BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Curt Cignetti and the Indiana football staff have a variety of boxes to check in the coming weeks.

While they prepare for a first-round College Football Playoff game on Dec. 20 or 21, they also are planning for the future. The transfer portal officially opens Monday, and players all over the country already are announcing their intentions to enter it. Cignetti said Wednesday he wants to keep his team focused on the playoffs, but he also anticipates hosting visits with portal targets in December. 

Below is a breakdown of Indiana’s offensive position groups, with notes on which key players are leaving after the season, who could come back and how Cignetti may approach transfer portal recruiting at those positions.

Quarterback

This group will undergo major changes at the top, with All-Big Ten quarterback Kurtis Rourke set to graduate and pursue an NFL career. His position coach and co-offensive coordinator, Tino Sunseri, is expected to become UCLA’s offensive coordinator after Indiana’s season ends. 

Losing Rourke and Sunseri hurts, but there are plenty of reasons to trust Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan to get their replacements right. From 2019-2023, Cignetti and Shanahan coached four James Madison quarterbacks to conference player of the year awards. Taking Rourke from the MAC and having success with him in the Big Ten also certainly helps Indiana’s recruiting efforts.

Cignetti said Wednesday Indiana “will definitely recruit a quarterback out of the portal.” It’s likely they’ll go after a veteran with starting experience like Rourke, given that the rest of the position group includes Tayven Jackson, who will have two years of eligibility going into 2025, and Tyler Cherry and Alberto Mendoza, a pair of true freshmen. 

Running back

Indiana has a lot to replace here. Justice Ellison (148 carries, 811 yards) and Ty Son Lawton (131 carries, 634 yards) became the first running back duo with 10-plus touchdowns in the same season in program history, but both are out of eligibility after the season. Knowing that Cignetti likes to divide carries to keep his running backs fresh, it seems likely he’ll add two or three running backs from the portal.

Whether he adds young running backs for depth or recruits over returning Hoosiers is to be seen, as Indiana’s reserves were also productive in 2024. Kaelon Black (46 carries, 251 yards, two touchdowns), Elijah Green (29 carries, 201 yards, five touchdowns) and Khobie Martin (14 carries, 73 yards) each rushed for over five yards per carry. Indiana also has class of 2025 running back Sean Cuono joining the mix next season.

Wide receiver

Though Indiana loses Myles Price (33 catches, 410 yards, two touchdowns), Ke’Shawn Williams (34 catches, 403 yards, five touchdowns), Miles Cross (26 catches, 323 yards, four touchdowns) and Andison Coby (three catches, 70 yards, touchdown), it should feel great about this position at the top. Indiana’s two leading receivers can both return to Indiana for the 2025 season: third-team All-Big Ten Elijah Sarratt (49 receptions, 890 yards, eight touchdowns) and Omar Cooper Jr. (27 catches, 571 yards and six touchdowns). But after those two, depth is a question.

The rest of the wide receiving corps currently shapes up to include sophomore Charlie Becker, who played almost strictly special teams in 2024, and three true freshmen. Keep in mind, Indiana also lost Donaven McCulley and E.J. Williams Jr. midseason, and now they’re in the transfer portal. That makes wide receiver a position of significant need for Indiana, with potential to add at least three transfers. Indiana’s offense was successful in 2024, in part, because it had so much depth at receiver and running back, and players bought into an unselfish approach. Cignetti will need to recruit a class similar to what he brought in before the 2024 season.

Tight end

Zach Horton meant a great deal to Indiana’s offense this season as a blocking and pass-catching tight end, but his college days will be over after the playoffs. Also exhausting his eligibility is Trey Walker, who mostly played special teams in 2024. But Indiana could still return four tight ends – James Bomba, Brody Foley, Sam West, and Brody Kosin – while adding two high school class of 2025 recruits: Blake Thiry and Andrew Barker.

Bomba played 107 snaps for Indiana this season and appeared in 20 games during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. But he’ss mostly contributed as a blocking tight end and on special teams, having made just 12 receptions in his Indiana career. The group behind him has even less in-game experience. The question Indiana’s staff will ask is whether those potential returning Hoosiers are ready to make a significant leap in production, or if Indiana needs to add a veteran or two, especially one with pass-catching chops. 

Offensive line

Indiana’s approach to transfer portal recruiting on the offensive line could go in a number of directions, mostly hinging on injuries. But starting with surefire departures, Indiana will have to replace center Mike Katic, right tackle Trey Wedig and Tyler Stephens, who became the starting left guard midseason.

Stephens replaced Drew Evans, who suffered an achilles injury prior to the Michigan game on Nov. 9. If Evans can make a full recovery by the start of the season, Indiana could have its left guard, along with left tackle Carter Smith and right guard Bray Lynch, locked into starting positions. The other question is whether Nick Kidwell – who suffered a season-ending knee injury during fall camp – gets a medical redshirt and returns for an eighth season of college football. He was expected to start at right guard prior to the injury.

Those injuries create some uncertainty at the position, but Indiana could still be in a position to have Smith, Lynch, Evans and Kidwell back for next season. On the flip side, if they’re not ready to return from injury, Indiana would have to find three new starters – either from the transfer portal or young players starting for the first time.