Curt Cignetti’s run at Indiana is turning recruiting in Bloomington into something nobody used to associate with the Hoosiers: a real destination for elite talent.
The latest proof came with 4-star quarterback Lukas Prock, who chose Indiana over Notre Dame after being one of the top gunslingers in the 2028 class. That commitment landed less than a week after the Hoosiers pulled off an even bigger splash by securing 5-star wide receiver Monshun Sales.
Sales made history for Indiana football, becoming the program’s first 5-star high school commit. He also became the highest-ranked recruit in school history, sitting at No. 7 overall in the country by Rivals.
Notre Dame had been heavily involved in his recruitment, and Sales had made his feelings clear after an official visit last fall: "I just love Notre Dame, that's that," Sales said after his Official Visit to Notre Dame last fall. "I just really love Notre Dame."
Indiana still won the battle and brought the Lawrence North star to Bloomington, a major in-state win that stung the Irish.
Prock’s decision followed the same script. Notre Dame was one of his final contenders, but when the choice was made, he headed to Indiana instead of South Bend. For Cignetti, it was another recruiting victory over Marcus Freeman and another blow to a rival that has long pulled top prospects away from the Hoosiers.
That kind of pull is new for Indiana. For years, Bloomington was not a place blue-chip recruits seriously considered, while Notre Dame and other powers routinely took the best players from the state and beyond. Cignetti has changed that fast.
Indiana is 27-2 under his leadership, and after winning a historic national title last season, that success is showing up on the recruiting trail. The Hoosiers are no longer just hoping to be in the mix for elite prospects. They’re landing them.
And with Sales and Prock now in the fold, Cignetti is giving Indiana a level of staying power that used to feel out of reach.
In Other News...
Indiana Is Suddenly Chasing A Very Intriguing 2028 Frontcourt Target
Indianas recruiting board for the 2028 class already has an early name worth watching in Hudson Hatch, a 6-foot-10 center from Christ School in North Carolina. The Hoosiers recently joined the chase with a scholarship offer, and for a player who is still unranked, that alone says plenty about the kind of upside Indiana sees in him.
Hatch has drawn attention because his game doesnt look like the usual young big mans package. He can stretch the floor with his jumper, score in the post and is willing to move the ball when defenses collapse, which gives him a versatile foundation to build on. The bigger question now is how much his body and athletic tools can grow over the next two high school seasons, because that will go a long way toward determining just how high his ceiling really is. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Has Indiana In Position To Shape Three Big Ten Jobs
Curt Cignettis new deal through the 2033 season has Indiana in a far different place than it has occupied for most of the Big Ten era, with the Hoosiers suddenly holding real leverage in matchups that once felt like routine conference games. The ripple effect reaches beyond Bloomington, because Rutgers, USC and Northwestern all have head coaches whose standing can shift quickly when results turn, and Indiana is lined up to be part of that conversation.
Northwestern is first, coming to Memorial Stadium for the Big Ten opener on Friday, Sept. 25, and the Hoosiers already handled the Wildcats 41-24 a year ago. Rutgers follows in Indianas first road game on Oct. 3, while USC visits on Nov. 14 in a game that could carry College Football Playoff implications as well as coaching fallout. For Greg Schiano, Lincoln Riley and David Braun, the margin for error is thin, and Indiana now has a say in how thin it gets. [Read more 🡒]