Indiana, Curt Cignetti predicted to land one of the top transfer portal QBs out there

Curt Cignetti has a plan. He always has, and he always will. Even with his Indiana Hoosiers about to play in the Peach Bowl as part of this year's national semifinals, he knows he has to reload once again at the game's most important position. With Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza almost certainly on his way to the NFL, Cignetti has apparently identified his replacement for him at Indiana.

Over on 247Sports, TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover has been crystal balled to Indiana.

Hoover started the last three years at TCU in the wake of its run to the national title bout in 2022. In all honesty, Hoover might be perfect for Indiana. Cignetti loves a proven college passer, but one without a massive ego. He has had unprecedented success with Mendoza at quarterback this year coming over from Cal. IU made the playoff for the first time last year with Kurtis Rourke coming from Ohio U.

If Hoover does end up committing to Indiana out of the portal, we can pencil IU into the playoff again.

Josh Hoover has been crystal balled to Indiana out of the transfer portal

In time, Indiana will have to make strides recruiting more polished players out of high school. While Cignetti has been a transfer portal maven, winning like this year over year is not realistically sustainable. Then again, he seems to have a better feel for it than pretty much anyone in the country... For now, high-end, up-and-coming players of note like Hoover are sprinting to come to Bloomington.

The biggest thing here is Indiana football has unbelievably become a plug-and-play Power Four behemoth. Three years ago, this team could not move the football for the life of them offensively. Tom Allen was a fine head coach in his own right, but Cignetti has lapped him millions of times over now. Hoover will have to exceed great expectations at Indiana to make this work, but he may be about this.

Overall, Indiana has become a place where players with one or two years of eligibility can come to and reshape the entire narrative about their football stocks. Mendoza went from a fine player at a halfway decent Cal team, to becoming a legend in the sport and a lock to go inside the top five of the 2026 NFL Draft. Hoover may not end up being as good as Mendoza was, but he seems to be up next.

In the day and age of college football, Cignetti cannot seem to do any wrong, as he is so in his bag!