Curt Cignetti Calls Out Donaven McCulley and He Responds

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said during spring practice that wide receiver Donaven McCulley “needs to pick it up,” and he responded with a leaping touchdown grab in the spring game.

Indiana's Donaven McCulley (1) celebrates his touchdown with Andison Coby (0) during the spring game. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Over 3,000 college football players entered the transfer portal this offseason, but sometimes keeping key players can be the biggest recruiting wins.

For new Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, that was Donaven McCulley.

The 6-foot-5 wide receiver entered the transfer portal following the 2023 season, and he posted offers from big-name programs such as Michigan, Penn State, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Kentucky, UCLA, Mississippi State, Kentucky, South Carolina and South Florida.

With McCulley and other Indiana receivers in the portal, Cignetti thought he and the staff might have had to rebuild the entire receiving corps. But that wasn’t the only priority in what Cignetti considered “a whirlwind, really. I would call this 20 days of 4th and 1.”

Cignetti needed a proven quarterback, too, because Brendan Sorsby and Dexter Williams II transferred out and left Indiana with limited experience at the position. He secured a commitment from Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke in December, which seemed to create a surprising domino effect for Cignetti.

On Dec. 15, McCulley spurned the eventual national champions and several others, and announced his return to Indiana. “Hoosier Nation. I’m back,” he said in a social media post, captioned with a cigarette.

“I was extremely excited when Donaven came back,” Cignetti said. “We got the quarterback commitment, and about two hours later Donaven called me. That was a great day. I truly was not expecting that because the word on the street was Florida State.”

Indiana's Donaven McCulley (1) smiles after scoring a touchdown during the Indiana football spring game. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY

Cignetti said a lot of players on Indiana’s 2023 roster who entered the portal later wanted  to return, but he didn’t take them all back. 

“I think they all feel the excitement, and they all believe what's going to happen here,” Cignetti said. “And I think Donaven saw that, and being close to home too and having a brother here and the receiver development that we've put in the record books speak for itself.”

James Madison had two 1,000-yard receivers during the 2023 and 2021 seasons. One of those is Elijah Sarratt, who followed Cignetti, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri to Indiana. Cignetti considers his offensive system cutting edge, and he plans on finding ways to free up McCulley, in addition to taking advantage of his ability to make contested catches.  

“We can take his game to another level,” Cignetti said. “I know what he wants, but he's a team guy. So I think it's a great marriage.”

In addition to McCulley and Sarratt, Cignetti continued to add to the wide receiver room with transfers like Miles Cross (Ohio), Myles Price (Texas Tech) and Ke’Shawn Williams (Wake Forest). Indiana also returned E.J. Williams Jr., Omar Cooper Jr. and Andison Coby, creating a deep receiving corps. 

After a spring practice, Cignetti complimented several of them when asked about the wide receiver room. But he ended his answer with a challenge.

“I think Donaven needs to pick it up a little bit,” Cignetti said.

The best look at Indiana’s offense under Cignetti came during the spring game on April 18. Coby led the Hoosiers with four catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, while five other receivers and four tight ends caught at least one pass. 

After a defensive stop on the first possession with Rourke under center, it was Tayven Jackson’s turn at quarterback. He completed 7-of-7 passes on his first drive, capped off by a strike to McCulley across the middle of the end zone that showed off the receiver’s 6-foot-5 frame. It was a reminder of the dominant presence McCulley can be.

He came to Indiana as the highest-ranked quarterback recruit in program history, but chose to switch to wide receiver following his true freshman season in 2021, when he was thrown into the fire due to injuries. The 2022 season was a development year for McCulley, whose athleticism was always evident, though his receiver skills needed polishing.

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Donaven McCulley (1) makes a catch against Purdue. / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

He truly broke out in 2023, leading the Hoosiers with 48 receptions for 644 and six touchdowns. McCulley’s best game came at Illinois, where he hauled in 11 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He drew several pass interference penalties, as Sorsby recognized the Illinois secondary simply couldn’t handle McCulley’s size and fed him the ball snap after snap.

Cignetti recognizes McCulley’s talent, but he’s not done challenging him to become the best version of himself. Because if Indiana is to achieve the kind of rebuild Cignetti aspires to, McCulley must play a major role.

“I thought he made a really nice catch that first touchdown on the post,” Cignetti said after the spring game. “I saw him really respond. I don't do that a lot. I did it once last fall with our quarterback, and he really responded about the middle of the season.” 

“He still has some improving. Everybody's got to improve. I know what his goals are, to be a great player, and it starts with the way you practice, your attention to detail,  how you study off the field, how you prepare. Those are some of the areas he's got to improve in. But I'm glad we got him.”