Author: Seth Tow

Kurtis Rourke knows his performance in Indiana’s season-opener was just a starting point. Rourke played a solid game, overall, against Florida International. He completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 180 yards with a touchdown, and gained three rushing yards on six attempts, including two sacks. He was far from perfect, as he’s readily admitted, as he felt he missed some reads and some throws that could’ve led to a more fruitful day for IU’s offense. And in reviewing tape from the game, he saw both things that he and Hoosiers did well and things to improve on. “It was…

Indiana’s 31-7 win over FIU wasn’t a perfect performance by the Hoosiers, but it set the table nicely for the rest of the season. These three standout performers from the game were a big reason why IU got off to a good start this year. Justice Ellison Ty Son Lawton led Indiana’s backfield with 16 carries to Ellison’s 10, and Lawton scored two touchdowns. And Elijah Green provided the biggest highlight play among the running backs, with his 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. So Ellison’s performance has slipped under the radar a bit. But he turned in a…

BLOOMINGTON — Curt Cignetti, beginning the day he first arrived at Indiana, spent the entire offseason talking the talk. He talked with a brash confidence that wasn’t often associated with IU football over the years, and deliberately inspired Hoosiers fans to think the same way. Cignetti always acknowledged that his players would have to back it up on the field and make the fans believe in them, but asserted that they would — he never suggested the possibility that Indiana wouldn’t back it up. Ultimately, it was nine months of talk, without any meaningful football on the field. Saturday’s game…

Four years before he committed to play defensive back at Indiana, Cedarius Doss feared he’d played his final down on a football field. The Birmingham, Ala. native was unranked by major recruiting sites coming out of Ramsay High, as his SAT score wasn’t high enough to play in Division I. So Doss, lacking a plethora of options, enrolled at Division II Tuskegee University. Doss redshirted in 2019 after appearing in just two games. He anticipated a better opportunity for playing time as a sophomore, and spent time after his redshirt year getting mentally and physically prepared for that. But in…

Some of Indiana’s biggest transfer portal losses from last season to this year came at safety. The Hoosiers had a group of three safeties who played in primary roles last season, and two of those players left. Curt Cignetti and new safeties coach Ola Adams brought in some others from the portal to fill those gaps, and along with IU’s returnees, those moves helped build a deep safety room that could be even better than last year’s group. Prior previews: Quarterbacks Wide receivers Running backs Tight ends Offensive line Linebackers Defensive line Cornerbacks Roster turnover — who’s gone Louis Moore (transfer…

Next up in our series of Indiana football position previews is the cornerbacks. The Hoosiers have a new voice in the cornerback room for the first time in a long time. Brandon Shelby joined IU’s staff as cornerbacks coach when Kevin Wilson was hired as head coach in 2011, and he stayed in Bloomington through Wilson’s five years leading the program as well as Tom Allen’s full seven-year tenure at the helm. But Curt Cignetti opted to go another direction and brought in Rod Ojong from Charlotte. IU lost several starters and contributors at cornerback from last year, but bring…

Indiana football’s defensive line struggled for a lot of 2023. But the Hoosiers are hoping their offseason moves up front can help that group perform better this season. The changes started on the staff, as Curt Cignetti hired Pat Kuntz to coach defensive tackles and Buddha Williams to coach defensive ends. IU lost some key players from the unit to either the transfer portal or graduation, but brought in some particularly key transfers who could have a big impact on the season. Prior previews: Quarterbacks Wide receivers Running backs Tight ends Offensive line Linebackers Roster turnover — who’s gone Andre…

IU women’s basketball has added guard Valentyna Kadlecova to its roster ahead of the 2024-25 season, the program announced Thursday in a press release. Kadlecova (pronounced CAD-lech-UH-kov-ah) comes from the Czech Republic and checks in at 5-foot-11. She played club basketball last season with DSK Levhartice Chomutov in the Czech Republic, and she averaged 11.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting 43.9 percent from the floor and 74.7 percent on free throws in regular-season action. The forward also played for the Czech national team this summer at the U20 European Championships and posted 12.1 points and…

Like much of the rest of the team, Indiana’s linebacker room underwent a good amount of turnover from 2023 to 2024. Aaron Casey wrapping up his stellar IU career may be the biggest individual loss from last season’s roster, and it’s not easy to replace a player and presence like that. And with head coach Curt Cignetti and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines moving Jacob Mangum-Farrar from linebacker to stud, the Hoosiers had to fill both linebacker spots. But IU brought in a duo from James Madison that could pick up where its predecessors left off. Prior previews: Quarterbacks Wide receivers…

Few position groups will have as much direct impact on Indiana’s season as the offensive line. A good offensive line is always a big difference-maker for any team, and a bad line is typically just as problematic. But with so many new pieces on offense, the offensive line play will be particularly crucial for the Hoosiers this year. It’s the only position on the team with coaching continuity from last year, with Bob Bostad back on staff, and some key returnees paired with transfer portal additions and promising younger players put the group in a big spot this year. If…