The memories of IU’s unprecedented and historic unbeaten run to the National Championship are still fresh in our minds but the work is just beginning for the 2026-2027 Indiana Hoosiers. As Curt Cignetti and his staff gear up for year number three in Bloomington and embark on a quest to become repeat champs, Hoosier Huddle’s Countdown to Kickoff rolls on!
Joe Hjelle
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 318 pounds
Hometown: Decorah, Iowa/Tulsa
Class/Position: Redshirt Senior/Defensive Line
There were many contributing factors that helped the Indiana Hoosiers go from one of the worst power conference programs in the country to the College Football Playoff and then from the College Football Playoff to a 16-0 juggernaut that won the National Championship. Among the biggest changes has been the remarkable play of the defensive line under position coach Pat Kuntz. After struggling for years to hold up against physical offenses, Indiana’s defensive line has been a brick wall under Curt Cignetti and Pat Kuntz. The Hoosiers return interior line stalwarts like Mario Landino and Tyrique Tucker but they needed to address the departure of players like Hosea Wheeler and Dominique Ratcliff. Enter one of the focuses of today’s countdown feature: Tulsa transfer Joe Hjelle.
Joe Hjelle’s journey began in Iowa as he starred in his hometown of Decorah, Iowa. He was overlooked by FBS schools and opted to spend two seasons at powerhouse Iowa Western Community College. While there, he helped lead his team to back-to-back Junior College National Championships before moving up to the FBS level and spending two seasons with the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes.
Hjelle emerged as an impact player for Tulsa last season. While he’s not going to consistently be involved in flashy plays as a pass rusher, Hjelle excels as an interior space-eater against the run. Pro Football Focus graded him with an 82 against the run, 58th nationally for his position of defensive tackle and a 79.3 overall grade. That’s good for 57th out of 911 FBS tackles. Notre Dame wanted him badly but Hjelle was drawn to the success position coach Pat Kuntz has demonstrated with his linemen and committed to IU on January 8, right before IU waxed Oregon in the Peach Bowl. He joins the aforementioned Landino and Tucker along with transfer Chiddi Obiazor and young players like Jhrevious Hall, Gabe Hill and Blake Smythe to form what should be another very stout interior defensive line that is a nightmare for opposing offenses to try and run against.
Josh Placzek
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 193 pounds
Hometown: Carmel, IN (Carmel High School)
Class/Position: Redshirt Sophomore/Kicker
Special teams is the occasionally overlooked unit in the success of Indiana football. While Curt Cignetti’s teams don’t have to punt often, the punters have been mostly reliable. The coverage units are regularly fantastic and prevent any kind of big returns for opponents while also finding ways to block punts and the field goal duties are held down by Mr. Reliable, Nico Radicic. Behind Radicic, IU has a rarity: reliable depth at kicker. Paddy McAteer was brought in from Troy to be the long-range and kickoff specialist, junior Quinn Warren handled kickoffs for the squad last season and redshirt freshman Bryce Taylor was one of the top-rated kickers in the country. Walk-on Josh Placzek is another reliable option, as evidenced by his lone appearance last season. In the second half of the game against Indiana State, Placzek hammered five second-half kickoffs for an average of 57.8 yards.
Placzek was the kicker for Carmel High School prior to heading to Bloomington. He converted all six of his field goal attempts and was perfect on PATs as a senior. Those numbers included an impressive three field goals of more than 40 yards. He came to IU and joined the program as a walk-on prior to the 2024 season. Placzek made his debut against Indiana State as a redshirt freshman.
The countdown continues each day on Hoosier Huddle until IU kicks off the 2026 season against the North Texas Mean Green!
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