In today's era of college football, the transfer portal plays a massive role in roster construction. Love it or hate it, the days of a star player staying for all four years at a single school is becoming increasingly more rare. Nowadays, understanding how to effectively use the portal to bring in talent on a yearly basis goes a long way toward putting a winning team on the field.
No coach out there understands that more than Curt Cignetti. Throughout the course of his time as the head coach at Indiana, Cignetti has mastered the transfer portal. He has been able to attract big-name talent in each portal cycle, which has paved the way for the Hoosiers to go 27-2 overall and win a National Championship just two years into his tenure.
This past offseason, Cignetti brought in 17 players via the portal. The class has received high praise all offseason long, and is even ranked as the No. 1 portal class in the country by On3.
But as the transfer portal giveth, the transfer portal taketh away. The Hoosiers saw over a dozen players leave Bloomington via the portal this offseason. Here is a look at those players and where they are heading into the new 2026 college football season.
Tracking Indiana Football 2026 transfer portal departures
QB Alberto Mendoza - Georgia Tech
The younger brother of Fernando served as a back-up QB during Indiana's National Championship-winning season. Alberto completed 18 of his 24 pass attempts last season while throwing for 286 yards and 5 touchdowns. He is now off to Georgia Tech, where he figures to be QB1 for the Yellow Jackets this season.
DL J'mari Monette - Memphis
Hailing from Alexandria, LA, J'mari Monette is now at Memphis after being with the Hoosiers since 2022. He appeared in 7 games and recorded 3 tackles this past season.
WR Makai Jackson - Liberty
Makai Jackson is off to Liberty after spending 2 seasons with Appalachian State and one with Indiana. This past season, he collected 3 catches for 15 yards while appearing in 4 games.
EDGE Triston Abram - N/A
Freshman EDGE Triston Abram recently entered the portal on July 29. The move came just a few days before fall camp was set to begin. Abram is a former 3-star recruit out of St. Louis and was ranked as the No. 64 EDGE and No. 8 player in Missouri for the 2025 recruiting cycle. Abram was a key piece of Indiana's 2025 recruiting class, as his Rivals ranking of 87.71 was the 4th-best in the class. Now, he is on the search for a new opportunity.
WR Ace Ciongoli - Florida
Ace Ciongoli was a walk-on WR for the Hoosiers in 2025. He didn't appear in any games, and is now headed to Florida to play for new Gator head coach Jon Sumrall.
DL Hosea Wheeler - Baylor
Hosea Wheeler spent 3 seasons at Western Kentucky before coming to Indiana for the 2025 campaign. He appeared in all 16 games and made 5 starts on the Hoosier defensive line. The Sacramento native totaled 31 tackles and 4.0 tackles for loss while also recovering a pair of fumbles.
OT Evan Lawrence - San Diego State
Evan Lawrence redshirted in 2024 and appeared in 7 games for Indiana in 2025. He was one of 6 non-true freshmen to make their collegiate debuts for the Hoosiers this past season. Lawrence is now headed to San Diego State.
CB Jah Jah Boyd - Colorado
Jah Jah Boyd missed the 2024 season with an injury, and ultimately used his redshirt. He appeared in 4 games at cornerback in 2025 and forced his first-career fumble against Maryland on November 1. Now looking for a new opportunity, Boyd will play for Deion Sanders at Colorado.
DL Andrew DePaepe - UMass
Andrew DePaepe spent his freshman season at Michigan State in 2023 before coming to Indiana prior to the 2024 campaign. He appeared in 7 games over the last 2 seasons and is now off to UMass.
EDGE William DePaepe - UMass
William DePaepe redshirted in 2024 and appeared in one game this past season. That came against Indiana State where he collected his first career tackle and tackle for loss. Like his brother Andrew, William is also headed to UMass.
S Dontrae Henderson - Arkansas State
Dontrae Henderson appeared in just one game for the Hoosiers over the past 2 seasons. Looking for more steady playing time, he transferred to Arkansas State in the offseason.
CB Amariyun Knighton - Miami (OH)
Amariyun Knighton spent 3 seasons at Northern Illinois before coming to Indiana last season. His interception in Week 2 of the 2024 season against Notre Dame set-up the Huskies' game-winning field goal. He appeared in just 2 games for the Hoosiers in 2025. Knighton is now heading back to the MAC to play for Miami (OH), who have appeared in 3 consecutive MAC title games.
OL Mitch Verstegen - N/A
Offensive lineman Mitch Verstegen did not see any game action with the Hoosiers over his 2 seasons in Bloomington. He has yet to find a new landing spot.
EDGE Aden Cannon - Illinois State
EDGE Aden Cannon walked-on to the IU football program back in 2022. After not appearing in any game action over the last 4 years, he is now off to Illinois State where he figures to be in line for consistent playing time.
EDGE Finn Walters - N/A
Finn Walters joined the Hoosiers as a walk-on in 2023 and never saw any game action in Bloomington. He served as a key member of the scout team over his 3 seasons with the Hoosiers, and is currently still looking for his next college football opportunity.
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