Elijah Sarratt's Indiana expectations would be a dream come true for Hoosiers fans

In the pantheon of Indiana football lore, star wide receiver Elijah Sarratt has to be right up there. The former Saint Francis and James Madison standout transferred to Indiana once Curt Cignetti took over in Bloomington. Since coming to IU, all Sarratt has known is winning. The Hoosiers have lost only a combined two games since the start of last season. Sarratt has been a big reason for that success.

While this may be his last season of college football, Sarratt believes the program is not going away.

"I expect no drop off next year and the years to come with Indiana football."

Sarratt projects as a third-round pick after his second season playing wide receiver for the Hoosiers.

Although Indiana may have the most navigable pathway to a national championship run in the entire College Football Playoff field, they still have to win three win-or-go-home games in a row to make that dream a reality. Can Sarratt, Cignetti, Fernando Mendoza and the rest of Indiana football make that happen? It all starts with the guys coming together to make Alabama's season end in the Rose Bowl.

What are the chances Sarratt's dreams of extended Indiana greatness ring true in 2026 and beyond?

Elijah Sarratt believes the best days of Indiana football are ahead of it

Although he has played a huge part in the Hoosiers' turnaround the last two seasons, the real straw that stirs the drink is Cignetti on the sidelines and the big-pocketed boosters funneling cash into this program. Cignetti may firmly be in his 60s, but he seems to be young at heart. He did not come to Indiana for a big pay day; he came to win championships. So far, he has won a Big Ten Championship.

As far as if Sarratt's dreams of there being no drop-off with Indiana football in the coming years, it all comes down to one thing: Recruitment. Indiana has made strides in recruiting top-flight players out of high school, but this remains very much a transfer portal-centric operation. If Cignetti continues to be all about it, this can be sustainable to some degree. However, depth will always be a major issue.

What is very important to understand is Indiana must put in the legwork to get some of the best players in the Midwest to come to IU out of high school, as opposed to other well-known programs in the Big Ten footprint. Beating Penn State and Ohio State in one year is one thing, but being able to hold them in their place in a second is another thing. The same things apply to newcomer Oregon.

For now, Sarratt has every reason to be a big-time believer in Indiana having national staying power.