Curt Cignetti keeps stacking recruiting wins with new commitment from 3-star RB

Curt Cignetti is wasting no time getting off to a hot start on the recruiting trail during the month of June. Cignetti landed six commitments during the month of May, and secured two more verbal commitments on Wednesday.

The first came in the form of 4-star EDGE Reinaldo Perez, who became IU's third blue-chip rercuit in the 2027 class. The 6'6" 260-pound pass-rusher heads to Bloomington ranked as the No. 32 defensive lineman in the country for the 2027 recruiting class according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

But Cignetti didn't stop there. Just hours after Indiana landed Perez's commitment, Cignetti struck again.

Indiana secures commitment from 3-star RB Da'Jon Talley-Rhodes

On Wednesday evening, 3-star RB Da'Jon Talley-Rhodes announced his commitment to the Hoosiers. Talley-Rhodes is a 6'0" 213-pound tailback from Washington, D.C, and he is ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the nation's capital and the No. 30 RB in the country according to 247Sports.

As a junior at St. John's College High School, Talley-Rhodes rushed for 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to earning First Team All-Washington D.C. metro area honors.

Talley-Rhodes chose Indiana over other finalists Penn State, Boston College, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Washington.

He is the 11th player to join Indiana's 2027 recruiting class, which continues to move up the national recruiting rankings. With a Rivals' rating of 88.73, Talley-Rhodes comes in as Indiana's 4th-highest ranked recruit and the highest-ranked 3-star prospect in Indiana's 2027 class.

There's no denying that Cignetti knows how to develop elite running back talent. Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black made up arguably the most lethal running back combination in all of college football last season, as they both racked up 1,000 rushing yards. Their respective performances played a vital role in Indiana's historic National Championship-winning season. Given the resounding success that running backs have had under Cignetti at Indiana, Talley-Rhodes is stepping into a great situation.

Indiana's 2027 recruiting class continues to grow

Cignetti and the Hoosiers entered the month of May with just four commits in the 2027 class. Indiana was then dealt a tough blow with the decommitment of 4-star CB Monsanna Torbert Jr, who was among IU's most prized prospects. At the time of his decommitment, Torbert Jr was the Hoosiers' highest-ranked commit. He has since committed to the Louisville Cardinals.

Curt Cignetti has Indiana poised for historic milestone before the season even starts

But Cignetti made sure Indiana wasn't down for long. Since Torbert abandoned his pledge to the Hoosiers in the middle of May, Cignetti has landed eight verbal commitment to give IU plenty of recruiting momentum.

Indiana's 2027 recruiting class has moved up from No. 52 to No. 29 in the national recruiting rankings according to Rivals. Furthermore, Cignetti has landed a trio of blue-chip recruits in the form of 4-star EDGE Myles Smith, 4-star OL Mason McDermott, and 4-star EDGE Reinaldo Perez.

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