BLOOMINGTON — The Indiana University football team is counting down the days to the debut of the new members assembled by first-year coach Kurt Cignetti.
He spent much of his time re-building the offense, and Cignetti knew exactly what he wanted, building a reputation as a quarterback guru during his time as an assistant and bringing in a ton of talent.
Indiana's spring game offered glimpses of new faces, including quarterback Curtis Luke, running backs Kayron Black and Justise Ellison, wide receivers Elijah Surratt and Myles Price and tight end Zach Horton.
They are expected to start this fall with several carryovers from the previous regime. Coach Cignetti has raised the talent level across the board, but some position groups are in better positions than others. Taking into account experience, past performance and depth, here is the ranking heading into fall camp:
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1. Wide receiver
Coach Kurt Cignetti has ensured the success of his new quarterback staff by beefing up his receiver corps. This team has depth, keeping its top players while adding four proven transfers, so IU's recent struggles at the position may become a thing of the past.
Offensive coordinator/receivers coach Mike Shanahan's recent track record is also encouraging: He has produced five 1,000-yard receivers at JMU and has had multiple receivers achieve that feat in the same season in two of five seasons (2019 and 2023). That has never happened in Bloomington.
All three of IU's projected starters at receiver will have that ability.
Donaven McCallie, Indiana's leading receiver last year, averaged 84 yards per game over the final five weeks of the season, putting him on pace for 1,000 yards. McCallie was a top target in the transfer portal because of his size and athleticism, but Coach Cignetti convinced him to stay. He'll get extra help this season playing alongside Myles Price and Elijah Surratt.
Price has never been the top option on Texas Tech's offense, but he's always found a way to put up numbers, such as 517 yards on just 49 targets in 2021. Surratt, meanwhile, was the breakout player on JMU's offense last season, racking up 1,191 yards.
Behind them, they have EJ Williams Jr. working to stay healthy and contribute consistently, as well as breakout candidates Omar Cooper Jr. and Anderson Coby looking to earn regular playing time.
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2. Offensive Line
Indiana's offensive line was a source of frustration for former coach Tom Allen in 2021. The team's struggles throughout the season marred any hopes the team would repeat with back-to-back winning seasons.
Enter Bob Bostad.
Allen turned to former Wisconsin assistant coach Bostad, a respected offensive line coach with more than 30 years of experience, including a stint in the NFL, to turn things around. The Hoosiers' line was far from perfect, but it wasn't the cause of IU's continued underachievement last year.
Bostad was the only assistant Coach Cignetti retained because of the promise of IU's offensive line last year, and he was happy with the decision after spring training thanks to the team's steady progress.
That shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering the projected starting lineup includes left tackle Carta Smith, left guard Tyler Stevens, center Mike Katic, right guard Nick Kidwell and right tackle Trey Wedig, who has appeared in 176 career games, starting 122 of them.
With only Katic and Smith remaining, they will need time to settle in, but continuity at two key positions will help. A lack of experience at those positions has been a concern all season, but playing against teams outside the Power 4 in September should give Cignetti the opportunity to get some work done on some of his more inexperienced reserve players.
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3. Quarterback
Most of Indiana's quarterback woes last season were self-inflicted.
Allen's decision to extend the competition into the regular season might have worked out better if he'd given Taven Jackson a little more leeway, and by the time Brendan Sorsby looked comfortable under center, the season was already lost.
Cignetti's reputation as a quarterback guru made an immediate impact. He landed top transfer target Curtis Luke and four-star recruit Tyler Cherry, the second-highest rated quarterback recruit of all time, through the transfer portal. Jackson was the only player to stay with the team.
Rourke was a big acquisition given his long history of success at Ohio State, where he was the MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. The 6-foot-5 quarterback has a powerful arm and is an accurate passer.
While he hasn't officially earned the position yet, his success in the spring games showed he's a cut above the rest, and having Jackson at the No. 2 position gives IU experience at the position that most teams in the Big Ten lack.
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4. Tight end
Curt Cignetti has used tight ends to varying degrees during his time at JMU, and the most productive season for a Dukes tight end came in 2019 when Dylan Stapleton had 35 catches for 426 yards and a touchdown.
Horton, who followed Cignetti to Indiana, came closest to matching those numbers last year, with 27 catches for 275 yards and six touchdowns. He was a key red-zone target at the time, with three of his scores coming inside the 20-yard line.
He has earned the staff's trust both as a receiver and a blocker and could be a relief for Luke this fall.
Indiana's versatility at the position falls off a bit behind Horton, as Trey Walker and James Bomba can fill in-line blocking roles but don't have the same upside as a receiving threat.
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5. Running back
Indiana had five running backs on scholarship last season. None of them were still with the team going into fall camp, and Cignetti has been more aggressive in rebuilding the running back corps than any other position on the team.
Will it work? There were some positive signs in the spring games. Kayron Black and Justise Ellison showed off their athleticism, and Ty-San Lawton was effective in the shorter yards. Ellison has the most experience on the team, having carried the ball 427 times over four seasons at Wake Forest.
Last year, the Hoosiers averaged just 3.3 yards per carry and only five times they gained 20 or more yards, their fewest in over 15 years. This team should be better and more efficient than last year.
That would be enough to complement a more impressive passing attack.
Michael Niziolek is an Indiana reporter for the Bloomington Herald Times. You can follow him on X. Michael Niziolek Click here to read his full article.
