Indiana football begins its quest for a second consecutive College Football Playoff appearance at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against Old Dominion University on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers finished 11-2 in head coach Curt Cignetti’s first season at the helm of the program in 2024. In the offseason, Cignetti and his staff brought in 24 players out of the transfer portal — headlined by former University of California, Berkeley quarterback Fernando Mendoza — to bolster the roster and replace impactful players.
The Indiana Daily Student’s two football reporters and columnist provided their player predictions.
Most valuable offensive player
DALTON JAMES: He doesn’t play the most attractive position or score touchdowns, but it’s perhaps the most important: left tackle. Redshirt junior Carter Smith has started every game since the 2023 season opener, protecting the quarterback’s blind side. For Mendoza to succeed this season, he’ll need quality protection to deliver the ball to Indiana’s skill position players. For the Hoosiers’ offensive line — a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award — to continue their strong play under offensive line coach Bob Bostad, Smith will play a critical role in anchoring the unit.
CONOR BANKS: Senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt quickly became a household name for Hoosier fans last season, even earning the nickname “Waffle House”. After following Cignetti to Indiana from James Madison University, Sarratt posted 137 yards and one receiving touchdown in his second game as a Hoosier against Western Illinois University. An all-conference performer in all three of his collegiate seasons so far, Sarratt heads into the 2025 season leading the nation with 38 consecutive games with a reception. Sarratt looks to extend this streak by building his chemistry with Fernando Mendoza. If their connection is anything like it was with former Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, Sarratt will be in contention for the 2025 Biletnikoff Award — the honor granted to the most outstanding FBS receiver, and one not yet attained by Indiana.
QUINN RICHARDS: An experienced transfer taking over a Curt Cignetti Indiana offense? It’s a recipe that’s worked before. Former Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke was the program’s most valuable player last season, and I think a similar narrative will unfold with Mendoza in 2025. The three-time Atlantic Coast Conference Quarterback of the Week will be flanked by a pair of proven wide receivers in senior Elijah Sarratt and redshirt junior Omar Cooper Jr. With weapons at his disposal and an experienced offensive line returning for pass protection, Mendoza will be the X-factor in Indiana’s offense.
Most valuable defensive player
JAMES: Senior linebacker Aiden Fisher is the unquestioned leader of Indiana’s defense, which ranked second nationally in total defense in 2024. Fisher fished third in the Big Ten with his 118 total tackles in his first season in Bloomington. Not only does the Fredericksburg, Virginia, native command the defense on the field, much like a quarterback does on offense, but he’s one of, if not the, most impactful leaders off the field. In 2024, there were 13 Hoosiers who followed Curt Cignetti from James Madison University. Now, just seven of those players remain, but they’re a group that has consistently played winning football and are “invaluable,” according to Cignetti. I believe Fisher will again garner All-America honors in his final season in the Cream and Crimson.
BANKS: ESPN ranked redshirt senior defensive lineman Mikail Kamara No. 35 in its 2025 top 100 college football player rankings — the highest mark of any Hoosier, and for good reason. Kamara’s ten sacks in 2024 ranked fourth in the Big Ten, and he has improved each season of his collegiate career. Now, with another year under his belt, I expect Kamara to lead the Big Ten in sacks and serve as the anchor in the Hoosiers’ defensive front, which projects to be among one of the best rushing defenses in the nation.
RICHARDS: Junior cornerback D’Angelo Ponds was yet another James Madison transfer who contributed to Indiana’s success last season. Despite doubts on whether his 5-foot-9 frame could compete in the more physical Big Ten, he proved himself by taking home first team All-Big Ten honors in a productive 2024. Now, Ponds returns to Indiana’s secondary as a versatile corner that’s poised to be a staple in defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ nickel set.
Breakout player
JAMES: Redshirt sophomore defensive back Jamari Sharpe earned an increased role at the end of the 2024 season while former defensive back Jamier Johnson missed time with an injury. Sharpe started over Johnson in Indiana’s College Football First Round loss to the University of Notre Dame, totaling four tackles and 0.5 sacks. Johnson — a Pasadena, California, native — transferred to UCLA during the offseason, paving the way for Sharpe to earn the starting role to begin the 2025 season. Sharpe is a player Cignetti has “a lot of confidence” in, and one I expect to take the next step this season opposite D’Angelo Ponds, who earned second-team All-America honors last season.
BANKS: Sophomore linebacker Rolijah Hardy went under the radar as a zero-star recruit coming out of high school in 2024. He was primarily used in trio packages behind Aiden Fisher and former Indiana linebacker Jailin Walker last season. However, following the departure of Walker, Hardy sprung into a more defined role on the second line of the Hoosiers’ defense throughout training camp. Fisher repeatedly spoke highly of Hardy in the offseason, citing his impressive athleticism and his improved ability to process the game. With higher usage in 2025, Hardy will play an instrumental role in fortifying Indiana’s defense, which allowed the fewest rushing yards in the nation against its opponents last season.
RICHARDS: Redshirt senior running back Kaelon Black sat behind former Hoosier backs Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison last season. Despite his minimized role as a third-string option, he averaged 5.5 yards per carry — the most of any Indiana rusher — in an offense that scored the most rushing touchdowns in the Big Ten. This season Black will be called on more frequently out of the backfield and his upside is lofty. The former James Madison transfer tallied 891 yards from scrimmage in 2024 under Cignetti and will be a threat in both the rushing and passing attack for Indiana this season.
Newcomer of the year
JAMES: Lofty expectations surround quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and for good reason. After spending three seasons at Cal, starting 19 games and appearing in one additional contest, Mendoza departed Berkeley, California, for Bloomington. Better skill position players? Check. Better protection up front? Check. The offense surrounding Mendoza will allow him to thrive in what may be his only season at Indiana, should he declare for the NFL Draft at season’s end. Mendoza’s name will become a household one across the country this season, helping prove Indiana’s 2024 season was no fluke.
BANKS: I find it difficult to imagine a world where Mendoza does not find success in an Indiana uniform. The junior displayed excellent timing and anticipation in his two seasons with Cal, holding the highest career completion percentage with 66.4%. Mendoza also adds mobility to the Hoosier offense — something the team lacked last season with Rourke under center. Mendoza will enjoy an upgraded unit up front this season, after passing behind a Cal offensive line that allowed 3.85 sacks per game last season — the third worst mark in the nation. With this added time in the pocket, Mendoza and Elijah Sarratt have a shot at developing into one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in the nation.
RICHARDS: I’ll give some love to the trenches by highlighting the University of Notre Dame transfer offensive lineman Pat Coogan. The 6-foot-5, 311-pound redshirt senior arrives in Bloomington with 26 career starts over a four-year stint in nearby South Bend, Indiana, and fills a crucial hole in the Hoosiers’ offense. In 2024, an injury forced Coogan to swap from his initial left guard role and take over center duties for the Fighting Irish, where he started the team’s final 13 games. He helped facilitate Notre Dame’s 200.9 rushing yards per game last season which ranked fifth among Power 4 programs. I think that success will translate as Coogan fills the shoes of former Indiana offensive lineman Mike Katic.
Under the radar player to watch
JAMES: Freshman defensive back Byron Baldwin Jr’s recruitment was an interesting one. He originally committed to Cignetti and the Hoosiers on April 17, 2024, but he later decommitted Oct. 2, 2024, before then recommitting to Indiana nearly a month and a half later. Now, Baldwin Jr., who Aiden Fisher said has been “a guy that came in and has been bought in,” seems to be in a spot where he could see action in his first season in Bloomington. Fisher recalled a summer conversation between the two in which Baldwin Jr. asked what he could improve on and how to get onto the field and become an impact player — which Fisher believes he’ll be. Baldwin Jr. has the “it factor,” Fisher said, and I believe he’ll leave his mark this season.
BANKS: The Indiana coaching staff has touted senior defensive lineman Kellan Wyatt as a high-energy and versatile piece of the defensive puzzle throughout training camp. Wyatt spent the last three seasons with Maryland, where he started 28 games in that span before transferring to Indiana. The Hoosiers saw Wyatt’s skillsets on display firsthand in 2024 against the Terrapins. In the matchup, he posted 1.5 tackles for loss and added a solo sack. While Mikail Kamara will receive most of the attention on the edge, the arrival of Wyatt brings a rushing threat opposite of him, while adding versatility in pass coverage.
RICHARDS: This is a fun one. Senior wide receiver Makai Jackson began his college football career at St. Francis University — an FCS program in Loretto, Pennsylvania — after failing to receive a single FBS offer out of high school. After being named to the FCS Freshman All-American Team, he garnered attention from Appalachian State University and transferred there the next season. Now, after a breakout season with the Mountaineers in 2024, Jackson finds himself playing under the reigning Associated Press Coach of the Year and for an Indiana team coming off a run to the College Football Playoff. He combined for 319 receiving yards over his final two games at Appalachian State and comes to Bloomington with big play potential. Even if Jackson fails to find opportunities as a receiver, his speed and explosiveness could make a difference on special teams where he’ll likely be called on as a return man.
Follow reporters Conor Banks and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
