Indiana football offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan spoke to the media Saturday inside the Don Croftcheck Football Team Room in Bloomington. He stood in front of a black backdrop bearing the Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff logos –– a position that just recently appeared far-fetched for the once-struggling Indiana football program.
Two years ago, the Hoosiers were sitting at home to begin January, following a 3-9 season and a 1-8 finish in Big Ten play. Indiana hired head coach Curt Cignetti and Shanahan in the offseason.
Shanahan has been a part of Cignetti’s coaching staff since 2016. He previously served as the wide receivers coach at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Elon University, before handling offensive coordinator duties at James Madison University from 2021-23.
Cignetti and Shanahan worked in tandem to transform the Hoosiers’ offense. The Cream and Crimson scored just 22.2 points per game in 2023, which ranked 105th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. In the duo’s first season strategizing the offense in 2024, Indiana scored 41.3 points per contest –– the second most in the country.
Now, Shanahan calls the plays for a 2025 Indiana unit that ranks third nationally at 41.9 points per game. The Hoosiers’ offense has powered them to the No.1 seed in the College Football Playoff and their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1968, when Indiana fell to USC 14-3 in Pasadena, California.
“He (Shanahan) makes sure that he gets the opinions of every coach, whether it’s a scheme or whether it’s a certain play or the type of way that he wants to run the offense,” redshirt junior offensive lineman Carter Smith said during media availability Saturday. “Cignetti is also very involved in that, and you can kind of see that, too. It’s kind of iron sharpening iron. I think it works very well upstairs in the staff room for that, as well.”
The Hoosiers’ success comes despite dealing with injuries to the wide receiver corps and offensive line, along with losing redshirt junior running back Lee Beebe Jr. to a season-ending knee injury against Indiana State University on Sept. 12.
But the Hoosiers have still strung together a historic offensive campaign in 2025, sitting one touchdown shy of the program record 72 touchdowns in a season heading into the Rose Bowl Game. Shanahan’s continued trust in his players has played a key role in forging this record-setting campaign.
“I think the main thing is he believes in his playmakers,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Pat Coogan said. “He believes in us. He does a great job of putting his playmakers in positions to succeed.”
That belief has been evident for transfers looking for a fresh start and an expanded role in Indiana’s offense. Sixth-year redshirt senior tight end Riley Nowakowski hauled in just 11 catches for 74 yards in 2024 with Wisconsin. But after transferring to Indiana in the offseason, Nowakowski has compiled 25 catches for 316 yards with the Hoosiers.
“On my visit, I actually talked to Coach Shanahan, I was like, ‘hey coach just give me a tight end screen, I’ll show you what I can do,’” Nowakowski said. “So, I was kind of joking at the time, but I mean obviously they told me I was gonna be involved in the pass game. That was a big thing for me coming out of Wisconsin not having a lot of receiving yards.”
While Shanahan has made his mark as an offensive coordinator on the field, his impact is not limited to play calling and touchdowns. It extends to the relationships he has built off the field.
“I love him more than like he’s a coach,” senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt said Saturday. “He’s someone I can talk to about anything. He’s someone I want to invite to maybe my wedding years from now. So, I appreciate Coach Shanny a lot.”
The trust that Shanahan has instilled in his offense –– built through collaboration, opportunity and relationships –– will now be tested in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the University of Alabama. Despite the Hoosiers going over three weeks without competition, Shanahan remains confident in his players' readiness for the Crimson Tide.
“I do feel like our guys will be ready to play,” Shanahan said. “Shoot, we’re playing in the Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff game against a great opponent. There might be a slight adjustment early in the game, but I feel like our guys will be ready to go.”
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
