It’s almost time for the most prestigious bowl game in college football, the Granddaddy of Them All. As Indiana prepares to take the field in the Rose Bowl, the Hoosiers find themselves in uncharted territory after a season that has redefined the program. History has been made, records have been shattered, and for the first time in a long time, football has taken center stage in Bloomington. But Indiana’s rise did not happen overnight.
The foundation of the program’s transformation begins with head coach Curt Cignetti. After leading James Madison to sustained success, Cignetti arrived in Bloomington on Nov. 30, 2023, bringing with him a clear vision and a proven standard. That standard followed him from Harrisonburg to Bloomington, as several of his former JMU players joined him at Indiana. Thirteen of Indiana’s roughly 30 transfers ahead of the 2024 season came from JMU, and they quickly became the backbone of a roster built on toughness, accountability, and belief.
That impact was immediate. In the first season of the Cignetti era, Indiana surged to an 11–2 record and a College Football Playoff appearance, signaling a true culture shift within the program. While contributions came from across the roster, three former JMU transfers emerged as pillars of Indiana’s success: linebacker Aiden Fisher, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds. Now in their second season with the Hoosiers, the trio has paired high-level production with leadership, helping redefine what Indiana football looks like on and off the field.
Their presence on a Rose Bowl stage might suggest blue-chip recruiting pedigrees, but their paths tell a much different story. Fisher, Sarratt, and Ponds were lightly recruited out of high school, receiving one offer at the Power Five level between the three of them. Each continued to grind until finding a home at James Madison, a program transitioning into the FBS and far removed from New Year’s Day spotlight games. At the time, a Rose Bowl appearance felt more like a dream than a destination.
“Being at JMU, I never thought I would be playing in the Rose Bowl,” Ponds said during Tuesday’s media day. “It’s just a blessing just to be here. I’m just blessed to be here. I’m happy to be here, but at the same time, we’re here to win a football game.”
Ponds, like the rest of the Hoosiers, is clearly energized by the opportunity in front of him. Yet even with the magnitude of the moment, his focus has never wavered. Indiana isn’t satisfied with simply being in Pasadena. The goal is to win the Rose Bowl. That edge, rooted in hunger and humility, has defined the Hoosiers’ climb. Their journey has been fueled by relentless work and the unwavering belief of those closest to them, the same combination that carried them from overlooked recruits to one of college football’s biggest stages.
Few stories on the roster capture that rise better than Elijah Sarratt’s. With no recruiting stars to his name, Sarratt began his college career at Saint Francis (Pa.), an FCS program now transitioning to Division III. It was there that his playmaking ability began to surface, eventually catching the attention of Curt Cignetti and earning him a move to James Madison in 2023. Now, just a few seasons later, Sarratt is preparing to compete in the Rose Bowl for the number one team in the country.
“It’s crazy,” Sarratt said Tuesday. “It’s testament to me not giving up. I had a bunch of people around me who helped push me, didn’t let me give up, and a lot of coaches and a lot players that gave me a chance to go out there and show my talent.”
From torching defenses in the NEC to producing against Big Ten competition, Sarratt’s development has been remarkable. Considering there was a time when his phone stayed quiet during the recruiting process, his rise feels almost surreal. But the growth for Indiana’s former JMU transfers has gone beyond football.
“Coming to Indiana, I really found myself as a person and a man, especially a man of faith,” linebacker Aiden Fisher said Tuesday. “I was able to kind of isolate myself a little bit the first two months, maybe not by choice, being around a bunch of new people, but it’s a really special two years that I’ve had to kind of be more to myself, learn about myself more, find myself in faith, and it’s led me down to where I’m at now.”
The strides made by Indiana’s former JMU transfers are impossible to ignore. Once overlooked and lightly recruited, they now carry All-Big Ten and All-American honors to their names. Their rise has been fueled by determination, patience, and an unshakable belief in their abilities. Along the way, they have cemented themselves into the fabric of Indiana football, not only for their production on the field, but for the resilience they showed in pushing through doubt and adversity. Their journeys have become examples for those who will follow.
“I’m just most proud of jumping over the doubters,” D’Angelo Ponds said. “They doubted my ability and said stuff about my size. Proving those people wrong, I feel like that’s what I’m most proud of and showing the smaller guys that they can do it too. Guys growing up, looking up to me, I feel like just showing them they can do it too, that’s a big thing for me.”
Not long ago, Fisher, Sarratt, and Ponds were underdogs themselves, much like the Indiana program they now represent. Their energy, leadership, and consistency have helped transform the Hoosiers into something almost unrecognizable from past seasons. In many ways, they embody Curt Cignetti’s mindset, tough, relentless, and unapologetically confident, which is why their impact has resonated so deeply within the program.
That journey has led them to Pasadena, with the Rose Bowl just days away. Indiana is grateful for the opportunity to stand on college football’s grandest stage, but sentiment stops there. The Hoosiers are locked in, focused, and determined to finish what they started when they take the field Thursday with history waiting on the other sideline.