Indiana Hoosiers football well-represented on Phil Steele’s preseason All-Big Ten list

Phil Steele’s 2025 College Football Preview named eight Hoosier to his preseason All-Big Ten team, continuing the annual tradition of recognizing top talent across the conference.

In Steele's rankings of all 136 FBS teams in the country, he has Indiana ranked No. 20 overall which is lower than expected but still right in the mix to make the CFB Playoff in 2025.

The Hoosiers are ranked 44th in the country according to ESPN FPI Index and are set to return 61% of their production. A significant loss for the team is quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who recorded a single-season school record of 29 passing touchdowns in 2024 and finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Fernando Mendoza, a transfer from the California Golden Bears, will take over for Rourke at quarterback. Mendoza threw for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions, and completed 68.7% of his passes in

Four players landed on the All-Big Ten First Team: senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, senior defensive end Mikial Kamara , senior linebacker Aiden Fisher and cornerback D'Angelo Ponds. One player earned All-Big Ten Second Team status: senior offensive tackle Carter Smith . The final three Hoosiers selections were All-Big Ten Third Team and all transfers: junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza , senior Hosea Wheeler defensive tackle and senior offensive lineman Pat Coogan.

The Hoosiers' eight preseason All-Big Ten honorees are tied for sixth-most in the conference along with Iowa and Illinois. Penn State led the Big Ten with 15 preseason all-conference selections, while Oregon had 13 selections, Ohio State had 11, and Michigan and USC had nine.

It will be an exciting football season in 2025 as the Hoosiers start the season hosting Old Dominion on August 30th.