Indiana’s path to a repeat starts with keeping the machine humming in the places that matter most.
Curt Cignetti has turned the Hoosiers into a juggernaut, and the numbers tell the story: 27-2 over the last two seasons, capped by a historic 16-0 run and a National Championship. That kind of momentum doesn’t vanish overnight. But if Indiana is going to go back-to-back in 2026-27, it has to get three major pieces right.
First, the quarterback handoff has to be clean.
Replacing Fernando Mendoza is a brutal assignment. He spent one season in Bloomington and left as a Hoosier legend, putting together a season built on elite football IQ, pin-point accuracy, strong athleticism, and the kind of preparation that separated him from everyone else. The result was a National Championship, a Heisman Trophy, and the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft all in the same year.
Now Indiana turns to former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, who Cignetti brought in through the portal to lead the offense in 2026. Hoover arrives with real experience: 36 games, 31 starts, 7,629 passing yards, and 79 total touchdowns.
He has the tools to handle the job, but Indiana doesn’t need him to be Mendoza. It needs him to settle in fast, run the offense with confidence, and protect the football.
The backfield is the next big test.
Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black formed one of the most dangerous running back tandems in college football last season. Both topped 1,000 rushing yards, and together they piled up 17 rushing touchdowns. Now both are gone to the NFL, and that leaves a major workload to be absorbed.
Indiana does have answers in place. Sophomore Khobie Martin is set for a bigger role after posting 505 yards on 78 carries last season, and his 6.5 yards per carry led the Hoosiers.
The Fishers, IN native also scored six times, and a breakout sophomore season is very much on the table. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard adds another layer after rushing for 749 yards and nine touchdowns last season, while also catching 30 passes for 213 yards and two more scores.
Martin and Richard are expected to carry most of the load, and how they perform will go a long way toward shaping Indiana’s title defense.
Then there’s the secondary, where the Hoosiers have the most obvious questions.
Indiana brings back six starters from last year’s championship team, including defensive tackles Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino, plus linebackers Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones. The front seven got another boost with Kansas State EDGE Tobi Osunsanmi joining through the portal, so that part of the defense looks solid.
The back end is a different story. D’Angelo Ponds and Louis Moore are off to the NFL, and Indiana responded by adding cornerback AJ Harris from Penn State and safety Preston Zachman from Wisconsin.
Cornerback Amare Ferrell is in line for a starting job, too, and plenty will be expected of him. The secondary is not a glaring weakness, but if the Hoosiers are going to win another national title, this group has to step up in a big way.
In Other News...
Charlie Becker Earns National Recognition That Says A Lot About IU
Charlie Beckers rise this fall has carried beyond the field, where the Indiana junior wide receiver has already started to make his mark in the Hoosiers offense. His first career start came against UCLA, and over the final seven games he emerged as a steady presence, giving Indiana another young player who has begun to matter in more ways than one.
Now Becker is drawing national attention for what he has done away from Saturdays, too. His nomination for the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team points to the kind of profile Indiana likes to showcase: a player whose community service, academic work and leadership have earned notice well beyond the box score, with the final team still to come in September. [Read more 🡒]
How Indiana's Loaded 2022 Class Split Into Hits And Heartbreak
Indianas 2022 recruiting class was supposed to be the start of something bigger, and in a lot of ways it still stands as the benchmark for what the program can point to when it talks about roster-building. The class was loaded enough to be compared with the incoming 2027 group, even with five-star Monshun Sales on the way, and it produced enough movement to tell the full range of what recruiting can become once the players hit college. Some prospects found their footing, some chased playing time elsewhere, and some never quite matched the promise that came with their signing-day buzz.
Carter Smiths rise gave the class a clear success story, while the rest of the group became a reminder that recruiting rankings are only the opening chapter. Several players moved on to new homes across the country, and others followed paths that shifted quickly from development to departure. For Indiana, the 2022 class is a case study in how one haul can shape a programs ceiling and still leave plenty of unanswered questions about who was truly a hit and who was just passing through. [Read more 🡒]
Will Stein Is Chasing Curt Cignetti Swagger Indiana Fans Know Isn't Easy
Will Stein has wasted little time trying to sound like a coach who believes he can change a programs ceiling, and that kind of confidence is part of what makes the job in Lexington so interesting to watch from an Indiana perspective. As the new Kentucky head coach, Stein is talking about changing perception and chasing real success, even while acknowledging how hard it is to win every game in college football and showing respect for what coaches like Curt Cignetti have already pulled off.
For Hoosiers fans, Cignettis rise has become the standard-bearer for bold talk backed by results, which is why Steins path feels different even before a ball is snapped. He is stepping into his first season as a head coach with a rebuilding job in front of him, and the gap between confidence and proving it on Saturdays is exactly where this story gets interesting. [Read more 🡒]