Who are Indiana football breakout players for 2025? A 'freak,' a transfer and a bunch on defense

Indianapolis Star

7 days ago

LAS VEGAS — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti told reporters at Big Ten media days the program has a 'lot of nice pieces' in place going into the 2025 season.
The Hoosiers brought back multiple All-Americans on defense (Aiden Fisher and Mikail Kamara along with one of the Big Ten's best corners (D'Angelo Ponds). On offense, they returned one of the country's most productive receivers (Elijah Sarratt) and three starting offensive linemen (Carter Smith, Bray Lynch and Drew Evans).
That list doesn't include any of the standout transfers Cignetti added — 3,000-yard passer Fernando Mendoza is garnering a ton of preseason buzz — who have a chance to help the program build on the historic success last season.
Those are names most fans know, but there's plenty of potential breakout candidates on the roster beyond those known veterans.
At Big Ten media days, three of IU's top returners — Kamara, Fisher and Sarratt — identified players on their side of the ball with the biggest breakout potential:
Indiana football linebacker Rolijah Hardy is a 'freak'
Fisher's answer is the same as it was at the end of last season when he anticipated a bright future for fellow linebacker Rolijah Hardy, one of the only true freshman on the team last year to have a prominent role outside of special teams.
Hardy remains attached at the hip to Fisher as he eyes replacing Jailin Walker in the starting lineup for the Hoosiers.
'He's developing really well, mentally, his mindset has shifted from being that young guy to leading the room, which is really good going forward,' Fisher said. 'I think the game has slowed down for him."
The part of his game that didn't need any work was his elite physical tools.
'He's a freak,' Fisher said. 'He can run, he can jump, he can lift. Everything you want from a linebacker, he can do physically.'
Hardy was a multi-sport athlete at Lakeland (Florida) High School who earned All-State honors in basketball. Fisher can attest that Hardy hasn't lost a step on the hardwood.
'Bro is pretty good,' Fisher said, with a laugh. 'We did a three-on-three last year, and he stole the show."
Indiana football receiver Makai Jackson ready to flip the switch
Makai Jackson didn't get to show what he was capable of during spring camp thanks to a lingering hamstring, but his teammate said it's only a matter of time before he makes his presence felt in Bloomington.
'I know what he can do,' Sarratt said. 'I've seen it with my eyes. He's looked great in the summer, and his body been keeping up."
Jackson earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2024 with 46 catches for 745 yards (16.2 yards per catch) and five touchdowns. He closed out the season with back-to-back 100-yard performances against James Madison and Georgia Southern.
He landed at Appalachian State after spending playing alongside Sarratt as a freshman for St. Frances (Pennsylvania). He's a big play threat — he had 12 catches of 20 yards or more through the air (tied for sixth in the FBS) for 419 yards last season — capable of playing at outside receiver and in the slot.
"He's a gamer, once he get in that game or the ball gets in his hands, the switch flips,' Sarratt said.
Indiana football defensive end Mikail Kamara surrounded by impact players
Kamara cheated a little bit, but he rattled off a long list of breakout candidates on the defensive line that included both underclassmen and veteran transfers.
'I feel like anyone on our defensive line could do it,' Kamara said.
He started by hyping up sophomore Mario Landino, a former 3-star signee out of Emmaus High School in Pennsylvania. He got his feet wet last year — he had six tackles, one forced fumble, seven quarterback pressures while playing 140 snaps as a true freshman.
'I'm expecting huge strides from him,' Kamara said. 'He put on about 20 pounds, he's still twitchy and still looks really good.'
Indiana has a wide-open competition at the defensive end spot opposite Kamara with Landino competing for playing time with fellow sophomore Daniel Ndukwe and spring transfers Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley.
Wyatt and Daley hit the ground running while taking part in IU's summer workouts.
"They have acclimated really well,' Kamara said. 'I know once we get to camp I'll show them a little bit more specifics as far as the scheme and how they can manipulate what we got going on. Just raw talent? Stephen is a freak, he's athletic, just crazy. Kellan is sharp up top, he can really move well, he's quick and fast. I'm excited to have a good three-man rotation."
Kamara is also excited about IU's new duo at defensive tackle, Hosea Wheeler and Tyrique Tucker, who are looking to replace James Carpenter and CJ West. Tucker backed up Carpenter going back to their days at James Madison while Wheeler was a dominant run stuffer last season for Western Kentucky.
'Tyrique, he played a lot of games last year, I expect a lot out of him,' Kamara said. 'Hosea transferred in from WKU, and works his butt off. I just feel it could be a different guy on any given day (making plays).'