Curt Cignetti has turned Indiana football recriting around in a major way. The Hoosiers never used to be on the radar of 4 and 5-star prospects, but now that has clearly changed.
Indiana's 2027 recruiting class features over half a dozen blue chip prospects, including 5-star WR Monshun Sales, who is the first 5-star high school commit in Indiana football program history.
Curt Cignetti is changing what's possible for Indiana recruiting in a major way
Sales hails from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, and keeping him in The Hoosier State is a major win for Cignetti and company. Moving forward, Cignetti is making it clear that keeping the best Indiana talent in Indiana is a top priority for the Hoosiers.
Indiana secures visit from highly-touted prospect Austin Phillips
Official rankings for the 2029 recruiting cycle have yet to be put together, but when they are, East Noble High School's Austin Phillips figures to be one of the top prospects in the state of Indiana. Owning a 6'2" 215-pound frame, Phillips is already garnering plenty of attention from Power 4 programs across the country.
As a freshman linebacker at East Noble High School in Kendallville IN, Phillips earned First-Team NE8 All-Conference honors and was named the NE Indiana GameNight Newcomer of the Year. In total, he collected 99 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8 QB hurries, and 3 forced fumbles.
Furthermore, he thrived as a two-player player while also seeing time at running back. On the ground, he racked up 967 yards, 8.13 yards per carry, and 11 touchdowns. As it stands, he projects as a linebacker at the college level, but still with three years of high school football to play, anything can happen.
Cignetti is wasting no time getting him to Bloomington. Over the weekend, Phillips announced that he will be at Indiana for the season opener against North Texas on Saturday, September 5. The Hoosiers will have a National Championship ceremony before the game, which they hope will leave a lasting impression on Phillips as his recruitment process begins to ramp up in the fall.
Excited to be at @IndianaFootball for the first game of the season!!!!@TomLoy247 @Andrew_Ivins @AllenTrieu @Bryan_Ault @SWiltfong_ @Coach_BHaines @MattWilsonDPP @CoachAMoyers @MikeFerraraIU @brooks_halsey @CarterImesIU pic.twitter.com/PAomvGH9K4
— Austin Phillips (@Austin_RB2) July 31, 2026
Curt Cignetti eyeing hot start to 2029 recruiting cycle
On July 23, Cignetti secured a commitment from 4-star QB Lukas Prock, who became the first commit for Indiana's 2028 recruiting class. Now with a visit from Phillips locked in, Cignetti is looking to create a hot start to the 2029 cycle for the Hoosiers.
Starting the 2029 cycle strong could go a long way to Cignetti landing Indiana's highest-ranked recruiting class ever. He came close with the 2027 class, but the Hoosiers' current recruiting ranking of No. 29 in the Rivals rankings is just behind their all-time best mark of No. 25 in the country back in 2022. A lot has to happen between now and the, but Indiana football fans have plenty of faith in Cignetti's ability to make it happen.
The success that Cignetti has led Indiana to on the field has transitioned over to the recruiting trail. Now, Indiana football recruiting is in a spot where its never been. Along with mastering the transfer portal, Cignetti is building plenty of momentum when it comes to high school recruiting.
The momentum only continues to roll on, and Hoosier fans are hoping that translates to plenty of success in the 2028 and 2029 recruiting cycles.
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