Fall camp has arrived, and Indiana’s offense is rolling into 2026 with a very different look.
After a historic 16-0 season and National Championship, Curt Cignetti’s program is once again trying to keep the momentum humming. But with Fernando Mendoza, Omar Cooper Jr, Elijah Sarratt, Roman Hemby, Kaelon Black, Riley Nowakowski, and Pat Coogan all off to the NFL, the Hoosiers have plenty of new faces to sort through on that side of the ball.
The biggest one might be at quarterback. Josh Hoover checks every box Indiana has wanted in a transfer passer under Cignetti: experienced, productive, and battle-tested.
The former TCU quarterback has put up 9,629 passing yards and 71 touchdowns in 36 games, the most production of any returning college quarterback in the country. Replacing Mendoza is no easy job, but Hoover enters camp with the résumé to make the case.
At receiver, Indiana has a pair of newcomers who could quickly change the shape of the room. Nick Marsh, the Michigan State transfer, arrives with plenty of attention and a little baggage after his first spring practice session, when he wore gold cleats and got an earful from Cignetti.
That moment may have set the tone, but Marsh’s talent is what really matters now. At 6'3" and 213 pounds, he brings a dynamic skill set that should pair well with Charlie Becker, and the two have a real chance to be the best WR duo in the country.
Another name to watch is Shazz Preston. The Tulane transfer looks like a strong candidate for the No. 3 receiver role behind Becker and Marsh, and he earned that kind of opportunity with a breakout season for the Green Wave.
Preston led Tulane with 43 catches, 723 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns last season. He averaged 16.8 yards per catch and had a long of 69 yards, giving Indiana a legitimate big-play threat who can turn short throws into chunk gains.
In the backfield, Turbo Richard brings a different kind of punch. The Boston College transfer ran for 749 yards and 9 touchdowns on 145 carries last season, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
He added 30 receptions for 213 yards and 2 more scores as a pass catcher. At 5'8" and 207 pounds, Richard has the kind of sturdy build that fits well in Bloomington, especially with Hemby and Black gone.
He’ll be aiming to make a quick impression in camp and carve out a major role.
Up front, Indiana has another important newcomer in Joe Brunner. The Wisconsin transfer was one of the highest-rated players in IU’s portal class and brings plenty of experience, with 39 appearances and 29 starts to his name.
He spent the last two seasons on the interior for the Badgers, but Cignetti expects him to slide to right tackle this fall. That position change adds another layer to his camp battle, and Brunner will be trying to get off to a strong start in a new spot with a new team.
In Other News...
Indiana May Have An Answer To Its Tight End Problem
A federal court ruling has opened a narrow new lane for college programs navigating the NCAAs latest eligibility rules, and Indiana is one of the teams with reason to pay attention. The injunction against the age-based policy affects athletes from the high school Class of 2022, giving that group an extra year of eligibility and creating fresh movement possibilities for players with existing college experience.
For the Hoosiers, the most relevant name is Holden Staes, who has already been through stops at Tennessee, Notre Dame and Indiana. He is reportedly exploring a possible return to Bloomington for another season, which would be a potentially useful development for a position group Indiana has been trying to sort out. Whether that actually turns into a comeback is still unresolved, but it is the kind of opening that could matter if the Hoosiers can turn a legal wrinkle into roster help. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Is Betting Indiana Fans Will Accept This Tradeoff
Indiana football has spent the last two seasons building a case that it belongs in the national conversation, piling up a 27-2 record and suffering losses only to the teams that ended up playing for the national championship in 2024. That kind of run changes the expectations around a program, and it has also changed the way Indiana is approaching the road back to the top.
Curt Cignetti appears willing to make a tradeoff to keep that climb going. The Hoosiers recently backed out of a two-year scheduling agreement with Notre Dame and are instead lining up less traditional, lower-profile opponents, a move that underscores how much the program is prioritizing a path toward regular championship contention over the kind of marquee nonconference showcase many fans have long wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Defense Suddenly Has New Faces Fans Need To Watch
Fall camp has opened in Bloomington, and the first thing to notice on Indianas defense is how different the room looks. The Hoosiers brought in a wave of transfers who could factor in right away, including EDGE rushers Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor from Kansas State, cornerback AJ Harris from Penn State, safety Preston Zachman from Wisconsin and EDGE Joshua Burnham from Notre Dame.
For a defense that needs to settle quickly before the season arrives, those newcomers give Indiana a chance to raise both its floor and its upside. The intrigue now is less about who arrived than how fast they can fit into the scheme and turn camp reps into real production, because several of these additions are expected to play prominent roles once the games start. [Read more 🡒]