Author: Mike Schumann

Back in October the NCAA announced the elimination of the national letter of intent, a program that had been in existence since 1964. In its place are athletic aid agreements under a new system intended to function better than the NLI in the upcoming world of player revenue sharing. Under the new rules, transfer athletes are allowed to sign with a new school after they’ve formally entered the portal. Per the NCAA, once a prospect has signed a written offer of athletic aid, other schools will be “prohibited from recruiting communications.” That phrase is in quotes both because it is…

Indiana has landed a transfer portal commitment from one of the most coveted defensive tackles available. Western Kentucky’s Hosea Wheeler will play for IU next year according to multiple reports. In addition to IU, Wheeler also visited Wisconsin and Texas A&M over the last week. A product of Elk Grove, Calif., Wheeler was named First Team All-Conference USA at defensive tackle following the 2024 regular season. Coming to IU from the Group of Five, 6-foot-3 and 300-pound Wheeler fits Curt Cignetti’s motto of production over potential. He ranks second on WKU in total tackles with 74, while adding five tackles…

Indiana’s special teams got a boost for 2025 via the transfer portal on Sunday afternoon. UCF punter Mitch McCarthy and Texas State kicker Brendan Franke both announced transfers to Indiana. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, McCarthy is a product of Australia. He has punted 115 times over 37 games.  He has a career average of 43 yards per kick, including 44.1 yards in 2024.  He had the 42nd best average in the nation, a few spots behind current IU punter James Evans. McCarthy was 52nd nationally in 2024 with 18 punts inside the 20, and 23rd in hangtime at…

The newest addition to Indiana knows something about the next opponent. Northern Illinois cornerback Amariyun Knighten has committed to Indiana, he announced on Sunday. Knighten had three tackles in NIU’s victory over the Notre Dame earlier this season, along with his first career interception in the fourth quarter. He picked off Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard with under six minutes to go, returning the interception 33 yards to give NIU the ball at the fifty yard-line to set up the Huskies’ game-winning drive. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j3uJsN5bTJY?feature=share The 6-foot product of Hollywood, Fla. played in eight games this season and recorded 17 tackles…

Arizona transfer safety Gunner Maldonado was on the IU campus this week as the Hoosiers look for replacements on the back end of their defense. Maldonado’s 2024 campaign was cut short by an injury.  He played in four games for the Wildcats this season before he suffered a season-ending leg injury against Texas Tech.  That created the opportunity for a redshirt season and a sixth year of college football. The 6-foot and 194-pound Maldonado was a mainstay in the Arizona defense the three years prior. He appeared in all 13 games with 12 starts during the 2023 season.  Maldonado recorded…

Indiana will be looking to replace several key contributors at wide receiver when their College Football Playoff run comes to an end. One of the top prospects in the portal is a name likely familiar to many IU fans. According to multiple reports, Miami (Ohio) transfer receiver Javon Tracy visited Indiana this week. Listed at 6-foot, 206 pounds, Tracy is from Indiana.  He played for Decatur Central High School in Indianapolis where he also played some at the quarterback spot. Coming off his best season, Tracy was named first team All-MAC last week.  He ranks seventh in the MAC in…

There were points during the 2024 season when it appeared IU quarterback Kurtis Rourke might be invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. But six missed quarters due to injury, and six challenging quarters against Michigan and Ohio State ultimately took him out of that conversation. Nevertheless, Rourke’s final 2024 regular season numbers were eye-catching.  He completed 70.4% of his throws, threw for 2,827 yards, and he had 27 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions while leading IU to an 11-1 season and the College Football Playoff. It has been one of the best seasons ever by an Indiana…

Make that four double-digit losses in a row to Nebraska. IU got off to a slow start and trailed 13-3 early in Lincoln, but they found their footing.  The Hoosiers led 23-19 with 11:09 left in the first half, and neither team led again by more than five going into halftime.  Nebraska appeared to be pulling away when they took a 58-49 lead, but IU rallied to tie the game at 62 with 10:35 to go.  But it was all Huskers in the final 10 minutes, as they finished the game on a 21-4 run. Let’s take a deeper look…

Indiana lost to Nebraska on Friday evening at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. by a final score of 85-68. Nebraska led 44-41 at halftime.  The Hoosiers were led in the game by Myles Rice with 20 points.  Malik Reneau added 12. The three keys to the game, highlights and final stats are below. For Mike Woodson and Myles Rice postgame, GO HERE. Indiana (8-3, 1-1) will have the week off before hosting Chattanooga next Saturday. THREE KEYS TO THE GAME 1. Not enough stops.  Indiana was able to force some Nebraska turnovers.  14 to be precise.  But when the…

Indiana sophomore guard Gabe Cupps reported earlier this week he had repair surgery on his right meniscus. So it was reasonable to expect a relatively long recovery timeline. On his Friday evening pregame radio spot with Don Fischer, IU coach Mike Woodson said there’s a good chance Cupps won’t return by the end of the 2024-25 season. Cupps will “probably be out for the rest of the season depending on how things go,” Woodson told Fischer. IU issued a release Wednesday indicating Cupps will be out indefinitely, “after undergoing a successful surgery for a pre-existing, nagging lower body injury.” If…