The Indiana Hoosiers have been very active in the transfer portal as head coach Curt Cignetti works tirelessly to fill the holes on their team with players who can play right away. The Hoosiers lost their top tight end this season, Zach Horton, who had 21 receptions for 189 yards and four touchdowns, not to the transfer portal but because of eligibility.
Cignetti went out and got Wisconsin transfer tight end Riley Nowakowski out of the portal recently, but the Hoosiers just landed a tight end out of Tennessee, another team that also made it to the College Football Playoff.
Former Tennessee tight end Holden Staes just committed to the Hoosiers with one more year of NCAA eligibility left.
Blessed and ready to work! pic.twitter.com/Fhw7zvIPkW
— Holden Staes (@Hstaes13) January 9, 2025
Staes began his college career at Notre Dame back in 2022 and his best season came in 2023 with the Fighting Irish when he had 15 receptions, which ties his receptions from 2024 with Tennessee.
In 2023, Staes reeled in 15 receptions for 176 yards and four touchdowns for Notre Dame, averaging 11.6 yards per catch. In 2024, Staes had fewer yards but the same number of receptions, with 15 for 131 yards but just one touchdown.
While Horton had four touchdowns for the Hoosiers in 2024, wide receivers were the star for the Indiana offense this season, so the tight ends weren't showcased as much in the passing game. However, the addition of Staes and Nowakowski could change that for Cignetti's offense going forward.
Having two solid pass-catching tight ends who can also be a big help in the blocking game can be big for this Hoosier offense, which is going to go through a lot of changes in the 2025 season, starting with a new quarterback.