Indiana
Curt Cignetti has solid start to Indiana football’s 2027 recruiting class. What’s next
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana appears likely to enjoy a quiet (traditional) national signing day Wednesday, with so much of the Hoosiers’ 2026 work already wrapped up.
The date remains important for Curt Cignetti — it is in some ways his informal calendar turn, the point at which Cignetti allows both himself and his staff time to breathe before reconvening to plan for the coming spring. Cignetti deadpanned after the national title game last month that he’ll likely point himself toward “some nice, hot-weather island (for) about a week” after the old signing date comes and goes.
He will do so safe in the knowledge that not only is 2026 broadly well-tended in Bloomington, but 2027 is off to a promising start as well. With five commitments in the bag and some intriguing targets at the top of the list, let’s take an early look at where things stand for Indiana in the matriculating junior class.
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Players listed alphabetically.
One of three Navy All-Americans already in the fold in 2027, Brown picked the Hoosiers on the day of that game, following Indiana’s Peach Bowl victory in the same weekend.
Listed at 5 foot 10, 175 pounds, Rivals industry rankings ranks him the No. 357 prospect in his class, and the No. 7 player in the state of Kentucky. He picked the Hoosiers over offers from, among others, Alabama, Louisville, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
Brown helped his team win a state title last fall, leading Christian Academy to a 15-0 record in the process. He finished his junior year with 98 catches for 1,566 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Brown’s teammate both in high school and at the Navy All-American Game, Hobbs actually spent last season at Atherton before returning to CAL earlier this year.
Hobbs was named first-team all-state honors as a defensive back in 2025, helping the Ravens to their first Class 5A state semifinal appearance. He finished with 71 tackles, 11 for loss, with five interceptions, three sacks, two fumbles forced and one recovered.
He also caught 35 passes for 583 yards, with 15 total touchdowns across offense, defense and special teams. Hobbs currently projects as a back-end defensive back in college.
“Impact player on both sides of the ball,” Atherton coach Anthony White told the Louisville Courier-Journal earlier this year. “You looking for the best pound-for-pound football player in the state? Here you go. He can do it all. No true weaknesses in his game. I’ve seen him score every way possible.”
The Kentucky Football Coaches Association named Hobbs Class 5A District Three player of the year last year. He’s the No. 7-ranked player in his state, in his class, per Rivals.
The first in-state commitment in Indiana’s 2027 class, Jones picked the Hoosiers following a visit to Bloomington last weekend for a junior day.
The 6-6, 275-pound prospect is listed by some recruiting services as an offensive tackle. What he will represent to IU — an in-state lineman identified by trusted position coach Bob Bostad as an important early target in his class — is more valuable.
Jones picked Indiana over offers from Toledo, Western Michigan and Miami (Ohio), per 247Sports. He garnered all-state honors from the IFCA as a junior, helping lead Michigan City to eight wins in 2025.
An Indiana legacy, Purcell kicked off Cignetti’s 2027 class when he committed to his parents’ alma mater in late July.
That decision made him an early cornerstone of what’s already trending toward becoming the highest-ranked class in IU history. A top-25 (247Sports) and top-35 (Rivals) recruit at his position, Purcell represents a promising long-term future behind center.
Across 12 games last fall, Purcell passed for 2,871 yards and 28 touchdowns, against nine interceptions. In two years behind center for Maine South, he’s logged more than 5,400 yards passing, plus another 404 on the ground, with 70 combined rushing and passing touchdowns.
Purcell led the Hawks to 10 wins in 2025.
The highest-rated of IU’s five commitments thus far in ’27, Torbert sits just one spot outside Rivals top 250 nationally. That same service rates him top-10 both at his position and in his state (Ohio).
Torbert is the third of those All-American Bowl participants to commit to the Hoosiers in the rising class. He did so while passing on offers from, among others, Pitt, Iowa and his hometown Bearcats.
He played last season at Taft High School, starring at both quarterback at defensive back. Torbert combined for more than 2,100 total yards of offense in 2025, posting 31 total touchdowns.
His commitment represents not just an important win on the recruiting trail but also further inroads made in the talent-rich Cincinnati area, one Cignetti and his staff have prioritized across their early classes in Bloomington. IU enjoys a healthy history of Queen City-adjacent prep talents enjoying success in Bloomington, the recent list including players like Peyton Ramsey, Tegray Scales, Simon Stepaniak and Marcus Oliver.
A few more names to know …
Lawrence North WR Monshun Sales: One of the highest-rated receivers in the country, the Indy native has been a priority target for Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan for some time now. Indiana will have to fight off some of the top schools in the country for his commitment.
Cedar Hill (Texas) DL Jalen Brewster: The top-rated defensive lineman in his class, per 247Sports, Brewster is committed to Texas Tech but remains a priority for IU. Assistant coach Pat Kuntz recently paid Brewster a visit.
Chicago Mount Carmel WR Quentin Burrell: A four-star pass catcher, Burrell reportedly visited Bloomington recently.
New Palestine TE Mason Oglesby: One of the top players in the state in 2027, Oglesby was in attendance for the Hoosiers’ CFP national title celebration in Bloomington last month. IU is considered among the top contenders for his commitment as things stand.
Noblesville OL Mason McDermott: A four-star trench prospect from Noblesville, McDermott is among the Hoosiers’ top targets at his position. He’s a top-20 player at his position, per Rivals, which also rates him top-250 nationally.
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INDIANAPOLIS — Sophie Cunningham wants to emphasize she’s perfectly happy with the Indiana Fever. She just wishes she could be locked down longer.
Cunningham, who signed a one-year, $665,000 deal with the Indiana Fever for 2026, said on her podcast, “Show Me Something,” on Tuesday night that she was frustrated with the free agency process in the condensed offseason.
She shook her head vehemently when her co-host West Wilson asked if the contract was better than she thought it would be, then said in part, “It’s tough because I came off an injury … I’m not even going to lie to you, that’s a little, kind of, frustrating.”
Fans on social media largely took that as she did not get interest from other teams, she didn’t want to return to the Fever, or she was unhappy with the salary she got.
She shut those thoughts down on social media Monday night, then expounded on her frustrations with local media at Fever training camp on Tuesday morning.
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“I think Twitter kind of blew up last night about a comment I made on my podcast. But that wasn’t what I meant at all,” Cunningham said. “I think if you listen to the full clip, you really understand that I just wanted to be somewhere for more than one year. I’m almost 30 years old. I want to have a home. I want to get established. And I would love to get established in a place like Indiana.”
The Fever prioritized as much financial flexibility as possible this offseason because of the new EPIC clause, which allows both Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark to renegotiate their fourth-year salaries up to the max with an extension. Boston’s salary was bumped to $1 million in 2025, and she will make the supermax from 2027-29. Clark is eligible to negotiate up to the max in 2027, and both Clark and Boston could be making the supermax starting in 2028.
Only Lexie Hull and Monique Billings got major multi-year deals with the Fever out of free agency. Hull signed for $765,000 in 2026 and $803,250 in 2027, per Her Hoop Stats, while Billings got $800,000 for both 2026 and 2027. Damiris Dantas is the only other player that got a multi-year deal out of free agency, but that was for the minimum cap hit of $277,500.
Kelsey Mitchell signed a one-year, $1.4 million supermax, Cunningham returned on a one-year deal, and Myisha Hines-Allen and Tyasha Harris each signed one-year deals.
Cunningham added that she got multi-year offers from other teams, but chose to stay with Indiana on a one-year deal.
She wanted to return to Indiana, she said, because of friendships she created with her teammates and the potential they showed, even after six separate season-ending injuries on the roster. She is also closer to her hometown of Columbia, Missouri.
“When you find a group of girls who really make you fall in love with basketball games and you enjoy it, you enjoy them, not only on the court, but off the court, like, you want to hold on to that,” Cunningham said. “ … it was never about the money, it was just about the years, because I wanted to be with them. And God forbid a girl loves her teammates, you know what I mean?”
Cunningham is also coming off a major knee injury after she tore her MCL in August 2025. She was ruled out for the rest of the 2025 season and got surgery in Indianapolis, then had a six-month rehab process before she was cleared in February.
Since then, she has been ramping back up as much as possible, including playing one-on-one, three-on-three, plyometrics, and everything she does to get ready for a regular season.
Still, she said, she’ll need to actually play to get back into full basketball shape.
“Basketball shape is just different,” Cunningham said. “You can run as many suicides as you want, you can get your butt kicked however you want, but until you’re out here playing, you’re never fully going to be in game shape until you’re playing games.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
CLOVERDALE, Ind. (WKRC) – Authorities in Indiana found a semi trailer loaded up with hundreds of pounds of suspected cocaine.
According to a statement issued by the Indiana State Police (ISP), 27-year-old Harmandeep Singh of Bakersfield, California was taken into custody after nearly 400 pounds of suspected cocaine were reportedly found in the trailer of a commercial truck.
Per the statement, an ISP trooper seized the suspected cocaine during a traffic stop on Interstate 70 in Putnam County, authorities said.
The stop occurred Tuesday morning near the 37-mile marker, just east of Cloverdale, after a commercial motor vehicle was observed exceeding the posted speed limit.
Police said Singh displayed several indicators of possible criminal activity during the encounter. After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, troopers discovered multiple duffel bags and cardboard boxes in the trailer containing approximately 392 pounds (178 kilograms) of suspected cocaine.
Authorities estimated the street value of the drugs at about $9 million.
Singh was taken into custody and taken to the Putnam County Jail, where he is being held on a $30,000 cash bond.
He faces the following preliminary charges, per the post:
- Possession of a narcotic drug
Formal charges will be determined by the Putnam County prosecutor.
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Indiana State Police said drug interdiction remains a priority, with troopers focusing on major highways to disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics into the state.
For many Hoosiers living in rural Indiana, accessing health care can mean driving 30 minutes or even an hour to see a doctor or reach the nearest hospital. As workforce shortages and financial pressures challenge rural hospitals across the country, ensuring access to care close to home has become one of the most important health-care issues facing our state.
About one in four Indiana residents live in a rural community, yet access to health-care services in many of these communities continues to shrink. Across the nation, rural hospitals and clinics report extremely thin operating margins and often say workforce shortages and rising costs make it difficult to sustain services such as primary care, maternity care and behavioral health.
When rural communities struggle to maintain health-care access, the impact doesn’t stay confined to small towns. It ripples across the entire health-care system, contributing to increases in chronic conditions, reduced preventative care for children, and worsening outcomes for the sickest patients.
Communities such as Greater Lafayette serve as a regional hub for care, with hospitals like IU Health Arnett caring for patients from surrounding counties across north-central and west-central Indiana. That role is something we are proud to fulfill. But when rural residents must travel long distances for care that should be available closer to home, it places increasing pressure on emergency departments, specialty clinics and inpatient services at larger regional hospitals.
In many cases, what might have been a routine appointment, preventive screening or early diagnosis in a local clinic becomes far more serious by the time a patient reaches a larger hospital. A missed screening can escalate into a medical emergency.
That reality makes strengthening rural health care more important than ever — not just for rural communities, but for the health of the entire state.
One of the most important steps we can take is investing in the next generation of health-care professionals who will care for these communities.
At IU Health, we are working directly with local schools and community partners to help build that workforce pipeline. Across the region, IU Health has partnered with the Greater Lafayette Career Academy and area school districts to introduce students to health-care careers earlier and provide hands-on learning opportunities that bring those careers to life.
Through these programs, students explore health-care pathways and earn certifications such as certified nursing assistant, medical assistant or emergency medical technician while still in high school. Many participate in job shadowing opportunities, clinical experiences and mentorship programs, giving them valuable exposure to the field before they graduate. In fact, since the first cohort in 2023, IU Health has extended job offers to more than 70 students.
The goal is simple but powerful: help students see that meaningful careers in health care exist in their own communities and create pathways that allow them to stay and serve those communities.
For rural health care, this approach is critical. Students who train and develop personal mentorship connections locally are far more likely to remain in the region after completing their education. By helping young people build skills and connections early, we can create a sustainable workforce that strengthens health-care access in both rural communities and regional centers, including Greater Lafayette.
Since launching the $200 million Community Impact Investment Fund in 2018, IU Health has invested more than $40 million in community grants supporting workforce development, education and school-based programs that build Indiana’s health-care talent pipeline. This includes funding for the Indiana Latino Institute, which placed Latino students in health-care internships, supported career pathways, and provided medical interpreter training and college coaching to communities across the state.
Our goal is to make Indiana one of the healthiest states in the nation, and this is one way we work toward that in partnership with our communities.
But workforce development is only part of the solution.
Strengthening rural health care will also require continued collaboration between health-care providers, educators, community leaders and policymakers. Expanding telehealth access, supporting rural hospitals and investing in primary care and behavioral health services are all critical steps toward ensuring patients can receive care close to home.
Greater Lafayette will always play an important role as a regional health-care center, providing specialized care and advanced services for patients across a broad region. But the long-term health of Indiana’s health-care system depends on maintaining strong local access points for care in rural communities.
When rural clinics and hospitals can provide preventive care, manage chronic conditions and connect patients with the services they need early, the entire system works better.
Patients receive care sooner, communities stay healthier and larger hospitals can focus on the complex cases they are designed to treat.
Healthy rural communities do not just benefit the towns where they are. They strengthen Indiana’s entire health-care system by ensuring that every Hoosier — no matter where they live — has access to the care and resources they need to live healthier lives.
When rural health care succeeds, all of Indiana benefits.
Gary Henriott is a lifelong resident of Lafayette and the retired CEO and Chairman of Henriott Group. He is the chair of the IU Health West Region board of directors and the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network, and president of Lafayette’s Board of Public Works and Safety.
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