The start of the new college football season is quickly approaching. Coming off a perfect 16-0 season an National Championship, the Indiana Hoosiers are set to begin the new campaign on Saturday, September 5 with a home matchup against North Texas.
There's no denying that Hoosier fans everywhere are fired up for the new season. Curt Cignetti continues to take the Indiana football program to new heights, and fans are excited to see what he can do in his third season in Bloomington.
Fall camp started up last week, and with plenty of new faces in the mix, Cignetti and his staff have been busy evaluating the roster and working on putting the depth chart together. As the second week of camp gets going, here is a look at three of the biggest takeaways from the first week of fall camp for the Hoosiers.
Josh Hoover is ready to take over for Fernando Mendoza
Josh Hooverhas big shoes to fill. Fernando Mendoza led Indiana to its greatest season in program history while also winning the Heisman Trophy. But Hoover is ready for the challenge.
Hoover didn't get a ton of time with the first-teamers last week, but that was by design. Cignetti intentionally rested both Hoover and back-up QB Grant Wilson during practice to give younger gunslingers like Tyler Cherry extended reps. There's no doubt that Hoover will be Indiana's QB1 this season, and it seems that Cignetti is confident with where he is right now.
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Hoover brings plenty of experience to Bloomington, as he's made 31 starts and has accumulated nearly 10,000 passing yards in his collegiate career at TCU. He's also earning praise from teammates for his work ethic this fall. "Josh is one of the hardest workers, he texts me all the time," said WR Charlie Becker when speaking to the media last week. "Like every weekend, or during the weekend, he asks me do you want to throw.”
Along with his experience, skill set, and work ethic, Hoover is extremely familiar with the RPO-heavy style that Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan want to run. All of those factors have him primed to lead the Hoosier offense in 2026.
The front-7 is scary good and has elite depth
Indiana's defensive front was already in solid shape heading into fall camp. But a recent eligibility ruling from a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado paved the way for the Hoosier front-7 to get even more dangerous. Now, both Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt are back for another season of college football. That gives an already talented and deep Hoosier front-7 even more talented and deep.
Most notably, Indiana now returns its top-5 sack leaders from last season: Rolijah Hardy (8), Isaiah Jones (7), Tyrique Tucker (6), Stephen Daley (5.5), and Mario Landino (5). Cignetti also brought in EDGE rushers Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor from Kansas State, as well as Josh Burnham from Notre Dame. With all of those names in the mix, this Hoosier defensive front has an insane amount of potential. And perhaps more importantly, plenty of valuable depth.
Biggest position battles are at cornerback and tight end
Jamari Sharpe is back at cornerback and is primed to take on a leading role in the Hoosier defensive backfield with D'Angelo Ponds off to the NFL. With Sharpe claiming one starting cornerback spot, the other is up for grabs.
The battle is between Penn State transfer AJ Harris and returner Ryland Gandy. Harris had the edge in terms of experience, as he has played meaningful snaps in both the SEC and Big Ten. In total, he has 34 appearances with 26 starts under his belt. He was an All-Big Ten defensive honorable mention last season. Gandy appeared in all 16 games last season, but saw sporadic playing time as a roational piece. He could be in line for an increased role, and it will be intersting to see how this battle develops throughout the fall.
The other big position battle comes at the tight end position. All five TEs on the Hoosier roster this season are either freshmen or redshirt freshmen. Between them, that group has just 17 snaps of college football experience. Brock Schott owns 16 of those during his redshirt freshman campaign at Miami (FL) last season, but the lack of experience and depth at TE is concerning. Hoosier fans will want to keep an eye on this group as fall camp progresses on.
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