Author: Seth Tow

When Curt Cignetti left James Madison for Indiana football, life became chaotic for Daniel Ndukwe. The edge rusher nicknamed ‘Duke’ — a play on his last name — committed to JMU over the summer after building strong connections with the coaching staff. It was a perfect fit — ‘Duke’ playing for the Dukes. And he was excited about doing so. But Cignetti’s departure changed things. He and his fellow JMU commits were unsure how they’d proceed and waited for more information to come out. And after seeing a number of assistants including defensive line coach Pat Kuntz follow Cignetti to…

Offensive lineman Carter Smith is returning to Indiana, the redshirt freshman announced Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter. Smith started at left tackle for the entire 2023 season, and he performed well. He was a key part of Indiana’s offensive line improvement as a whole, with a Pro Football Focus grade of 67.7 — the best mark of any IU tackle this past year. He’s fared particularly well considering his age, as well. Smith’s PFF grade ranked 15th among all tackles in the 2026 draft class — only one Big Ten player finished above him in that respect. Given…

BLOOMINGTON — Curt Cignetti received a six-year deal from Indiana University as its new head coach which is heavily incentive-based. According to the memorandum of understanding obtained by The Daily Hoosier through a public record request, Cignetti will earn a $500,000 base salary every year through the end of his contract on November 30, 2029. Cignetti will also earn an average of $3.75 million in annual outside marketing and promotional income, as well as an annual $250,000 retention bonus beginning on November 30, 2024. Cignetti’s contract value significantly increases with on-field success. For starters, every bowl game appearance during the contract…

Indiana football has added to its class of 2024 as the early signing period approaches. Defensive lineman Mario Landino committed to the Hoosiers, as he announced Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter. He’s the first high school prospect to commit to IU since Curt Cignetti took over as head coach. Landino previously committed to James Madison over the summer while Cignetti was still with the program. He chose the Dukes over other FBS offers from Rutgers, Coastal Carolina, UConn, UMass, Kent State, Akron, Buffalo, Temple, Navy, Air Force, and Army. He decommitted from JMU on Monday, December 4, and…

Curt Cignetti has landed his first player in the transfer portal. Wake Forest running back Justice Ellison announced his commitment to IU on Sunday evening on X, formerly known as Twitter. Ellison will have one season of eligibility with the Hoosiers after playing four seasons with the Demon Deacons. This past season, Ellison finished as Wake Forest’s second-leading rusher with 548 yards on 120 carries with one touchdown. He also caught 10 passes for 61 yards. He performed better in 2022, when he earned third-team All-ACC honors and finished sixth in the conference with 707 rushing yards on 170 carries…

ATLANTA — When Indiana men’s basketball suffered a 20-point defeat against UConn nearly three weeks ago, the Hoosiers were simply outplayed by one of the best teams in the country. But during IU’s game against Auburn on Saturday in the Holiday Hoopsgiving, the Hoosiers weren’t just outplayed. The Tigers exposed them, and ran away with a 104-76 win at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. “Got a lot of work still in front of us. I’ve always said that,” IU head coach Mike Woodson said after the game. “We’ve got to take it a practice at a time, a game at…

For Brody Kosin, the week Indiana fired Tom Allen and hired Curt Cignetti felt much longer. The IU tight end commit wasn’t expecting Allen to be let go, so he was surprised when current Hoosier Brody Foley sent him the news. Kosin quietly reopened his commitment, and he quickly heard from other schools. The Clarkston, Mich. native received new offers from Texas and Michigan State during the five-day period between the IU coaching moves. But Kosin wanted to give IU’s new coach a chance to get him back on board with the Hoosiers. Allen and his staff were a big…

Curt Cignetti’s first week in Bloomington has been noisy, if nothing else. Indiana’s new head football coach has exuded a lot of confidence every time he’s spoken to the media — or to a crowd of adoring fans at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. It’s normal for coaches to have a clear vision when starting a new job — that’s how they landed it to begin with. But Cignetti’s confidence, combined with his track record, has energized IU fans over the last week. But is this what the entire new era of IU football will feel like? Jack Fitzpatrick, one of…

Indiana running back and return specialist Jaylin Lucas has become the latest Hoosier to enter the transfer portal, as he announced Wednesday morning on X, formerly known on Twitter. Lucas led the Big Ten in average yards per kickoff return in each of his two seasons at IU. He was named an All-American for his return efforts as a freshman, when he averaged 28.14 yards per return and took two back for touchdowns. Offensively, as a freshman, Lucas ran for 271 yards on 49 carries with two touchdowns, and he caught 16 passes for 82 yards. The Louisiana native returned…

Indiana men’s basketball faced one of its toughest tests of this season thus far Tuesday night. The Hoosiers rode a three-game winning streak into Ann Arbor, Mich. for their first true road game of the season. The Wolverines aren’t the best team they’ve played — that would be UConn. But Big Ten games are tricky, especially on the road, and Michigan has talent. And with Xavier Johnson sidelined for a second straight game, IU showed as much mettle as it has in any game through the first month of the year. In so many moments when momentum could’ve swung the…