Indiana’s football rise has been powered by more than just the head coach. The Hoosiers have landed two coordinators who have already turned into premium pieces: Bryant Haines on defense and Mike Shanahan on offense. That kind of setup usually doesn’t last forever, and Indiana knows it.
The program bought itself some time last December when it extended both coaches. That was before the National Championship, and before Haines won the 2025 Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach.
It was also a first for Indiana as a program, just like the Heisman trophy and National Championship were firsts. Now the Hoosiers can at least dream about going back-to-back with Broyles winners, but keeping both coaches much longer than that is another matter.
History says these situations tend to move fast. Of the last five Broyles Award winners, Haines is one of only two who are still at the school where they won it.
Some have moved on to the NFL, like Al Golden. Others have climbed to different college jobs, like Garrett Riley, who went from TCU to Clemson and then to Missouri.
That’s the reality Indiana is staring at. Shanahan’s offense has finished top three nationally in points per game in each of the last two seasons, while Haines’ defense has ranked top five in yards per game allowed over the same stretch. Units like that get noticed.
Indiana fans have seen what happens when assistant coaching stability disappears. The struggles to replace Kalen DeBoer and Kane Wommack, both now at Alabama, were effectively the end of the Tom Allen era.
Scott Dolson and Curt Cignetti seem to understand that lesson. Haines and Shanahan, after their December 2025 extensions, are now among the 10 highest-paid coordinators in the country.
Cignetti has also shown, in a much smaller sample, that he can handle turnover well. When Tino Sunseri left for UCLA, Cignetti hired Chandler Whitmer as quarterbacks coach and quickly produced the first Heisman and No. 1 overall pick in program history. Whitmer then used that success to return to the NFL, and Cignetti was able to bring Sunseri back, helping Indiana to an 11-2 season in 2024.
There was some luck in getting Sunseri back after 2025, but the bigger point was clear: Cignetti has built enough trust in his coaching network to make those moves work.
So for now, Indiana enters 2026 with both coordinators still in Bloomington and both among the best at their jobs. They may eventually move on to bigger opportunities, whether in college football or the NFL.
Until then, the Hoosiers have something rare and valuable. Fans ought to enjoy it while it lasts.
In Other News...
Herbstreit Just Gave Indiana Fans A New Reason To Dream Big
Kirk Herbstreit just gave Indiana fans another reason to keep the optimism rolling heading into 2026. During a recent ESPN broadcast, the college football analyst projected the Hoosiers to win the Big Ten, pointing to a coaching staff he trusts and a defense that should bring back key starters. For a program trying to keep building on its momentum, that kind of national respect matters, especially when it comes from a voice that spends all season sizing up the sports biggest contenders.
Herbstreits pick puts Indiana in a conversation usually reserved for the leagues perennial powers, even as the road ahead remains full of variables across the conference landscape. He also tabbed Georgia to take the SEC, citing the Bulldogs veteran core and the edge that can come from recent disappointment, while other SEC teams continue to sort through coaching changes and uncertainty. For Indiana, the bigger takeaway is simpler: there is now a real outside belief that this roster and staff can stay in the championship mix. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Finally Got The Schedule Theyve Been Waiting For
Indiana basketball fans got a fresh look at what the 2026-27 season could bring when the program unveiled its nonconference slate, and it comes with the kind of name-brand opponents that usually grab attention well before November. Syracuse, Kentucky, Arkansas, UCF and Missouri are all on the schedule, along with an exhibition against North Carolina, while several of the games are set for neutral sites in Indianapolis, New York and elsewhere. For a fan base that has been waiting to see the next big batch of dates, it is a schedule built to generate interest long before the Big Ten grind begins.
Darian DeVries sounded energized by the level of competition, and it is easy to see why. The lineup gives Indiana chances to measure itself against traditional powers and a few different styles early, which should make for a revealing stretch before conference play takes over. Even with the marquee matchups now public, there is still the bigger question that always hangs over a schedule like this: how the Hoosiers will handle it once the games actually start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Has Real Stakes In The Big Ten Eligibility Fight
The Big Tens latest eligibility debate has real consequences for programs like Indiana, even before a final resolution lands. A U.S. District Court judge recently granted an extra year to thousands of athletes from the high school Class of 2022, a ruling that would have reached players such as Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley, though that decision is now paused after the NCAA won an appeal.
Now the conference is preparing its own line in the sand. The Big Ten intends to block players who have declared for the NFL Draft, appeared on an NFL roster or signed a professional contract from returning to college football at its schools, even as two players, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, have already been cleared to head back to LSU after ending their pro deals. For Indiana and the rest of the league, the question is no longer just who qualifies to come back, but which rules will actually stick. [Read more 🡒]