The Indiana Hoosiers put together arguably the greatest college football season in recent memory if not in history. Head coach Curt Cignetti was only able to make their 16-0 run as national champions possible with the roster he managed to geniusly cobble together in the transfer portal.
That roster featured under the radar star power that will now be fully recognized and rightly appreciated at the NFL Draft in April. However, that means Cignetti will be without those stars as he and the Hoosiers attempt to defend their title next season.
Well, if he was able to masterfully coax the talent he found last year to Bloomington, who's to say he can't do it again? The only difference will be he had less time to do it, having made as deep a run with Indiana as he did. Here are the three biggest Indiana stars head coach Curt Cignetti will have to replace in 2026.
Fernando Mendoza, QB
The Hoosiers' first ever Heisman Trophy winner proved all the doubters wrong and did so with grace and humility even Kirk Cousins would blush at. Mendoza is expected to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders in April, leaving a huge hole at quarterback for Cignetti to fill. His younger brother, Alberto, is unavailable to step in as he transferred to Georgia Tech immediately following the national championship game.
But that's no problem for Cignetti. He managed to work under the radar yet again and land the commitment of Josh Hoover, the nation's leading returning passer, from TCU. The rising senior nearly replicated his career-high totals from 2024 with the Horned Frogs, posting 3,472 passing yards and 29 touchdowns. His only wart on the year was a career-high 13 interceptions. If he improves his ball security then the Hoosiers will be in good hands in 2026.
Josh Hoover QUITE LITERALLY couldn't have thrown a better ball to Eric McAlister 🤯
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 5, 2025
Just like that... we've got a tie ball game at Amon G. Carter Stadium.#Big12FB | 📺 @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/ReGsOd3IVz
Omar Cooper Jr., WR
Cooper entered 2025 on many watchlists because of Indiana's surprising rise to prominence the season prior. His explosive season this year - a career-high 937 yards and 13 touchdowns - made that watching well worth it. He's listed as the 11th-best wideout in the upcoming draft and could surprise some folks by going higher than that.
So, what did Cignetti do to secure his offense's deadly striking ability? He brought in Nick Marsh from Michigan State. The rising junior put up 662 yards and six touchdowns last year and was one of the few bright spots on a seriously struggling Spartan offense. He'll have the opportunity to pair with Hoover who, coming from the Big 12, will have no problems airing the ball out down field.
Indiana gets their first BANG this portal season.
— Garrett Armbrust (@4thandsaturday) January 4, 2026
Nick Marsh one of the best WRs in the BIG10.
1,311 receiving yards, 9TDs, 13.5 YPC last two seasons at MSU in a system that wasn’t great.
Get him a QB like Josh Hoover and you have an ELITE QB-WR duo.
pic.twitter.com/ZFvYrgqmA4
D'Angelo Ponds, CB
The junior cornerback followed Cignetti from James Madison after his freshman year and became a staple of the Hoosier defense. In 2025 he made 60 total tackles and picked off two balls, one for the game-opening pick six in the CFP semifinal. He's eleventh at his position on ESPN's draft board and will certainly boost any defense he lands with.
Cignetti, once again, poached a star defender from a Big Ten competitor in A.J. Harris from Penn State. The rising senior may not have recorded much in the way of stats last year but considering he only had a single pass defended, that suggests opposing offenses are not throwing the ball his direction. He's a four-star recruit that originally committed to and played his freshman year with Georgia. If Cignetti trusts him to lock down threats on the outside, then Hoosiers fans should rest easy.