Numbers That Mattered: 2024 Indiana Hoosiers’ Season
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Written By: Evan Alvarez
Numbers drive so much in today’s world and the sports world is no different. Now more than ever teams are hiring and building analytics teams to get every edge possible over their opponents. Over the course of the season, we’ll look into many of those numbers following the Hoosiers’ matchups each week.
Today, we are reviewing the most relevant numbers that tell the story of the Hoosiers’ dynamic 2024 season.
#1…
Represents Indiana’s overall team grade ranking on Pro Football Focus (PFF) at a grade of 94.8. To translate, this means the Hoosiers were the best ranked team in the entire country during the 2024 season per PFF’s rating system. Indiana ended up 0.7 points higher than the #2 team, Ohio State. As bowl season unfolds and the narratives from media become debunked game after game, Indiana’s #1 ranking here feels more and more real. What an accomplishment this is for the Hoosiers.
4th…
Represents Kurtis Rourke’s rank nationally when looking at PFF’s passing grade among QB’s who played at least 20% of a team’s snaps. This means Rourke was, by this metric, the 4th best passer in the country (behind Jaxson Dart, Cam Ward, and Shedeur Sanders). After learning the recent news of Rourke playing this season with a torn ACL along with his nagging thumb injury, him finishing 4th is particularly impressive and outstanding. Whichever NFL team selects Rourke in the upcoming draft will be getting a warrior who can sling it with the best of them.
Top 35…
Represents where two of Indiana’s offensive linemen rank in PFF’s blocking rankings nationwide, across all offensive linemen in the country who have played at least 20% of a team’s snaps. The two linemen are Carter Smith, who finished as the 35th best offensive lineman in the country and Trey Wedig, who finished as the 18th best offensive lineman in the country. Combining this stat with the one directly above shows an incredibly mutually beneficial relationship between QB success and offensive lineman (particularly offensive tackle) success.
10th…
Represents CJ West’s PFF ranking across all interior defensive linemen in the country who have played at least 20% of a team’s snaps. For comparison, Michigan’s Mason Graham ranked 2nd, so CJ West is in incredible company as a top 10 interior defensive lineman. Any NFL team would be lucky to pick up a player of West’s caliber. Look for his name to be called on draft day.
Top 50…
Represents where four of Indiana’s wide receivers rank in PFF’s wide receiver offensive rankings nationwide, across all receivers in the country who have played at least 20% of a team’s snaps. Omar Cooper came in ranked 46th, Myles Price ranked 33rd, Elijah Sarratt ranked 28th, and Ke'Shawn Williams ranked 27th. What a phenomenal year for this Indiana offense.
20th…
Represents D'Angelo Ponds’ overall defensive ranking on PFF among all cornerbacks in the country who have played at least 20% of a team’s snaps with a grade of 83.5. For comparison, Travis Hunter ranked 6th in the country with a grade of 89.3. Indiana has a star on their hands, folks. Look for Ponds to put the nation on notice next year as he returns to Bloomington as one of the best cornerbacks in the country.
Thursday, April 24, 2025…
Represents the date of the 2025 NFL Draft. Tune in to Hoosier Huddle’s coverage over the coming months to see how many Hoosiers get drafted into the NFL.