2026 IUFB Season

[CSP]

2 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

DT should absolutely be better. We return our two best and get a big-time portal addition.

Landino is still a relatively inexperienced player; he is excellent and still destined to improve. Tucker is back and is already 'all that'. We lose Ratcliffe, who was a very good get, and Wheeler, who good-ish but was a relative disappointment.

They are replaced by Joe Hjelle, who has been largely undiscussed, but may be one of the best additions to the team, and by the one best from a talented group of young tackles; Garcia, Hall, and four star freshmen McHaney and Hill.

That is a position group that is absolutely stacked for the future, and that's without Jalen Brewster (!). 

I think Landino can be an all conference guy. I'm a huge fan. Plus he has a great sack celly...

I would also mention, specifically he and Ndukwe.. they have been YOUNG vs their competition-- true FR/SO playing against a lot of RS SR, etc. 

It wouldn't surprise me if Landino is moving to the NFL after this season, in truth. I think he's that good. 

[CSP]

My guess on the OL....

 

LT Smith

LG Evans

C Lynch (although his snap against Oregon was very worrisome)

RG Ajani

RT Brunner (who's listed as 6'7 on our roster) 

[Pagoda]

Awesome deep dive on Baldwin’s story, from his recruitment to now:

https://247sports.com/college/indiana/longformarticle/indiana-iu-football-safety-byron-baldwin-jr-hoosiers-2026-season-273929592/

[Stuhoo]

34 minutes ago, Pagoda said:

Awesome deep dive on Baldwin’s story, from his recruitment to now:

https://247sports.com/college/indiana/longformarticle/indiana-iu-football-safety-byron-baldwin-jr-hoosiers-2026-season-273929592/

Hey—I know our safeties with Lou, Boykin, and Ferrell were a strength last year, but we are in for a real upgrade with Ferrell a year older, Baldwin turning into an All-American, and Sanks and Zachman fighting for the third spot.

Good lord Haines has got extraordinary talent and depth throughout this defense. Who the hell is gonna score 20 points on this team?!!?

[Hovadipo]

20 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Hey—I know our safeties with Lou, Boykin, and Ferrell were a strength last year, but we are in for a real upgrade with Ferrell a year older, Baldwin turning into an All-American, and Sanks and Zachman fighting for the third spot.

Good lord Haines has got extraordinary talent and depth throughout this defense. Who the hell is gonna score 20 points on this team?!!?

Our entire non-con schedule*^.
 

 

 

 

*combined

 

 

 

 

^maybe

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

[Stuhoo]

55 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

With an MBA from Kelley!

Clearly a cut above young man with a bright future.

[Demo]

1 hour ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Just like Ellison last year, love it so much. How do you build a sustainable culture in the portal era? Like this.

[Pagoda]

Carter is recovering from some kind of injury and/or procedure — unclear at the moment.

Fortunately he has lot of recovery time and he seems to be in a good mood on social media.

 

[Lebowski]

Way too early thoughts about the season. 

Assuming everyone stays healthy, which is next to a 0% chance that happens. But here it goes.

• The running game will be better than it was last year. 
• The defense will once again be the unsung while everyone and their mother will focus on Hoover. 
• Hoover will be in contention for the Heisman
• IUFB should be going into the O$U game with a 22 game win streak. 
• CFP will be on the table, again. 
• One of the OCs will take a HC job at the end of the season
   

Another great season on the horizon in the 812 folks!

[Pagoda]

Even if we're not as good as '25... it's hard to top the most accomplished CFB team ever, we can still be plenty good enough to win the biggest prizes.

There are four teams with about the same "best odds" to win it all: ND, OSU, Texas, and defending National Champion IU.  Then there is a little gap to Oregon, and another gap to Georgia.

Very exciting.  I can't wait to see how this staff levels up Hoover and we've got some great games on the schedule too.  Anything is possible -- no self-imposed limitations!

[CSP]

 

1 hour ago, Pagoda said:

Even if we're not as good as '25... it's hard to top the most accomplished CFB team ever, we can still be plenty good enough to win the biggest prizes.

There are four teams with about the same "best odds" to win it all: ND, OSU, Texas, and defending National Champion IU.  Then there is a little gap to Oregon, and another gap to Georgia.

Very exciting.  I can't wait to see how this staff levels up Hoover and we've got some great games on the schedule too.  Anything is possible -- no self-imposed limitations!

Concur. I see in no way we are as good as we were this year offensively... but, ultimately, idk how we could be? 

We go from absurdly elite to still... VERY good. But, losing the Heisman winner, all conference TE, 2 all conference WRs, and your starting center... and two legit RBs, who are both going to be on NFL rosters comeback August... it's impossible to not feel those effects. 

I think Hoover, as Mendoza admitted to needing to understand early on... He doesn't have to win us the game, especially EARLY in a game... just make the plays that are there... if getting two first downs and punting, pinning the other team, and then smothering them later on is the best route in the 1Q (quick example) ... do that. We are elite on defense, elite on SPT... play the long game. 

[Lebowski]

We'll have more NFL draft picks from this team then last year's squad. 

Again, assuming everyone stays healthy, the running game will be better than last year's. Beebe, Richard and Martin will be better than last year's group and all three of them will be extremely productive due to the front five. The only question mark with our running game is the TE blocking. That's hands down the biggest wildcard of the entire roster. 

Hoover will progress just like all the other QBs have under the Cignetti system. He might be the most experienced of all QBs that have transferred into a Cignetti system. He'll be a pleasant addition. He'll get the job done and will win games in the crunch. He might also throw pics in the crunch. Hopefully Cig and staff will be able to eliminate that turnover ratio he has.  The run game will bail him out, a lot. 

But make no mistake, the defense will be the reason we win the close games. Just like last year. Our defense should be really really good. There's no replacing #4 but hopefully the team game can fill in the holes of #4 and #5. Those two were the secret sauce to that defense last year. I'm not sure our passing D will be able to shut down offenses like last year but my hope is the front 7 will compensate for that. 

Exciting times for IUFB folks! 

[CSP]

6 minutes ago, Lebowski said:

We'll have more NFL draft picks from this team then last year's squad. 

Again, assuming everyone stays healthy, the running game will be better than last year's. Beebe, Richard and Martin will be better than last year's group and all three of them will be extremely productive due to the front five. The only question mark with our running game is the TE blocking. That's hands down the biggest wildcard of the entire roster. 

Hoover will progress just like all the other QBs have under the Cignetti system. He might be the most experienced of all QBs that have transferred into a Cignetti system. He'll be a pleasant addition. He'll get the job done and will win games in the crunch. He might also throw pics in the crunch. Hopefully Cig and staff will be able to eliminate that turnover ratio he has.  The run game will bail him out, a lot. 

But make no mistake, the defense will be the reason we win the close games. Just like last year. Our defense should be really really good. There's no replacing #4 but hopefully the team game can fill in the holes of #4 and #5. Those two were the secret sauce to that defense last year. I'm not sure our passing D will be able to shut down offenses like last year but my hope is the front 7 will compensate for that. 

Exciting times for IUFB folks! 

Draft picks on both accounts are TBD... 

 

But like.. I don't agree with you on the bold... I can get down with the OL being "better" but we were still a Top 3 OL last year. Idk how those 3 could even be "better" than--- 494 carries 2665 yards (5.4 avg) 23TDs... 167 yards a game on the ground from those 3 combined. How much "better" could that actually look, in real time?

Hoover, yeah.. very good. He isn't Mendoza. And he is NOT the athlete Mendoza is... not terrible, but not a plus athlete. 

[Magnanimous]

Defending national champion.

[Lebowski]

1 hour ago, CSP said:

Draft picks on both accounts are TBD... 

 

But like.. I don't agree with you on the bold... I can get down with the OL being "better" but we were still a Top 3 OL last year. Idk how those 3 could even be "better" than--- 494 carries 2665 yards (5.4 avg) 23TDs... 167 yards a game on the ground from those 3 combined. How much "better" could that actually look, in real time?

Hoover, yeah.. very good. He isn't Mendoza. And he is NOT the athlete Mendoza is... not terrible, but not a plus athlete. 

We didn't have Beebe for the entire season. Prior to injury Beebe was our best RB statistically. He was averaging close to 8yds (7.7 to be exact) per carry. For comparison, Black was at 6.3yds per carry and Hemby was at 5.5 yds per carry in roughly the same amount of attempts during the same three games. Looks like the staff was trying to have the three average 10 rushing attempts per game? I know Hemby got the bulk of the load in the ODU game (might have been due to Beebe's fumble) and the attempts tapered off in the other two games when all three of them were on the field. He then picked up more attempts when Beebe got injured. Personally, I thought Beebe was the better RB of the three last year but that's just me. 

Richard looks like a hybrid of both Black and Hamby. Can run between the tackles with good vision, can get to the outside and can catch. Seems to always fall forward. He did have a few sub par games but that might have been due to other circumstances. I didn't watch any of his games. So if anyone knows more please share with all of us. 

We already know how Martin runs. I think he's gonna go off this season. Or at least I hope he does.

We are in really good hands at the RB position with these three. 

The OL will be one of the best in the country if not the the best.

Hoover will be just fine. He'll be better than he was last year and the offense will work in his favor. Just like every other QB prior to him in the Cignetti system, the QB will get the glory. Plus he's got all the things Coach Cig likes in a QB. I just hope he's able to drop his interception ratio. 

Again, assuming everyone stays healthy. That most likely doesn't occur. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Jared Kelly -

Four months after a torn ACL, Lee Beebe Jr. was back deadlifting 500 pounds.