Indiana Football 2024: 5 Things to Know About the Hoosiers

Indiana Football 2024

It’s a whole new world for IU football with a new coach and a LOT of new players. Here are five things to know about the Indiana Hoosiers going into the season.

5. Yeah, Indiana should go bowling - really

It’s not like the Hoosiers are all that far removed from being to a bowl game. They went in that weird 2020 season, and they had a good run in 2019. They haven’t won one since 1991, but just getting there would be a good start to the Curt Cignetti era.

There are three wins in FIU, Western Illinois, and Charlotte, getting Purdue at home should help, and there will be two wins somewhere from this plucky bunch, but they have to …

4. Improve the run defense in a big way

Holding up against good running teams has been a problem. This is where all the James Madison stuff comes in with Cignetti, the former head coach. The Hoosiers lost eight of nine games when allowing more than 101 rushing yards. On the plus side, they have an offense this year because …

3. Indiana got a great quarterback in Kurtis Rourke

The former Ohio star could’ve gone just about anywhere. He’s been banged up over his career, but when he’s on, he has the skills, size, mobility, and playmaking ability to be everything for the Hoosier attack. IU will usually have the best quarterback on the field.

2. Indiana football will be James Madison, Bloomington style

Cignetti had a whole lot of success at JMU, so he’s bringing all to the middle of Indiana. No less than 13 former Dukes transferred from their old school to IU, and it’s not like these parts are for the depth. These are really, really good playmakers who should make the Hoosiers better fast - watch out for WR Elijah Sarratt and DT James Carpenter.

1. Curt Cignetti knows how to win

Who walks into the Indiana football head coaching job and starts talking about how much the program is going to win - and really mean it?

Cignetti has been brash from the start, and there’s a reason why - he doesn’t know losing. 119-35 over his career, he has coached for 13 years and had 13 winning seasons between Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Elon, and James Madison.