How Indiana’s Offense Shapes Up For 2025 After Key Losses

With big shoes to fill, Indiana’s offense has added key quarterbacks and running backs while bolstering depth at receiver and offensive line.

California quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) throws against Stanford at California Memorial Stadium. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana coach Curt Cignetti relied heavily on the portal to turn the football program into an overnight success – and he’s using the same strategy to fill key holes for 2025.

Gone from the record-setting 11-2 Hoosiers are quarterback Kurtis Rourke, three of the top four running backs, the starting tight end and some key contributors at wide receiver and along the offensive line.

Now Cignetti is reloading through the portal. Among those already committed: The likely starting quarterback, two key running backs, and reinforcements at tight end, receiver and offensive line. And there are certain to be more new faces.

The transfer portal closed Dec. 28, so no more players can enter the portal for now. But many players in the portal remain uncommitted, and there is no deadline to decide on a new school. The portal will open again from April 16-25 following spring practice.

Indiana’s work in the transfer portal is not over, but Cignetti and his staff have done a lot in recent weeks to reload their roster after reaching the College Football Playoff in 2024

Going position by position, here’s a look at how Indiana’s offense is shaping up.

Quarterback

This position group has gone through significant changes since the end of the 2024 season, but that’s not to suggest concern. Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan are used to change, and there’s a lot to like about the additions. They coached four quarterbacks to conference player of the year awards at James Madison, and Kurtis Rourke set Indiana’s single-season passing touchdowns record in 2024 and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting. That said, these are big shoes to fill.

Indiana lost quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri to UCLA, along with Rourke to graduation and backup Tayven Jackson to Central Florida. Atlanta Falcons pass-game specialist Chandler Whitmer steps into Sunseri’s role, also bringing collegiate experience at Ohio State and Clemson. Indiana landed Fernando Mendoza (University of California) and Grant Wilson (Old Dominion) from the transfer portal, and Jacob Bell is the Hoosiers’ lone quarterback in their 2025 high school recruiting class. 

At this point, Mendoza appears to be the favorite to win the starting job. Ranked No. 3 among all transfer quarterbacks by On3, Mendoza completed 68.7% of his passes for 3,004, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions as Cal’s starter in 2024. Fernando’s younger brother, Alberto, will be a redshirt freshman quarterback at Indiana in 2025.

Tyler Cherry, a true freshman in 2024, was the second-highest ranked recruit to ever commit to Indiana. But he suffered a knee injury in preparation for the College Football Playoff, and his status for next fall is questionable. Indiana had a young quarterback room, save for Fernando Mendoza, and Cherry’s injury added to the uncertainty around the position group’s depth. 

Wilson played the last two seasons at Old Dominion after three years at Fordham. He started three games in 2024 prior to injury, and he was Old Dominion’s starter in 2023. That year he completed 57.1% of his passes for 2,149 yards, 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions. 

Indiana is likely set at quarterback heading into spring practice, with the Mendoza brothers, Wilson, Cherry and Bell.

Running back

Indiana lost three of its top four rushers from 2024. Justice Ellison (848 yards) and Ty Son Lawton (668 yards) exhausted their collegiate eligibility, and Elijah Green (201 yards) entered the transfer portal.

But Cignetti was quick to replenish that group, landing Maryland transfer Roman Hemby and UAB transfer Lee Beebe Jr. Hemby has been a starting running back in the Big Ten the last three seasons, rushing for 2,347 yards and 22 touchdowns while also totaling 921 career receiving yards. Beebe rushed for 885 yards and 5.3 yards per carry in 2024.

Indiana split carries between two or three running backs in most games during the 2024 season, and that looks to be the case again in 2025. Indiana also returns Kaelon Black, who was third among Hoosiers in 2024 with 251 rushing yards, along with five rushing touchdowns. Indiana may add another transfer running back for depth, but the bulk of its portal work here seems to be done. 

Wide receiver

Indiana’s wide receiving corps is shaping up to be a talented and deep unit yet again in 2025. Indiana started by adding 6-foot Appalachian State transfer Makai Jackson, who brings 2,154 career receiving yards to Bloomington and mostly lined up on the outside in 2024. The other addition was 5-foot-11 Michigan transfer Tyler Morris, who can play in the slot or on the outside and had a career-high 248 receiving yards last season.

They’ll play a role in replacing outgoing wide receivers Myles Price (466 yards) Ke’Shawn Williams (448 yards), Miles Cross (324 yards), Andison Coby (70 yards), and Donaven McCulley, the Hoosiers’ leading receiver in 2023 who left the team midseason and recently committed to Michigan. 

Two straight games with a TD from Makai Jackson!

Watch on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/eun42CiIxF

— App State Football (@AppState_FB) November 11, 2023

Jackson and Morris are also important additions because of their experience in the return game. Price and Williams were Indiana’s primary punt and kick returners in 2024, along with running back Solomon Vanhorse, who’s also gone.

Part of Indiana’s offensive success in 2024 was due to its variety of weapons, so it wouldn’t hurt to add another receiver or two from the transfer portal. But even if they don’t, the Hoosiers are in a good spot at this position with its leading receivers from 2024 both returning, Elijah Sarratt (957 yards) and Omar Cooper Jr. (594 yards). E.J. WIlliams Jr. also withdrew from the portal and returned to Indiana after missing most of the 2024 season with an injury and leaving the program midseason.

Tight end

Wisconsin transfer Riley Nowakowski is Indiana’s lone incoming transfer at tight end so far. The 6-foot-1 senior has 18 career receptions for 131 receiving yards and a touchdown, and he was mostly used as a blocker during his time with the Badgers. His track record suggests he won’t be heavily used in Indiana’s passing game, so another addition at tight end seems possible.

Indiana lost starting tight end Zach Horton, who played a massive role in 2024. He was frequently seen making key blocks in the run and pass game, and he finished as Indiana’s sixth-leading receiver with 21 receptions for 189 yards and four touchdowns. Indiana also lost tight ends Trey Walker, who mostly played special teams in 2023, and Brody Kosin, who was a true freshman.

Tight end James Bomba returns the most experience, having played 30 games in his Indiana career. But similar to Nowakowski, he mostly served a blocking role and has just 12 career receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. So unless Indiana feels strongly that Sam West or Brody Foley are ready for much bigger roles in 2025, it may look to add a pass-catching tight end in the transfer portal.

Offensive line

It was a busy weekend for Indiana’s offensive line recruiting as the Hoosiers landed Ohio State transfer Zen Michalski and Colorado transfer Kahlil Benson. Indiana fans will remember Benson from his time under former head coach Tom Allen’s staff from 2020-23, logging snaps at right guard and right tackle. Michalski, a Floyd Knobs, Ind. native, played 158 snaps at left tackle across eight games in 2024 for Ohio State.

Benson and Michalski figure to play big roles in helping replace Indiana’s starting center Mike Katic, right tackle Trey Wedig and left guard Tyler Stephens. Whether Indiana adds more transfer offensive linemen depends on a few factors.

Drew Evans was Indiana’s starting left guard before suffering a season-ending achilles injury prior to the Michigan game, and it’s unknown if he’ll be ready for the start of the 2025 season. Nick Kidwell was expected to start at right guard in 2024, but he suffered a knee injury in fall camp that sidelined him for the entire season. He would have to receive a medical redshirt for an eighth season of collegiate eligibility.

The known commodities on Indiana’s offensive line include starting left tackle Carter Smith and starting right guard Bray Lynch. Indiana may feel it has done enough to fill in the gaps after losing Katic, Wedig and Stephens, as it could enter spring practice with Smith, Lynch, Benson, Michalski, Evans and Kidwell, plus all of its non-starters returning from the 2024 season. Whether Indiana adds more transfer offensive linemen may also depend on how offensive line coach Bob Bostad feels about Indiana’s young and inexperienced offensive linemen.

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• INDIANA FOOTBALL TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: Welcome to our Indiana football transfer portal tracker, where we'll keep an updated list of all of the outgoing and incoming transfers following the 2024 and heading into the 2025 season under coach Curt Cignetti. CLICK HERE

• QB WILSON TO IU: Quarterback Grant Wilson joins Indiana following two seasons at Old Dominion and three seasons at Fordham, where he passed for 2,749 career yards. CLICK HERE

• IU LANDS MORRIS: Indiana has a new member of its incoming transfer class, Tyler Morris, who had 470 career receiving yards across three seasons at Michigan. CLICK HERE

• BENSON RETURNS TO IU: Kahlil Benson announced Saturday he's rejoining the Hoosiers after one season at Colorado. Benson played offensive line at Indiana from 2020-23. CLICK HERE

• MICHALSKI JOINS HOOSIERS: Following four seasons at Ohio State, 6-foot-6 offensive lineman transfer Zen Michalski is transferring to Indiana. CLICK HERE

• MENDOZA TO IU: Following a sophomore season with 3,004 passing yards at California, quarterback Fernando Mendoza is transferring to Indiana and teaming up with his brother, Alberto. CLICK HERE