With Curt Cignetti leading the way, Indiana has become a desireable landing spot for the top players in the transfer portal. Cignetti's winning formula in Bloomington has heavily relied on making effective moves in the portal, and the biggest portal name joining the Hoosiers this offseason comes in the form of QB Josh Hoover.
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Hoover isn't the flashiest player out there, but he could be the ideal quarterback to follow in the footsteps of Heisman Trophy-winning QB Fernando Mendoza. There were other bigger names on the market Cignetti could have pursued, but the Hoosier head coach wasted little time going out and getting Hoover when the portal first opened up in January.
It's clear that Hoover was at the top of Cignetti's portal wish list, and six months after his commitment to IU, the move to bring in Hoover is already looking better and better.
QBs above Josh Hoover in the transfer portal rankings have their fair share of question marks
Hoover is ranked as the No. 5 transfer quarterback on the market according to On3. The players ahead of him in those rankings include Sam Leavitt, Drew Mestemaker, Brendan Sorsby, and Darian Mensah. When looking at the question marks surrounding those players, Cignetti landing Hoover makes for a great and somewhat under-the-radar move.
Leavitt garnered plenty of attention this offseason as he transferred from Arizona State to LSU. He is an extremely talented dual-threat QB, but a lingering foot injury gives him plenty of question marks heading into the 2026 campaign. Leavitt missed Arizona State's final five games of the season and even missed some time in spring camp at LSU because of the injury.
Mestemaker's potential is through the roof after leading the country with 4.379 passing yards as a freshman, but how will he fare in making the jump up to the Power 4 level? Shredding defenses in the American is one thing, but the Big 12 could present some new challenges.
Brendan Sorsby's situation is well-documented, and after transferring to Texas Tech, he won't even be playing college football this fall. The Red Raiders' offseason has been completely flipped upside down, and while they should still be considered a College Football Playoff contender, losing Sorsby the way they did is less than ideal to say the least.
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Mensah's numbers at Tulane and Duke were elite, and he now heads into a great situation for the Miami Hurricanes. However, Hoover still has the upper hand when it comes to experience, which has been a key point of emphasis for Cignetti when finding transfer quarterbacks.
Hoover's Power 4 experience is exactly what Cignetti values most
Hoover made 36 appearances with 31 starts over his four seasons with the Horned Frogs. Throughout his career, he's racked up 9,629 yards and 79 total touchdowns. No other returning college QB boasts those kinds of numbers and that kind of valuable starting experience at the Power 4 level.
Furthermore, Hoover trailed only Mendoza in total RPO-throws last season. That makes him a perfect fit for the system Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan want to run.
Hoover has question marks himself, most notably when it comes to limiting turnovers. But as it stands, Indiana fans should feel great about his potential in Bloomington. When looking at some of the other question marks surrounding the top transfer portal QBs, having Hoover with the Cream and Crimson puts Indiana's offense in a great spot heading into IU's title-defending season.
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