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B1G 2024: Indiana Football and Defense

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B1G 2024: Indiana Football and Defense


Now it’s time to briefly discuss the Hoosier defense. Same as the offense, not a ton is known about how the Indiana Hoosiers will stack up defensively this year. With attrition and coaching changes, there’s so many question marks I can’t possible forecast with any certainty how it will go. Which isn’t much fun, but here’s some things to learn and watch this offseason.

Bryant Haines

Bryant Haines is the new defensive coordinator for Indiana. Haines comes to us from James Madison University and has been with Curt Cignetti since the Elon days. Officially taking over solo defensive coordinator for JMU in 2022, Haines has been at least co-dc since 2019.

A lot of faith has been placed in Haines. Cignetti described his influence on the defense as way more limited than his influence on the offense. For that reason, and I assume because Cignetti has a lot of faith in Haines, Bryant Haines is Indiana’s first million dollar coordinator in program history. Haines is scheduled to make $1.025 million prior to incentive bonuses. Will it help turn around the smelly turd that has been IU’s defense in the last few years? We’ll see.

Depth

To put it simply, there’s a ton of depth concerns on the defense. With the number of outgoing transfers and graduations coupled with the limited number of incoming transfers, it’s difficult to really even squint and see positive momentum on that side of the ball. Will it get better eventually? Maybe. But if Indiana isn’t able to really coach up some of the bench players that have stayed, they could be in real trouble.

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Defensive Line and Pressure

Indiana isn’t exactly known for having many guys that can consistently pressure the opposing QB. They also aren’t known for having big dudes in the trenches and making it hard to run. That’s a majority of the reason that Indiana has struggled on defense since the beginning of time. Even the couple years under Kane Wommack, the defense relied on pressure from corners, safeties, and linebackers. It’s incredibly rare that Indiana actually gets a D-line to pressure QB’s at all. In fact, as a team in 2023 and in 2022, Indiana only recorded 20 total sacks. That’s good for 10th in 2022 and last in 2023. If Indiana is able to get their lines to compete and pressure QB’s they can find some success. If not, I think it’s going to be shootout city for this program this season.


Returning and Transferring Players of Note

Transfers

Jayden McDonald – LB – Troy

Terry Jones – S – Old Dominion

Shawn Asbury II – S – Old Dominion

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Jailin Walker – LB – James Madison (JMU)

James Carpenter – DL – JMU

Aiden Fisher – LB – JMU

Mikail Kamara – DL – JMU

Cedarius Doss – CB – Austin Peay

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Now we turn to questions for our panel of “writers:”

1) Indiana was supposedly a defensive school for the last three years, but gave up on average 394 YPG in 2023, 449 YPG in 2022, and 384 in 2021. That ranks dead last in YPG in 2023 and 2022 in the B1G. If Indiana is able to simply have a middle of the road defensive scheme, do fancy Indiana’s chances to get to a bowl?

2) If you’re putting your child/nephew/niece down for the night, what’s your go-to book to read them?

Jesse: At first I thought, “surely Indiana’s defense suffered from being on the field a lot and that’s why they give up so many YPG.” But uh… the underlying don’t look much better with YPP, Rushing YPG, and passing YPG all near the bottom of the conference. Getting a new defensive coordinator can change everything, though. As a Nebraska fan who saw what Pelini did, and then didn’t, and then did again AND even looking at the world of difference Tony White did in a year, it’s possible to have a turnaround.

That said, do I think it ups the odds? I dunno. Middle of the road doesn’t fix all the woes of previous regimes and they usually come out at the worst times. It’s a step in the right direction for sure, but there are a lot of fundamental flaws to fix here.

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As for go-to book? Currently all-in on Mo Willems books in general. Been a big fan of Gerald and Piggie lately with “A Big Guy Took My Ball” getting a good chuckle each time from me.

Kind of…: It’s the B1G. “Middle of the road” is still a big ask. If Indiana were in the Big 12 and was middle of the road on defense, then we’re talking 8-4 or something. But, no, I see Indiana losing glorious shootouts more easily that suddenly looking stout-ish on D. But I could be wrong. And so could anybody else. Because we live in Portal World now and nobody knows shit. (I do like Indiana’s overall future compared to the last three years.)

AlmaOtter: Hard to really project out with a brand-new staff and roster, but I’ll optimistically say that regression to the mean gives the Hoosiers a slight boost? Don’t think that a bowl in year 1 is impossible, but I’d take the under. 5-7 seems fair.

When I was in Milwaukee last month, I did read a lot of books to my nephew, but they never really put him to sleep. That kid does not want to go down for naps at all. That said, I did get my buddy/OTE commenter Verdauga a copy of the Knight Owl for his son’s birthday and that’s apparently been a hit!


Do you have any thoughts on Indiana’s defense other than “bad”? Let us know down below!



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Indiana A.G. finishes Karl King Tower investigation, finalizes compliance order

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Indiana A.G. finishes Karl King Tower investigation, finalizes compliance order


The Indiana Attorney General has finished its investigation into Karl King Tower and issued a compliance order.

This is coming after a months-long investigation into the unsafe living conditions for residents at the apartments.

From December 2025 to January 2026, there were prolonged failures with the heating and a lack of heat for residents during winter conditions at Karl King.

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The property owner provided a 20% rent credit for affected tenants and documentation related to health and safety issues.

Below is the agreement from the Attorney General:

  • The owner must complete boiler and heating system improvements by September 30.
  • The property is subject to a monitoring period for multiple years.
  • The owner needs to provide on-site security, including cameras in common areas and monthly incident reports.
  • The building needs an on-site property manager to address resident concerns.
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The Attorney General has the authority to inspect the property and enforce compliance if commitments aren’t met.



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Indiana Baseball Series Preview Against Illinois

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Indiana Baseball Series Preview Against Illinois


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It’s been a rough season for the Indiana baseball team, but the Hoosiers have one more shot to finish the season on a high note against Illinois this week.

Indiana (21-30, 7-20) has lost five straight contests and failed to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament after finishing outside the top 12 in the Big Ten, meaning Saturday’s game against the Illini will be the Hoosiers’ last.

And that may very well be the biggest surprise in all of the Big Ten, considering IU won 33+ games each of the last two years and finished above .500 in Big Ten play each of the last three seasons.

About Indiana

Indiana’s disappointing season is almost over after getting swept by in-state rival Purdue over the weekend. IU has lost four straight Big Ten series and hasn’t won a series in nearly a month.

Regardless of who is playing well and who’s not, don’t be surprised if the majority of the seniors get to play this weekend.

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That probably wouldn’t be the case if Indiana were still able to qualify for the Big Ten Tourney, but with that out of the equation, expect to see the guys who might not ever play another competitive game of baseball get to see the field one last time.

The Hoosiers’ best pitcher is southpaw Tony Neubeck, who leads the team in wins, starts, innings pitched, and strikeouts. Neubeck has recorded back-to-back quality starts and could very well hear his name called in this June’s MLB Draft.

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Offensively, the Hoosiers have proven they can score some runs, and despite getting swept last week, scored 21 runs against Purdue. IU’s top hitter is Jake Hanley, who leads Indiana’s offense in at-bats, hits, home runs, RBIs, total bases, and walks.

About Illinois

Unlike Indiana, no matter what happens this week for Illinois, the Illini are automatically a lock for the Big Ten Tournament. Illinois might rest some of its everyday players who have played a lot and have some of its top arms on pitch counts, but outside of that, expect the Illini to play this series like it’s their last.

Illinois still has a chance to move up a spot in the Big Ten, and there’s no denying the fact that seeding matters.

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Illinois (27-23, 13-14) has won five in a row but has struggled on the road this season, especially in Big Ten play.

Still, though, Illinois has a couple of solid relievers — Sam Mommer and Sam Reed — and has an ace in Aidan Flinn.

Offensively, the Illini are inconsistent but did manage to score 26 runs in three games against Northwestern and have a couple of power hitters in AJ Putty and Collin Jennings.

Series Schedule

Thursday, May 14th (6 p.m. ET)
Friday, May 15h (6 p.m. ET)
Saturday, May 16th (2 p.m. ET)

All three games are available to watch via the Big Ten Network Plus (BIG+).

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A ‘verbal bouquet’ to Indiana’s health department | OPINION

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A ‘verbal bouquet’ to Indiana’s health department | OPINION


A colleague at lunch recently proclaimed that my columns are negative, critical, lacking in affirming values. He didn’t use all those words, but I cut him short.

OK, this week, I’m offering a verbal bouquet to the Indiana State Department of Health. I’m presuming that was the agency identified in a text to me from my IU Health Care Team containing a “Full Screening Form” from SDOH.

Of course, I don’t recognize any IU Health Care Team. I do have a physician who practices at one of the ever-expanding IU Health facilities. From time-to-time he sends me on excursions through the labyrinth of departments, labs, or orifices of that serpentine organization. But I know no team.

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The “Full Screening Form” from SDOH came in two sections. First I was asked, “In the past year, have you or any family members you live with been unable to get any of the following when it was really needed?” There were five classes of items indicated: Food, Health care or medication, Housing, Transportation for health care or medication, and Utilities.

I presumed I could check any or all of these. But I selected, “No.” An added option was, “I choose not to answer this question.” 

In the second section I was asked, “In the past year, have you been afraid or felt unsafe due to the following?”  Choices: Partner or ex-partner, Family member or caregiver, Where you live. Once again I answered, “No” and was glad to see, “Choose not to answer.”

I was not able to identify my insecurity driving the bombed-pocked streets of my city.

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Here we find our state government expressing concern about our welfare. These are important indicators of well-being and security. Collecting such information, matching with my characteristics which are already on file, and merging those responses into a well-structured, but confidential data base, could provide useful inputs for policy development.

Where did this come from? Is there leftover money from a Biden initiative? Did the Braun administration or the Indiana General Assembly come up with this independently? Is this a state-wide program or just a test exercise to look (excuse the word) progressive?

Whatever the genesis, this is important and noteworthy. Most of us, faced with any of the conditions enumerated, would be hesitant to admit such concerns. But efforts to overcome that reluctance can be beneficial and prevent tragedy. If the data can be used and if useful, are used.

However, if the at-risk population fails to respond, we’re no better off. If the SDOH has no funding to follow-up itself or if local resources are insufficient to do the job, then we’ll know the need and have failed to provide help.

I look forward to the SDOH reporting on the success of this program. If they only notify my doctor of my well-being… I won’t say it. That would be negative.

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Mr. Marcus is a research economist formerly with the Kelley School of Business at IU. Contact him at mortonjmarcus@gmail.com. Listen to Morton with John Guy on the podcast Who Gets What? at mortonjohn.libsyn.com



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