2024 Season Wrap and Reaction: Indiana 11-2 (8-1)

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

With 2024 coming to a close, it is time to look back at a year, and a season, that changed the trajectory of the Indiana Hoosiers football program. The Hoosiers finished the season 11-2 with an 8-1 record against Big Ten opponents. They finished the regular season ranked ninth in the College Football Playoff rankings and were the 10-seed in the Playoff. IU would lose 27-17 to Notre Dame in the first round. It was a season that will be talked about forever as the best season in Indiana Football history.

What The Season Meant: 

2024 was a massively important season for first-year head coach Curt Cignetti. He brought an abundance of confidence and swagger to a football program that barely had a pulse. He said he was going to win early at IU and he did. He proved that winning, and winning big at Indiana, was just a matter of wanting to invest in the program.

Cignetti ignited a fan base that sold out the final four home games of the season and travelled well to away games. IU had the spotlight with Big Noon Kickoff and College GameDay both making appearances in Bloomington (for the Hoosiers). He set the foundation, as much as you can in this era of the sport, and raised the bar for expectations on the program going forward.  

Top Offensive Performers:

Kurtis Rourke, QB- Kurtis Rourke had an outstanding season after transferring from Ohio. Rourke threw a program-record 29 touchdown passes and surpassed the 3,000-yards passing mark for just the fifth time in school history. Rourke was the engine that drove the offense. He missed one game with a broken thumb that required surgery in the 56-7 win over Nebraska. It was clear, however, that the thumb injury affected his accuracy the rest of the season. In the five games he played after the injury his completion percentage dropped from 71.9-percent to 62.1-percent. Yes, IU played better teams like Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame, but his throws were not as precise as early in the season. Even with the injury, Rourke had a season for the record books.

Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton, RB- The running back duo was phenomenal for the Hoosiers as they combined for 22 touchdowns and over 1,500 yards. It was a true running back by committee effort and there was not much drop off between the two. The running game helped IU control the pace of the game most of the season. IU will have to replace both of these running backs in 2025, but return Kaelon Black (251 yards, two TDs) and are bringing in Lee Beebe from the transfer portal. Khobie Martin will also be a redshirt freshman after getting limited playing time in 2024.

Elijah Sarratt, WR- Sarratt was the Hoosiers leading receiver with 957 yards and eight touchdowns. He made the tough contested catches that helped keep drives alive and put points on the board. Sarratt will be back for the Hoosiers in 2025 and will look to build on an ALl-Big Ten season and try to crack the 1,000-yard receiving mark.

Top Defensive Performers:

Aiden Fisher, LB- Fisher led the Hoosiers in tackles with 118. He was the heart and soul of the defense for IU. His linebacking mate Jailin Walker also deserves to be mentioned here as the two were one of the best linebacker duos in the conference. Fisher, an All-American, will return to IU’s defense in 2025.

D’Angelo Ponds, CB- Ponds earned All-American honors with his play as well in 2024. He made three interceptions, including a pick six, made 55 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and nine pass breakups. Ponds is also returning to IU for 2025.

Mikail Kamara, DL- The third All-American on IU’s defense was Kamara. He was a game wrecker up front leading the Hoosiers in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (15). Kamara, along with C.J. West and Lanell Carr Jr. gave IU a front that helped propel the defense to one of the top in the country. Kamara will be back for 2025, but the Hoosiers will need to build the rest of the line around him.

Special Teams Performance:

For the most part IU's special teams were fantastic. Place kicker Nico Radicic set a school record for the most extra points in a single season with 69. He was 10-11 on field goals as well and his only miss was in snowy conditions in the Bucket Game. IU did not kick many field goals and really did not have to since they scored touchdowns on 80-percent of their red zone chances.

Myles Price gave IU an explosive punt returner for the first time since J-Shun Harris was fielding punts. Price was a very aggressive return man and averaged 12.6 yards per return on 23 attempts. His return against Washington helped seal the win. When Price was out Ke’Shaun Williams stepped in well. Williams’ 22-yard return against Michigan was a key play in the Hoosier win.

IU also blocked three punts and a field goal. The coverage teams were largely great. They allowed one punt return touchdown, but for the most part IU’s kickoff and punt coverage teams limited the hidden yardage for opponents.

One of the most puzzling things for the Hoosiers this year was their lack of kickoff returns. IU attempted just six kickoff returns. Solomon VanHorse was an All-Conference return man at James Madison and he just never got a chance to showcase what he could do. IU’s opponents kicked off 49 times and only 27 of them were touchbacks. IU fair caught 15 kickoffs (there was one onside kick). For a staff that was super aggressive most of the year, there was a lot of playing it safe on kick returns.

Where the Hoosiers struggled was in the punting game. While it did not manifest early in the season as James Evans punted just 15 times in the first seven games. However, later in the season Evans struggled. He dropped a snap against Ohio State that turned what should have been a 7-7 game at half time into a 14-7 deficit and then badly hit a punt to the wrong side of the field that led to another touchdown effectively putting that game out of reach at 21-7. Then against Notre Dame, Evans averaged a miserable 33.7 yards per punt. His short punts early in the game cost IU field position and any chance they had to make up an early deficit. Evans looked overwhelmed in big moments, which was shocking because he was so good the last couple of seasons. These misfires in the punting game are the small, but important aspects of the game that kept IU from staying with the elite of college football.

Turning Point:

The turning point of the season came against Maryland. IU was 4-0 at the time and people were still looking for a win to be bought in. While Maryland did not end the season well, the Hoosiers overcame four turnovers to win handily and move to 5-0. At this point, the season turned from can they get to a bowl game to what bowl game is IU heading to.

I Knew it Was For Real When…

For me, it was the Nebraska game. IU hammered the Huskers 56-7 and played the entire second half with backup Tayven Jackson. Nebraska came in at 5-1 and ranked 24th in the Coaches Poll. At this point, it was fair to talk about the College Football Playoff.

What I Took Away From this Season:

2024 was the best season in IU football history. 11 wins, an 8-1 record in Big Ten play and a berth in the College Football Playoff. It was great to see the evolution of the fan base from the second half of the 31-7 win over FIU to the sell out in the snow against Purdue. It was a special season. With that being said, it also showed that there is still a gap between Indiana and the Ohio State’s and Notre Dame’s of the sport.

While I did not have a record in mind of what a successful IU season looked like at the beginning of the season, I did have some criteria. First, IU had to win their non-conference games (check). Secondly, they needed to have a winning record at home (check). They went 8-0 and sold out the final four games. Finally, they needed to win their trophy games. The Spittoon and Bucket are secured in Bloomington. Those should be the floor expectations for IU every year.

The Hoosiers have had successful seasons in the past, albeit not like this, and need to strike while the iron is hot. With the men’s basketball program teetering on apathy, fans are looking to latch onto something successful. IU football winning 11 games could not have come at a better time.

This is a time when IU needs to start some traditions. Giving towels away for all fans at games is excellent and I really hope it is something that carries on from 2024 into the future. The playing of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ between the third and fourth quarters is something that I hope sticks as well and can be improved with LED lights that have the capacity for light shows. 

The Hoosiers will look to ride the momentum of 2024 into the new year. The schedule once again looks manageable, although there are some very tough road games at Oregon, Penn State and Iowa. Before IU kicks off the 2025 season the roster needs to be filled out and players need to be built up again in winter conditioning and spring practice. The window for IU football to succeed is open. Now it is time for IU to capitalize on that opportunity with facility upgrades and fundraising for NIL.