The back end of Indiana football's defense looks much different entering spring practice than it did at the end of last season, but that could still change by fall.
Safety Louis Moore and Phillip Dunham, who played in 24 games and started a combined 17 games, were both transferred this offseason. Moore attended the University of Mississippi, while Dunham chose Florida Atlantic University after initially announcing his intention to return to Bloomington.
In place of Moore and Dunham, new Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti will use two transfers from Old Dominion University, Sean Asbury II and Terry Jones Jr., to fill the safety positions. brought together.
Cininetti, who was the coach at James Madison University until he replaced Tom Allen, who was fired on Nov. 30, was the coach at Asbury when the Dukes played the Monarchs on Oct. 28 last season. Jones watched both players play in person.
Jones had seven tackles and one QB hit, while Asbury had six tackles and an interception, which he returned 46 yards to set up a field goal for Old Dominion. Both players made an impression on Cininetti not only in the match, but also in the photo session that preceded it.
So Cininetti, who brought in 10 transfers from James Madison but didn't touch the secondary, filled both of the vacated safety slots with Monarch standouts who earned All-Sun Belt honorable mention in 2023. buried.
“They both played well, made a lot of tackles, had good performances and earned honors like All-Sun Belt,” Cininetti said on Feb. 7. I'm looking forward to meeting them. ”
The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Asbury began his career at Boston College and transferred to Old Dominion before the 2022 season. This past year, Asbury scored 93 points, the fourth most on the Monarchs, and six of those games came in losses with an interception and one goal.
Jones is 6-foot-1, 190 pounds and had 107 tackles last season, the third-most on the team. He has one year of eligibility left while Asbury has two.
Asbury and Jones provide veteran presence on the back end of a new defense spearheaded by defensive coordinator Bryant Haynes. Bryant Haynes held the same role at James Madison during Cignetti's five seasons at the helm.
But Cininetti didn't necessarily arrive in Bloomington expecting to join the Monarch duo. His pursuit stems from Indiana's sudden lack of safety precautions, an issue that may not yet be resolved and may require further attention after spring practice concludes in late April. be.
“Two guys from ODU were in key positions,” Cininetti said. “We were really lean back then. Maybe even after spring ball, we still need that one or two.”
Cininetti said the Hoosiers' offense is in good shape going into the spring, but the defense may still need some depth.
Indiana football begins spring practice on March 21st, officially marking the beginning of a new era for Curt Cignetti as the Hoosiers' new head coach. But Indiana won't be able to play at full strength even when it returns to the practice field.
The first thing that came to Cininetti's mind was the secondary, and with the NCAA granting immediate eligibility to multiple transfers, he thinks the Hoosiers won't be short on options. .
“We're going to evaluate the back end. Do we have what we need for the fall?” Cininetti said. “If the NCAA doesn't change this multiple transfer rule, we're going to see another wave of transfers in May just like we did in December. I don't think it's going to be that big, but there will be a lot of people coming and going. It’s just football now.”
Indiana begins spring practice on March 21st and will play 13 sessions before playing the spring game inside Memorial Stadium on April 18th at 8 p.m.
