Curt Cignetti adds Two More National Coach of the Year Honors Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti added two more National Coach of the Year honors to his resume on Tuesday as the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Inc., and Associated Press each recognized his work on the sideline. He is the fourth Indiana head coach to earn the award from the AFCA after orchestrating one of the biggest turnarounds in FBS history.
Curt Cignetti – 2024 Honors
Associated Press National Coach of the Year
Walter Camp Football Foundation National Coach of the Year
American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year
Home Depot National Coach of the Year
Hayes-Schembechler Big Ten Coach of the Year (Big Ten coaches)
Dave McClain Coach of the Year (Big Ten media)
Associated Press Big Ten Coach of the Year
Cignetti joins the likes of Bo McMillin (1945; AFCA), John Pont (1967; AFCA, FWAA, The Sporting News, Walter Camp Foundation) and Tom Allen (2020; AFCA) to win national coach of the year. He is also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year and a part of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list. He was named the Hayes-Schembechler Big Ten Coach of the Year from the conference coaches and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year from the media that covers the Big Ten earlier this month.
The honors from the Big Ten mark the fourth time in his career that he earned coach of the year accolades from a conference office, doing so once at each of his previous stops. He was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2012, the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2017 and Sun Belt Coach of the Year in 2023. Cignetti has engineered an eight-game improvement from Indiana’s 2023 to 2024 seasons. That number currently sits tied for the second-best improvement by a first-year head coach since at least 1996. He was the first-ever Division I head coach to start 8-0 or better in consecutive seasons at different institutions. He led James Madison to a 10-0 mark to start the 2023 season and pushed Indiana to an identical mark to begin the 2024 slate.
The 11 victories in 2024 are the most in program history and mark the first double-digit win season in Hoosier history. Likewise, the eight wins in Big Ten play are the most by an IU team since joining the conference in 1900. He is the only Indiana head coach to start a season at least 4-0 and joined the select group of Big Ten coaches that started their Big Ten tenures with 10-0 overall records in the AP Poll Era (since 1936): Ryan Day (Ohio State, 2018-19), Urban Meyer (Ohio State, 2012), Earle Bruce (Ohio State, 1979), Bennie Oosterbaan (Michigan, 1948-49) and Carroll Widdoes (Ohio State, 1944-45). Indiana has reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history and reaches the postseason for the 13th time. The Hoosiers will take on Notre Dame in the CFP First Round on Friday night inside Notre Dame Stadium at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air on ABC/ESPN with a special Friday night College GameDay on site in South Bend starting at 3:30 p.m. and leading up to kickoff.
Three Indiana University Volleyball Players Added to the CSC Academic All-District Team After a successful season on the court in 2024, three Indiana volleyball players were honored for their academic achievements by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Tuesday afternoon. The organization announced the full list of scholar athletes who will advance for Academic All-America consideration. All three players were named to the CSC Academic All-District Team – an award that honors on-court play and off-the-court scholastic achievement. To qualify for the award, each player had to maintain a cumulative 3.50+ grade point average (GPA) and appear in at least 90 percent of the team’s sets. Graduate student Delaynie Maple (San Diego, Calif./Sports Management – Master’s), junior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles (Madrid, Spain/Tourism, Hospitality and Management) and sophomore middle blocker Ava Vickers (Fishers, Ind./Interior Design) were IU’s representatives on the team. It is Alonso-Corcelles’ second selection and the first appearance for Maple and Vickers.
Maple played her lone season of indoor volleyball for the Hoosiers in 2024 after playing four seasons on the beach at USC. She served as a team captain for IU and played in all 30 matches with 18 starts. Maple recorded 170 digs (1.57 p/s) and racked up 18 service aces. In the classroom, she’s maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA in her graduate studies and will finish her degree in the spring. Alonso-Corcelles had one of the biggest breakout seasons of any player on IU’s roster in 2024. She developed into one of the premier six-rotation players in the conference and finished top 10 in the Big Ten in kills (409) and kills per set (3.82). She also tallied 207 digs, 45 blocks and 27 aces in an impressive all-around campaign. She has thrived academically in her time at IU. She holds a 3.51 GPA in her Tourism, Hospitality and Management degree.
Vickers powered through a lingering injury to start all 20 Big Ten matches for the Hoosiers. She had career highs in kills (98) and blocks (67) and led the team in hitting percentage (.314). Through two years of her collegiate career, she’s already record over 130 kills and has 92 total blocks to her name. Vickers is also a prolific student and has maintained a 3.70 GPA while studying Interior Design. The national voting for Academic All-America will begin on Dec. 17. and last through Dec. 31. The Academic All-America teams (First-Third) will be released on Tuesday, Jan. 14. IU’s lone Academic All-America selection was Joy Jordan in both 1988 and 1990.
Indiana University Football lands Texas State Defensive Lineman Dominque Ratcliff from the Transfer Portal Indiana is rebuilding its defensive line for next season via the transfer portal. Texas State interior defensive lineman Dominique Ratcliff announced on Tuesday afternoon he has committed to IU for the 2025 season. The 6-foot-3 and 280-pound Conroe, Texas product has one season of eligibility remaining. He started his career at Louisiana, where he played one game in two seasons (2020-21) and redshirted the 2021 campaign. Ratcliff played in 36 games over the last three seasons for Texas State. Over that span he recorded 64 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and five sacks.
According to PFF, Ratcliff’s strength is run defense. He posted an 85.0 grade against the run in 2024. Among FBS interior defensive linemen with 150 run defense snaps, his grade ranked No. 15 in the nation for run defense. He also posted 17 quarterback pressures on 166 pass rush snaps. Overall Ratcliff played 318 total snaps over 12 games this season and earned Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt honors in 2024. Ratcliff also reported offers from TCU, SMU, Virginia Tech, Houston, and Memphis since he entered the portal. Indiana must replace starters James Carpenter and C.J. West along the interior of their defensive line following their 2024 CFP run. In addition to Ratcliff, they’ve received a a commitment from Western Kentucky defensive lineman Hosea Wheeler.
Aiden Fisher and D’Angelo Ponds Earn All-America Honors from the FWAA To the victors go the spoils, and for Indiana that means the postseason recognition keeps rolling in. On Tuesday two IU players earned Football Writers Association of America All-American honors. Linebacker Aiden Fisher was named to the first team, and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds was named to the second team. It marks the first time since 1945 Indiana earned a pair of FWAA All-Americans. Fisher gives Indiana their third All-American linebacker in five years, following Aaron Casey in 2023 and Micah McFadden in 2020. He appears to be the first-ever first team All-American linebacker in program history.
Fisher led the team and ranked third in the Big Ten in total tackles at 108 stops on the season. He started all 12 games and chipped in eight-plus tackles in eight games on the season, with four double-digit tackle games. He had 4.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and broke up three passes. Ponds is the first IU cornerback to earn All-American honors since Tiawan Mullen in 2020. He was graded the No. 3 coverage cornerback in the Big Ten per Pro Football Focus (84.7). Ponds appeared in all 12 games with 11 starts. He totaled 53 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss. The sophomore grabbed two interceptions and broke up nine passes. He returned one interception for a touchdown against Washington. Ponds also blocked a punt at Michigan State that ended in a safety.
UAB Transfer Lee Bebee Jr Confirms His Commitment to Indiana University Football After some mixed messaging on social media over the weekend, UAB transfer running back Lee Beebe, Jr. cleared the air on Tuesday. He’s a Hoosier. Beebe, Jr. posted a graphic on his accounts Tuesday with pictures and video of him in an Indiana uniform. His message was simple: “100% committed,” Beebe, Jr. said. Beebe’s Jr.’s Tuesday announcement clarified some inaccurate reporting by multiple media outlets that indicated he “planned to reopen his recruitment.” There’s no indication that ever happened.
Instead, what appears to be the case is Beebe, Jr.’s agents attempted to reopen his recruitment after he had already signed with IU. That’s why we pointed in their direction in our reporting yesterday. This situation continues to appear to be a mix-up fueled by the agents. The posts by Beebe, Jr. on Tuesday should put this story to rest. The 5-foot-10 and 220-pound Beebe, Jr. appears set to be a key contributor in the IU backfield for the next two years. As a redshirt sophomore in 2024, the 5-foot-10 and 220-pounder rushed 166 times for 884 yards and seven touchdowns (5.3 YPC). The versatile back added 30 catches for 219 yards and led the team with 1,103 all-purpose yards.
Indiana Fever Announce the 2025 Preseason Schedule The Indiana Fever announced today the team will play two preseason games ahead of the 2025 regular season.
- Saturday, May 3 vs. Washington Mystics – 3 p.m. ET
- Saturday, May 10 at Atlanta Dream – 3 p.m. ET
A select number of single game tickets, including the May 3 preseason matchup against Washington at Gainbridge Fieldhouse,and tickets are on sale now. Fans can also join the season ticket waitlist by visiting FeverBasketball.com. The 2025 regular season will tip off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse against the Chicago Sky on Saturday, May 17 at 1 p.m. ET. The Indiana Fever will begin the 26th season in franchise history in 2025. Last season, led by WNBA All-Stars Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, the Fever reached the WNBA Playoffs for the 14th time in franchise history. For more information about the team, visit FeverBasketball.com.