Written By: Nick Gonzales (@nrgonzales_)

Last year, if anyone were to tell you that the Hoosiers would be 7-0 in 2024, you would’ve thought of them as crazy, but now it is a reality. Fans are still having trouble comprehending the massive turnaround of Indiana’s football program. Not only fans of the Hoosiers but college football fans around the country would’ve never expected this. The same goes for some of the players from last season’s roster who decided to return for the 2024 season. While they weren’t sure what to expect, all they knew was that Coach Cignetti expected them to win.

“Honestly, coming in, I didn’t know what to expect really. I just knew that how he (Coach Cignetti) was coming in, with his past, that he was expecting us to win, so that we all had a job to do. So definitely 7-0 wasn’t what I expected.” Omar Cooper Jr. replied on what his expectations were going into the season during an interview on Tuesday.

The redshirt sophomore is entering his third season with the Hoosiers and has seen them at their lowest. Even after 40 players left Indiana due to graduating or transferring (more than 30 transferred to a different program), Cooper decided to stay and bought into Coach Cig’s image of what the Hoosiers could become. With that said, it still is much of a shock to everyone that they’ve been performing at such a high level. A lot of people doubted that once the Hoosiers made it to 4-0 that they could keep the streak going, but Cooper realized that this type of season could be possible after defeating their first Big Ten opponent.

“UCLA. It was our first big game, and it was another big opponent. So just the fact that we were able to go out there with the change of hours, and then still be able to go out there and play how we did, I just knew we had something special.” Cooper responded when asked when he realized the Hoosiers can have the type of season they are currently having.

Many most likely weren’t expecting this start, but while it can sometimes be hard to maintain their excitement, they have a job to do. The Hoosiers realize that the season isn’t over yet and have their eyes set on the prize and will do anything to continue defeating their opponents, no matter how difficult it may seem. Cooper emphasized that they have to stay in the moment and not think too far ahead, otherwise it’ll cloud their focus.

“Coach Cig always says we can’t get complacent. So I feel like that helps us realize that no matter how we went in, how good we’re doing, that the score doesn’t matter. The next opponent is the next important game, so we gotta focus on that.” Cooper said during his Tuesday media availability.

It’s always important to have goals, but it’s also important to focus on the current task, and that’s what Indiana Football has been doing. Each week they go onto the field and compete and continue to play hard until the game is over. Whether they are up 30 or down 30, they will fight until the end of regulation. That’s the mindset they all have and it’s the reason for their success so far.

The Huddle

The Hoosiers Have Exceeded Omar Cooper's Expectations

Hoosier Huddle