2026 IUFB: CHAPTER 3

[Hovadipo]

https://alumni.iu.edu/events/homecoming/index.html

[Brass Cannon]

38 minutes ago, Hovadipo said:

https://alumni.iu.edu/events/homecoming/index.html

I’m convinced that got posted today 

[Hovadipo]

Selected seats this morning. Moved down 30 rows while staying in my ideal price tier and went to the opposite (East) side from where I had been for a few years. Overall happy with where I ended up. I'm not an upper-tier guy, but those seats have been just about picked clean for anyone that's at the end of the line for selection and is looking at tier 2.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Last night there was an event in Carmel with both Cig and DDV.  Full Q and A at the link below.

https://www.on3.com/teams/indiana-hoosiers/news/coach-qa-indiana-coaches-curt-cignetti-darian-devries-speak-at-victory-vision-a-night-with-iu-athletics/

[Pagoda]

IU/Scott/Pam already locked up Cig, but it's cool to see him start to become a "Hoosier" beyond just being the FB coach.  This event was sold out.  In a little over a week he's going to play a big role in the biggest event in the state.  Very cool.

IU handed out these towels last night.  Poor IUBB, had to add "historic" in front of blueblood...

[Stuhoo]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/48627615/ranking-offseason-college-football-power-4-teams-2026#nd

ESPN article titled "Ranking the Offseason for Every Power 4 College Football Team"

Overall top 10

1. Indiana Hoosiers: Indiana isn't going anywhere after winning its first national title, putting together an offseason that sets up the team for even more success. The coaching staff continuity is staggering, and Indiana addressed clear portal needs at quarterback, wide receiver and pass rusher, while retaining core players at offensive line, defensive tackle and linebacker.

2. Miami Hurricanes: Mario Cristobal's pedal-down personnel approach got Miami to the brink of a national title, and his program is showing no sign of slowing down. The Darian Mensah addition from Duke solidifies the offense, and Missouri transfer Damon Wilson II should help offset NFL losses at pass rusher. Miami also retained all of its coordinators from a staff that works well together.

3. Texas Longhorns: After missing the CFP for the first time since 2022, Texas had a very aggressive offseason in terms of players retained (quarterback Arch Manning and others), players added from the portal (wide receiver Cam Coleman, running back Hollywood Smothers and others) and even its defensive coordinator change (Will Muschamp returning to Austin to replace the respected Pete Kwiatkowski). The next step is clear: win the program's first national title since 2005.

4. Oregon Ducks: Despite consecutive blowout losses in the CFP, Oregon is set up to push for its first national title. The Ducks retained quarterback Dante Moore, a top NFL prospect, as well as their entire starting defensive line, wide receiver Evan Stewart and other key contributors. They again lost no starters in the portal, while adding Minnesota safety Koi Perich and others. Coach Dan Lanning's internal promotions for the coordinator roles are worth watching.

5. LSU Tigers: The team that topped last year's offseason rankings certainly dominated the headlines, as Lane Kiffin's arrival in Baton Rouge kicked off a wild winter. LSU retained star defensive coordinator Blake Baker, brought over key assistants from Ole Miss and made portal splashes with quarterback Sam Leavitt, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, defensive lineman Princewill Umanmielen and others. The staff also kept Whit Weeks and others from the 2025 roster.

6. USC Trojans: Lincoln Riley says USC's championship window is opening now in Year 5. The Trojans have backed up that ambition with major investment in their roster and the No. 1-ranked recruiting class, and they answered their few lingering needs with proven portal talent. The big wild card here is new DC Gary Patterson and how quickly he gets this defense playing up to his elite standards.

7. Texas Tech Red Raiders: We're not dropping Texas Tech out of the top 10 at this time despite the uncertainty around quarterback Brendan Sorsby's eligibility amid an NCAA gambling investigation. The Red Raiders checked every other box with their offseason recruiting victories, reloading with premium portal pickups and blue-chip high school talent, to go along with strong roster and staff retention.

8. Ole Miss Rebels: The Rebels won their battle with the NCAA to get Trinidad Chambliss back for another year. They kept star running back Kewan Lacy out of the portal. New coach Pete Golding did an impressive job of reloading throughout the defense via the transfer portal. He and his staff capitalized on their CFP momentum and did what they needed to do for Ole Miss to remain a contender in 2026.

9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Coach Marcus Freeman rejected NFL interest knowing this Irish team has more than enough coming back to make another CFP run. The Irish have a ton of talent for 2026, inked a top-five recruiting class, and met their portal needs with high-upside additions at defensive tackle and wide receiver.

10. Ohio State Buckeyes: Georgia, Texas A&M and several other programs had great offseasons. But it's hard to nitpick much about how the Buckeyes' offseason played out, with plenty of star power returning and key veteran additions on defense. New OC Arthur Smith's influence on the offensive direction will be intriguing to follow as this squad pursues its second national championship in three years.

[jermhoosierfan]

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

Last night there was an event in Carmel with both Cig and DDV.  Full Q and A at the link below.

https://www.on3.com/teams/indiana-hoosiers/news/coach-qa-indiana-coaches-curt-cignetti-darian-devries-speak-at-victory-vision-a-night-with-iu-athletics/

I watched these last night, and he talks about driving the pace car around the speedway a couple of times already.  He wasn't going to go full throttle in it LOL.

[Pagoda]

More from IUFB and Cig's newest fan.  This Cig interview is getting the most views from his interview series.

He also gushes about IU fans.

Pretty cool.

 

[Lebowski]

35 minutes ago, Pagoda said:

More from IUFB and Cig's newest fan.  This Cig interview is getting the most views from his interview series.

He also gushes about IU fans.

I've waited my entire life for someone like Pam Whitten to force that paradigm shift in the athletic department. I still can't believe the top brass hired an established successful football coach with a resume to back it up. Cloud nine, man. Cloud nine. 

[Hovadipo]

Thinking about Nick Marsh. 

[Stuhoo]

54 minutes ago, Hovadipo said:

Thinking about Nick Marsh. 

Okay Tommy Crean.

What do you think about him, and are you thinking about him a lot?

[Hovadipo]

19 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Okay Tommy Crean.

What do you think about him, and are you thinking about him a lot?

Yeah

[CSP]

3 hours ago, Hovadipo said:

Thinking about Nick Marsh. 

You, too, boo boo? ;)

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

From Jared Kelly, final 247 transfer portal rankings.

https://247sports.com/college/indiana/article/final-247sports-transfer-portal-rankings-nick-marsh-josh-hoover-top-25-multiple-indiana-players-move-up-285914900/

[Pagoda]

Athlon did an anonymous coaches interview about other teams.  Here is what they had for IU:

“The biggest glaring thing is the production they lost in the receiver room. They’ve got some young guys coming in, and they paid a s— ton for (Michigan State transfer receiver) Nick Marsh, so we’ll see how he does. They’re just gonna be very young there.” 

“Defensively, they still return most of their production. But to me, it’s hard to replicate what (Fernando) Mendoza did. (TCU transfer quarterback) Josh Hoover is a good player. I think he’s got some turnover issues. But other than that, they reloaded.”

“They’re gonna lose that rush of James Madison guys that they had the last two years, so they could definitely struggle in some areas of continuity where maybe the talent does have to take over, but I’m definitely not gonna underestimate Indiana again.”

I’d note JMU players are just Cig recruited and developed players.  We still have those… more in fact.

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-coaches-talk-anonymously-about-conference-foes-for-2026

[Brass Cannon]

1 minute ago, Pagoda said:

Athlon did an anonymous coaches interview about other teams.  Here is what they had for IU:

“The biggest glaring thing is the production they lost in the receiver room. They’ve got some young guys coming in, and they paid a s— ton for (Michigan State transfer receiver) Nick Marsh, so we’ll see how he does. They’re just gonna be very young there.” 

“Defensively, they still return most of their production. But to me, it’s hard to replicate what (Fernando) Mendoza did. (TCU transfer quarterback) Josh Hoover is a good player. I think he’s got some turnover issues. But other than that, they reloaded.”

“They’re gonna lose that rush of James Madison guys that they had the last two years, so they could definitely struggle in some areas of continuity where maybe the talent does have to take over, but I’m definitely not gonna underestimate Indiana again.”

I’d note JMU players are just Cig recruited and developed players.  We still have those… more in fact.

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-coaches-talk-anonymously-about-conference-foes-for-2026

Our youngest starting WR is a junior.  But we are young there?

[Hovadipo]

1 minute ago, Pagoda said:

“The biggest glaring thing is the production they lost in the receiver room. They’ve got some young guys coming in, and they paid a s— ton for (Michigan State transfer receiver) Nick Marsh, so we’ll see how he does. They’re just gonna be very young there.” 

"Other than one of the 3 best WRs in the portal and one of the best returning WRs in the country, and another productive/old guy coming back off an injury their WR room is young and lost everyone."

We're in good shape if this is all someone can come up with.

[skhoosier2]

10 minutes ago, Pagoda said:

Athlon did an anonymous coaches interview about other teams.  Here is what they had for IU:

“The biggest glaring thing is the production they lost in the receiver room. They’ve got some young guys coming in, and they paid a s— ton for (Michigan State transfer receiver) Nick Marsh, so we’ll see how he does. They’re just gonna be very young there.” 

“Defensively, they still return most of their production. But to me, it’s hard to replicate what (Fernando) Mendoza did. (TCU transfer quarterback) Josh Hoover is a good player. I think he’s got some turnover issues. But other than that, they reloaded.”

“They’re gonna lose that rush of James Madison guys that they had the last two years, so they could definitely struggle in some areas of continuity where maybe the talent does have to take over, but I’m definitely not gonna underestimate Indiana again.”

I’d note JMU players are just Cig recruited and developed players.  We still have those… more in fact.

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-coaches-talk-anonymously-about-conference-foes-for-2026

Feels like they are reaching to find weaknesses or discount what Cig can do.  Fernando was a question mark going into last year and before that Rourke.  I am sure we will be just fine with Josh.  WR room LOL sorry but that's a reach.  Guess they forgot already who Charlie Becker is and what he did when given his chance.  I'd imagine our other guys will step up next season given their opportunity.  The league hates we are no longer the easy win and doormat of the conference.

[Hovadipo]

Me when someone says "not sure bout 'at WR room down in Bloomin'ton..."

[LIHoosier]

19 minutes ago, Pagoda said:

Athlon did an anonymous coaches interview about other teams.  Here is what they had for IU:

“The biggest glaring thing is the production they lost in the receiver room. They’ve got some young guys coming in, and they paid a s— ton for (Michigan State transfer receiver) Nick Marsh, so we’ll see how he does. They’re just gonna be very young there.” 

“Defensively, they still return most of their production. But to me, it’s hard to replicate what (Fernando) Mendoza did. (TCU transfer quarterback) Josh Hoover is a good player. I think he’s got some turnover issues. But other than that, they reloaded.”

“They’re gonna lose that rush of James Madison guys that they had the last two years, so they could definitely struggle in some areas of continuity where maybe the talent does have to take over, but I’m definitely not gonna underestimate Indiana again.”

I’d note JMU players are just Cig recruited and developed players.  We still have those… more in fact.

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-coaches-talk-anonymously-about-conference-foes-for-2026

Here's the catch: All 3 of those quotes came from Cig. Bringing a nuclear bomb to a gunfight.