down, I went up, I hurdled right over and scored in the scrimmage.”
Cuono credited his strong relationships with Indiana’s coaching staff — particularly running backs coach John Miller — in his decision to join the Hoosiers. He chose IU over other Power Four offers from Auburn, Kansas State, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and West Virginia.
During his official visit over the weekend, he asked current IU running back Justice Ellison why he chose Indiana, and Ellison mentioned relationships. That cleared things up in Cuono’s head.
“Coach Miller, he tried to get to know me. These other schools, they would just hit me up time to time, but coach Miller really built a relationship with me. I can see myself getting coached by him,” Cuono said. “I talk to him all the time.”
Miller and the coaching staff didn’t start recruiting Cuono until they arrived at IU in December, but the persistent communication and interest was key for the running back. Cuono bought into head coach Curt Cignetti’s winning pedigree and immense belief it will carry over to IU.
Cuono came away from his visit with a strong impression not only of Bloomington and IU’s program, but also of the class of 2025 the Hoosiers are putting together. Indiana’s class checks in at No. 26 in 247Sports’ 2025 recruiting rankings as of June 5.
“They’re going to get something they’ve been waiting for. This class that’s coming, they’re all ballers. We’re all going to come after it,” Cuono said. “They’re getting something special in the class of ’25, for real. And I’m not even saying that just because I’m in the class of ’25. Indiana’s class of ’25 is different.”
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