Indiana football completed its first 12-0 regular season with its victory over Purdue on Nov. 29, paving the way for its first Big Ten Championship game appearance.
With No. 2 Indiana set to clash with No. 1 Ohio State at 8 p.m. Saturday inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, head coach Curt Cignetti and numerous players earned recognition from the Big Ten on Wednesday and Thursday.
Curt Cignetti
In his first season at the helm of the Hoosiers in 2024, Cignetti led the squad to an 11-1 regular-season mark before a first-round exit in the College Football Playoff against the University of Notre Dame.
After retooling Indiana’s roster via the transfer portal, Cignetti’s 2025 squad completed the program’s first unblemished regular season. The Hoosiers won road games in historically hostile environments including Iowa, then-No. 3 Oregon and Penn State.
In turn, Cignetti earned the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year award alongside the Dave McClain Coach of the Year honor. According to Cignetti’s new contract signed in mid-October, he’ll earn a $50,000 bonus for receiving the awards.
Offensive honors
Redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza earned first-team honors after leading the conference with 32 passing touchdowns. He was also named the Greise-Brees Quarterback of the Year and the Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year.
As of Thursday, Mendoza is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at +160, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Redshirt junior left tackle Carter Smith was the only other offensive player to earn first-team honors. He was named the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Four Hoosiers made the second team: senior receiver Elijah Sarratt, redshirt senior center Pat Coogan, redshirt junior receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and sixth-year senior tight end Riley Nowakowski.
Redshirt senior running back Roman Hemby, who ran for 866 yards and six touchdowns, earned a spot on the third team in his lone season at Indiana after four at Maryland.
Defensive honors
Defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ unit ranked third in the Power Four in total defense, allowing just 251.8 yards per game. The Hoosiers held eight opponents to no more than 14 points and surrendered a season-high 24 points to Penn State on Nov. 9.
Sixth-year senior safety Louis Moore, senior linebacker Aiden Fisher, redshirt junior Tyrique Tucker and junior defensive back D’Angelo Ponds were each named first-team All-Big Ten.
Junior safety Amare Ferrell and sophomore linebacker Rolijah Hardy both earned a spot on the second team while redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Jones earned third-team honors.
Sixth-year senior defensive lineman Mikail Kamara, who led the Big Ten with 46 quarterback pressures, was named an honorable mention. Senior defensive lineman Stephen Daley, who finished tied for first nationally with 18 tackles for loss, also only earned an honorable mention.
Special teams honors
Redshirt sophomore kicker Nico Radicic drilled all 70 extra points and went 13 for 13 on field goals, earning him first-team honors. He was also named the Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year — the first Hoosier to earn the award since Griffin Oakes in 2017.
Sixth-year senior long snapper Mark Langston was named to the first team while senior punt returner Jonathan Brady earned second-team honors.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
