Indiana football had No. 2 defense last season. With cornerstones back, how good can it be?

Indianapolis Star

a day ago

Curt Cignetti fought to retain defensive coordinator Bryant Haines in the offseason and was successful.
Staff continuity is a highlight of Cignetti's offseason as much as the players he brought to Indiana football, and perhaps most importantly retained, in the transfer portal have the Hoosiers thought of highly and not just a one-hit wonder. Cignetti's team ranked No. 19 in the US LBM coaches rankings released in early August.
Haines coordinated a defense that was second nationally last season and sixth in scoring, despite losses to the two College Football Playoff national championship game competitors Notre Dame and Ohio State. And the Hoosiers get back a big three of sorts, one at each level, to build on the culture set last season. That includes Mikail Kamara at defensive end, Aiden Fisher at linebacker and D'Angelo Ponds at cornerback.
IndyStar IU insider Zach Osterman and Herald-Times reporter Michael Niziolek huddled with IndyStar assistant sports editor Aaron Ferguson to discuss how the defense will make an impact on IU football. Here is their conversation.
Ferguson: Michael, I think the response to your breakout players question that interested me most was the number of guys listed on defense. That there were so many guys makes me wonder, where does IU need someone to step up the most defensively?
Osterman: The idea of a breakout player has changed, I think. We used to associate that with young players emerging as impact players, and it still applies (Rolijah Hardy would be one potential example). But with the portal now I think the question has shifted to, which transfers should people expect to make an impact right away? And in a lot of ways, I think that starts on the defensive line, with Hosea Wheeler, Stephen Daley, Kellan Wyatt and Dominique Ratcliff all players IU might have serious need of this season.
Having said all that, if we're thinking about breakout player in the more traditional sense, I don't think we're talking enough about Tyrique Tucker. He was overshadowed by players ahead of him (C.J. West, James Carpenter) last fall. But he's one of the highest-graded returning interior defensive linemen per PFF, and when he played last year he made a difference. The remodel of the defensive line has been so substantial by necessity I think people have forgotten about Tucker, and I suspect he'll be very important for IU this season.
Niziolek: Yeah, it's on the defensive line. Kamara gives them serious returning production, but he can't do it alone. If no one steps up around him it's going to be easy for opposing teams to scheme up plans to slow him down. The chaos IU causes up front is also a foundational piece of Haines' scheme. He wants his guys living in the backfield and presents a variety of fronts to keep opposing quarterbacks on their toes. Haines had four veteran starters last season and two of those (Kamara and Carpenter) had been with him for years. Tucker's experience backing up Carpenter is invaluable, but I'd say at least two of the defensive linemen that Zach mentioned really need to be consistent contributors. I also wouldn't look past Mario Landino, a true sophomore who the coaching staff has been really high on since he got on campus last year. He was the first name Kamara mentioned when I asked him about a potential breakout player for 2025 on defense.
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Ferguson: One of the interesting things about IU's returners is the core three of Kamara, Fisher and Ponds returning. Obviously it's a benefit to have one at each position group, but is it more so than, say, returning an entire D-line? What does IU gain from having one great player at each level returning, and what is the greatest strength?
Niziolek: Stability and leadership. Haines and his defensive assistants have veteran guys that can help teach their system. Zach mentioned Hardy, and he's a perfect example of a guy that's flourished thanks in part to having Fisher and former IU linebacker Jailin Walker mentor him. He started asking them questions about the playbook the moment he got to Bloomington and they set up him up for success. Kamara and Ponds (along with veteran safety Amare Ferrell) are doing the same thing in their position rooms.
Osterman: I also think it's basic but helpful for Haines and his defensive staff to have knowns at every level. If you have to work through your tackle rotation, or ease in 'backers who will need more experience, or decide who your second and third corners are, there's assurance in the foundation players like Kamara, Fisher, Ponds and Ferrell provide. In their playmaking, yes, but also in the sense that you have proven cornerstones across the breadth of your defense you can rely on, while you spend the early part of the season sorting through the question marks. How many Big Ten defenses have all-conference caliber players at every level before a ball is snapped? That's a measure of security that allows Haines and staff to take some calculated risks or absorb growing pains elsewhere.
Ferguson: Indiana's defense was second nationally and sixth in scoring last year despite losses to Notre Dame and Ohio State. What needs to happen for the Hoosiers to challenge their numbers from last year, considering challenging games at Oregon and at Penn State this season?
Osterman: Yeah, it's definitely possible this group is as good (or maybe even a touch better) defensively, with worse numbers, simply because of the schedule. I think the key for Indiana will be the staples of Haines' defenses throughout his time with Cignetti: havoc plays. Sacks, TFLs, turnovers. Anything that moves an offense backward. Some of Indiana's per-game numbers were probably inflated (deflated?) by their schedule last season, but the disruptive metrics have consistently been a feature of Haines' units. As long as that stays, IU should be fine.
Niziolek: Indiana's turnover margin is worth mentioning here as well. The Hoosiers were plus-15 last year (ranked No. 5 in the country) and forced 24 turnovers (tied for 17th in the FBS). They were 6-0 whenever they forced multiple turnovers. The pressure they put on opposing quarterbacks contributed to some of those, but IU's secondary made plenty of plays too with Ferrell and Ponds combining for seven interceptions. Indiana has to be opportunistic again if they want to match the kind of overall success they had last season.
Ferguson: We've talked plenty about the strengths here. What areas of concern need to be addressed with fall camp?
Osterman: It's simplistic, but can the staff get evaluations correct again? The James Madison-to-IU transfer narrative probably got a little overplayed last season, but it was more valid on defense than on offense. If you'd made a list of Indiana's most important players defensively in 2024, I would argue five of the top eight were James Madison transfers, and two of the remaining three the staff would have known well from their time at Old Dominion (same conference as JMU). The evaluations of these replacements are going to be in depth just by the nature of Cignetti's scouting and film study. But getting it so right again in terms of fit and chemistry, when you have fewer of those players Mike talked about that can act as leaders via their knowledge of the system, does leave some vulnerability. I am curious to see how different some of the peripheral holdovers outside the former JMU contingent look. If the likes of Hardy, Isaiah "Bones" Jones and Landino show real improvement, I think that's encouraging for the future and not just 2025.
Niziolek: Indiana still has to figure out what much of the two-deep looks like on the defensive line and secondary. The Hoosiers have veterans they are building around at both spots, but they have plenty of question marks to sort through. Can spring transfers Daley and Wyatt hit the ground running at defensive end? Do they rely on a safety or corner to play rover? Are promising young defensive linemen like Landino and Daniel Ndukwe ready for larger roles? Those are all things that will play out in fall camp.