As the calendar turns to July, and eventually August, Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers have their eyes set on glory once again this fall. Let’s take a look at a position by position breakdown of the revamped Hoosier squad fresh off their historic championship season!

Quarterback

At this point into Curt Cignetti’s coaching career, it feels like it doesn’t really matter who is under center for his team, they’re going to succeed. Josh Hoover, a highly coveted transfer from TCU is the projected starter. Hoover threw for 3472 yards, 29TDs and 13 INTs last season with a QBR of 73.6. He brings experience, something Cignetti places the utmost importance on as evidenced by taking his third transfer QB, after Kurtis Rourke and Fernando Mendoza the past two years. Hoover is the current NCAA leader in passing yards at 9,269. Hoover finished in the top 10 in Heisman voting and will look to improve on that standing under the coach who helped guide Mendoza to the Heisman last season. Hoover has some turnover problems, however, given their track record, it is easy to have faith in the staff to improve these. One of the ways they will try to do that is with the rushing attack. Behind Hoover, Tyler Cherry is a former 4-star recruit who suffered an injury last year, and was a special assistant to the coaches last fall to save a scholarship spot. He is still very raw, but does have tremendous arm talent and upside. Grant Wilson is back and is one of those players you see and ask “How is he still in college”, but he provides the Hoosiers with a steady backup if something were to happen to Hoover. Overall, I have faith in Cignetti to iron out some of Hoover’s flaws, and I think the depth in this room is sneaky good.

Running Backs

Curt Cignetti prefers to have a three-headed monster in the offensive backfield, and this year will be no different. IU returns Khobie Martin, an electric freshman who received more and more carries after the injury to Lee Beebe Jr. last year. Martin made the most of these opportunities finishing with 78 carries for 505 yards and 6 touchdowns, although most of those were at the ends of games. Beebe Jr. is expected to be fully healthy and ready to start the year. In just three games, he had 209 yards on 27 carries, and is a proven receiving weapon: his final campaign at UAB, he had 30 receptions out of the backfield. Additionally, they brought in transfer Turbo Richard from Boston College, giving IU the perfect blend of pass protection, home run hitting ability, and the pass-catching between the three backs. Richard had 749 yards on the ground last season, along with 213 yards through the air. I would expect for touches to stay pretty even for the non-conference portion of the schedule, and roles will become more defined as conference play hits. This is a solid room, and they should make Hoover’s life a lot easier than it was at TCU.

Wide Receivers

IU returns Charlie Becker, a standout playmaker who excels at catching the 50/50 ball. After averaging 20 yards per catch last year, Becker is the primary deep threat for the Hoosiers again this year. Becker and Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh are both expected to be high draft picks next spring. The latest projections have both in the first round of next year’s NFL draft. Even though it’s before the first kickoff, that helps to paint a picture of just how talented the outside receivers are for the Hoosiers.

Along with those two, Shazz Preston, a transfer from Tulane, will be a solid third option for Josh Hoover. He came on strong for the Green Wave last season, especially in the CFP game against Ole Miss, with 5 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. The Hoosiers also return Davion Chandler and Lebron Bond, both of whom are young receivers who have the opportunity to take steps forward this year and become larger assets within the offense. Tyler Morris, a Michigan transfer, brings veteran leadership and will handle most of the return duties for the Hoosiers after an ACL tear cost him most of last season. This is once again going to be the strength of the Indiana offense, and it is plausible that the receivers this year could be even better than last year’s standout group.

Tight Ends

This room is the most uncertain group on the offensive side of the ball. Brock Schott comes over from Miami (FL), and although talented, is unproven. He had two catches for 24 yards last year and has big shoes to fill. Andrew Barker is also young and has the chance to develop nicely, but this room is not as proven as last year was with Riley Nowakowski steadying the ship. If there ever was an area of concern for the Hoosiers on this side of the ball, tight end is the room I have circled. IU will need one of these promising young players to step up and become a reliable safety valve, especially towards the end of the year against elite opponents.

Offensive Line

Carter Smith, the All-American left tackle, returns to play for the Hoosiers, which is significant given the depth of the rest of the room. Drew Evans and Bray Lynch also return, providing stability and continuity that a new quarterback loves to have. Joe Brunner and Adedamola Ajani are the new guys, and both are on the right side of the line. Ajani played admirably in his time last year with the Hoosiers, slotting in at both tackle and guard. His strength is the running game. He needs to take a step forward in pass protection this year if he wants to maintain his starting spot. Brunner is a transfer from Wisconsin, and he will slot in nicely at right guard next to Drew Evans at center. Although this room lost two starters from last season, I believe the offensive line can be even better than they were a year ago. The loss of Pat Coogan to the NFL is huge, both on and off the field, but Carter Smith should be able to fill into that leadership role nicely, becoming a guy that the rest of the unit can look up to for guidance.

Defensive Line

IU returns Tyrique Tucker (six sacks) and Mario Landino (five sacks) in the middle, and they add Chiddi Obuiazor and Tobi Osunsanmi to rush the passer from the edge. Although it will be hard to replace Mikal Kamara and Kellen Wyatt, Obuiazor has a big frame and will benefit from playing alongside the talent IU has as opposed to Kansas State. Look for him to take the next step into stardom in his first year with the Hoosiers. Osunsanmi is also a transfer from Kansas State, and is much more of a speed threat for the Hoosiers. At 6’2, 244, he is not a big defensive lineman, but does know how to get to the quarterback. He had four sacks in just six games last year. I believe in the depth of this room, but I do think this will ultimately be a weaker defensive line than last year’s team.

Linebackers

This room will look drastically different without Aiden Fisher calling the shots, but returning Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones is crucial to the development of this room over the course of the season. IU is expected to run a 4-2-5, meaning these two backers will see the bulk of the snaps at the linebacker position. Last year, IU used three linebackers very often because Isaiah Jones forced Bryant Haines’ hand. However, with Fisher gone, Haines can revert back to his preferred two linebacker formation. Both of these linebackers were highly productive last year, and it is reasonable to expect both of them to take a step forward and continue to be stalwarts in the middle for IU.

Defensive Backs

Jamari Sharpe, the hero of the national championship game, is back, along with Amare Ferrell. However, Bryon Baldwin, a talented four-star freshman from last year, must take a big step forward if the Hoosiers hope to contend again, and Preston Zachman comes in for his 7th year of college football after transferring from Wisconsin. A.J. Harris is another option at corner for the Hoosiers, who transfers into Bloomington from Penn State after starting his career at Georgia. I project these five to be the starters, but players like Ryland Gandy could contend for a starting spot as well. Like last season, this room has some question marks heading into the year, but there is enough depth and talent here to expect nothing more than a small drop off from the level of play compared to last year in my opinion.

Special Teams

Nico Radicic is returning to kick for IU, and he is about as sure as a college kicker can get. He was 69/69 on extra points and was 11/12 on field goals. Quinn Warren is also back to handle kick offs, and the Hoosiers have added Billy Gowers, an Aussie, to punt for them. Punting has been the weakest part of the special team unit for the Hoosiers under Coach Cignetti, but they do not punt very often at all. Indiana averaged just 2.8 punts per game last year, good for 123rd most in the country. The special team unit should be rock solid once again, which is pretty much all you can ask for until the season starts.

Projecting the Season

Ultimately, I project the Hoosiers to finish 11-1 in the regular season, with the loss coming to Ohio State at home. While I do think the game will be close, OSU will have a chip on their shoulder after the big ten championship, Julian Sayin will have another year under his belt, and it comes in the middle of the biggest three game stretch for the Hoosiers all year: At Nebraska, home against OSU, and then on the road at the Big House against Michigan. 11-1 will still comfortably get the Hoosiers into the playoff, and I believe they are a top 5 team in the country when it is all said and done.

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