Local Sports News: December 24, 2024

Indiana University Linebacker Aiden Fisher announces he will return Next Season There was a time, not long ago, that a player returning to his school with eligibility remaining was not newsworthy. It was expected. However, these are not those times. Every player is a possible free agent season-to-season with open transfers the reality of college sports. So even in the case of someone who would seem to be a logical choice to return to his school, it’s news when they decide to do that. Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher announced on Sunday via his social media network that he will be back at Indiana for the 2025 season. “More work to be done. Run it back,” Fisher said in an X post. Fisher has one more year of eligibility left. He played at James Madison from 2022-23 and transferred to Indiana prior to the 2024 season. Straight away, Fisher was a vital cog in the Indiana defensive front. A weakside linebacker, Fisher was Indiana’s leading tackler with 118 tackles, including 69 assisted tackles, the highest total in the Big Ten Conference. Only once in the season was Fisher held below five tackles. He exceeded 10 tackles in five games, including a season-high 14 against Michigan on Nov. 9. Fisher is particularly valuable in run defense. According to Pro Football Focus, Fisher only scored at 67.4 in overall defense, 15th among Hoosiers who played at least 10 snaps per game, but he rated as an 80.9 in run defense, considered to be a good grade.

Fisher is one of the 13 players who came to Indiana from James Madison when Curt Cignetti was hired after the 2023 season. Cignetti’s players have been fiercely loyal. To date, none of the nine players in the transfer portal who have announced their intention to leave were players Cignetti brought with him from James Madison. Fisher explained the success he’s had under Cignetti and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines after Indiana’s 27-17 loss to Notre Dame Friday in the first round of the College Football Playoff. “First, you start with the scheme. We had a really good scheme. Coach Haines puts us in, he puts us in positions to succeed. We’re a fast defense. A lot of people look at our defense, you know, we’re not the biggest guys. But we do have speed, which kind of combats a lot of the things that these offenses do,” Fisher said.

Indiana University Football Hiring Chandler Whitmer as Quarterback Coach Indiana’s busy December, filled with recruiting and preparation, included the identification of a new quarterbacks coach. That latter process is complete. The South-Central Indiana News Network can confirm via a source IU has hired Chandler Whitmer to be their next quarterback’s coach.  Pete Thamel of ESPN first reported the news. Whitmer currently works with the Atlanta Falcons as the franchise’s pass game specialist.  Former IU quarterback Michael Penix, who will start this weekend, is with the Falcons.

Whitmer spent the past three seasons (2021-23) as an offensive quality control coach for the Los Angeles Chargers where he primarily assisted the quarterbacks, including starter Justin Herbert. Prior to joining the Chargers, Whitmer served as an offensive graduate assistant at Clemson, aiding the offensive coaching staff and working with the quarterback and wide receiver groups. He worked closely with Trevor Lawrence, the runner-up for the 2020 Heisman Trophy.Whitmer contributed to offensive coaching staff at Ohio State University one season earlier in a graduate assistant role. In his lone season with the Buckeyes (2019), first-year signal-caller Justin Fields led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 regular season record.

The Georgia native aided Ohio State’s offensive coaching staff after serving one season as an offensive quality control coach at Yale University. As a player, Whitmer logged 24 starts under center for the University of Connecticut from 2012-14, later earning a rookie minicamp invite from the Philadelphia Eagles. He culminated his Huskies career ranked fourth in program history in career completions (403) and passing yards (5,082), while ranking sixth all-time in UConn annals with 25 passing scores. Whitmer started his collegiate career at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, before transferring and playing the 2011 season at Butler (Kan.) Community College. In his lone season at Butler, Whitmer was named NJCAA All-America honorable mention after leading them to a top-five national ranking. Whitmer replaces Tino Sunseri, who was hired by UCLA as their new offensive coordinator.  Sunseri is with IU until they complete their College Football Playoff run. Like Sunseri, Whitmer’s title will include the role of co-offensive coordinator.

New Indiana University Football Assistant Coach Deals includes massive raises and bonus opportunities IU football is making a significant investment in its assistant coaches. Via a public records request copies of the memorandums of understandings between Curt Cignetti’s assistant coaches and IU outlining their new deals signed earlier this month following Indiana’s 11-1 season. Last month when the terms of Cignetti’s new deal were released, we learned the Hoosiers had committed $11 million per year for the football program’s on-field staff and support staff, to be allocated at Cignetti’s discretion. Per USA Today, Ohio State ($11.43 million) is the only known school whose assistant salary pool is higher than IU’s new figure.

Here’s what the latest records request reveals about how most of that massive pool will be allocated:

Defensive coordinator Bryant Haines: $1.8 million in 2025, $1.9 million in 2026, $2 million in 2027, plus $75,000 annual retention bonus, plus $150,000 if the team finishes in the top third of the Big Ten (one of the top 6 teams) in fewest points allowed on average per game or fewest yards allowed on average per game

Offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan:  $1.15 million in 2025, $1.2 million in 2026, $1.25 million in 2027, plus $50,000 annual retention bonus.

Offensive line coach Bob Bostad:  $900,000 per year

Cornerbacks coach Rod Ojong:  $650,000

Strength coach Derek Owings:  $635,000

Defensive tackles coach Pat Kuntz:  $625,000

Special teams/tight ends coach Grant Cain: $575,000

Safeties coach Ola Adams:  $550,000

Defensive ends Buddha Williams:  $550,000

Running backs coach John Miller: $425,000

Haines was making $1.1 million under the terms of his original deal with IU.  Shanahan was getting $800,000.  They both signed three-year deals.  All of the coaches have received significant bumps while signing either two- or three-year deals. Haines and Shanahan are earning a base salary of $450,000 per year, with the balance described as “outside marketing and promotional income.”  The other coaches are getting a base salary of $400,000 per year. All of the coaches are also entitled to a bonus schedule based on their base salary and the number of games the team wins, along with appearances in marquee events like the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff.

The further the team goes, the more each coach will earn.  Here’s the bonus schedule. A. If the Team appears in a Bowl Game, the Employee, if still employed at the time of the appearance, will receive 10% of their Base Salary.

B. If the Team wins a total of nine (9) games during the course of a single season, the Employee, if still employed at the time of the ninth win, will receive 12% of their Base Salary.

C. If the Team wins a total of ten (10) games during the course of a single season, the Employee, if still employed at the time of the tenth win, will receive 15% of their Base Salary.

D. If the Team wins a total of eleven (11) games during the course of a single season, the Employee, if still employed at the time of the eleventh win, will receive 20% of their Base Salary.

E. For purposes of Sections 5.01. B., C., and D. above, all regular season, Big Ten Championship, and bowl games shall be included in the calculation of total wins during the course of a single football season.

F. If the Team appears in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Employee, if still employed at the time of the championship game, will receive 20% of their Base Salary. G. If the Team wins the Big Ten Championship Game, the Employee, if still employed at the time of the championship game, will receive 25% of their Base Salary.

H. If the Team appears in the CFP, the employee, if still employed at the time of the game, will receive 30% of their Base Salary.

I. If the Team advances to the second round of CFP, the employee, if still employed at the time of the game, will receive 35% of their Base Salary.

J. If the Team advances to the third round of CFP, the employee, if still employed at the time of the game, will receive 40% of their Base Salary.

K. If the Team makes an appearance in the CFP National Championship game, the employee, if still employed at the time of the game, will receive 45% of their Base Salary.

L. If the Team wins the CFP National Championship game, the employee, if still employed at the time of the game, will receive 50% of their Base Salary.

Each of the agreements also include buyouts due to the coaches if they are terminated, buyouts due to IU if the coach leaves before the end of the term, and other customary terms and conditions.

Jonathan Taylor scores 3 touchdowns as the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans Jonathan Taylor rebounded from perhaps the most embarrassing moment of his career by rushing for 218 yards and scoring three times including runs of 65- and 70-yards Sunday, leading the Indianapolis Colts past the Tennessee Titans 38-30. Indy rushed for a franchise-record 335 yards as Taylor posted the second-highest single-game rushing total in the league this season and also of his five-year career. The three rushing scores were the most since he scored four TDs against Buffalo in 2021. Indy rushed for a franchise-record 335 yards as Taylor posted the second-highest single-game rushing total in the league this season and also of his five-year career. The three rushing scores were the most since he scored four TDs against Buffalo in 2021. Taylor’s big day came one week after he dropped the ball before the goal line, and it bounced out of bounds for a touchback in a crushing loss at Denver.

This time, Taylor made sure that didn’t happen again this week by holding onto the ball all the way through the end zone. Indy (7-8) won its fourth straight in this AFC South series. Tennessee (3-12) lost its fourth in a row on an abysmal day for what had been a pretty stingy defense. The Titans allowed their most yards rushing since moving from Houston to Nashville in the late 1990s, and it was the second time in four games an opponent topped the 200-yard mark. Taylor made it look easy after quarterback Mason Rudolph replaced the benched Will Levis and threw a picture perfect 38-yard TD pass to Calvin Ridley midway through the first quarter and set up the Titans for a 53-yard field goal. But when backup kicker Brayden Narveson came up short, things went awry quickly.

Anthony Richardson tied the score on his record-breaking score, a 5-yard run that gave him the most rushing TDs by a Colts quarterback in one season (six). Taylor broke the tie by springing free for a 65-yard run, keeping the ball as he ran into the tunnel. A short field goal made it 17-7 and then Indy capitalized on Kenny Moore II’s interception with a 27-yard TD pass from Richardson to Josh Downs to make it 24-7. Taylor did it again on the first play of the second half, going untouched on a 70-yard TD run and then scoring on a 1-yard plunge to make it 38-7 midway through the third quarter. The Titans climbed back within 38-30 with 2:47 to play thanks to two scoring runs from Tyjae Spears, a 6-yard TD catch by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and two 2-point conversions. Moore’s second interception of the game as time expired sealed the outcome. The Titans close out their road schedule next Sunday at Jacksonville while the Colts visit the New York Giants next Sunday.

Indiana Pacers rout the Sacramento Kings 122-95 Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers dominated the second half to rout the Sacramento Kings 122-95 on Sunday. Siakam scored 13 points after halftime, when the Pacers outscored the Kings 70-43 after the game was tied at 52 at the break. The Pacers shot 58% for the game and made 17 3-pointers in their season-high fourth straight victory. Myles Turner added 15 points and Ben Sheppard had 14 off the bench. Tyrese Haliburton, who started his career in Sacramento, had 14 points. Seven Pacers finished in double figures. The Pacers took an 87-78 lead into the fourth quarter and then started the period on a 17-5 run to take a 21-point advantage. De’Aaron Fox had 23 points in the Kings’ fourth straight loss. Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and 21 rebounds for his eighth straight double double. The Pacers recorded 35 assists on 50 field goals, and they have scored 119 points or more points in each of their last four games. The Kings fell a season-low four games under .500, eliciting boos from the home crowd after the final buzzer. Their prior three losses had come by a combined 18 points. Coach Mike Brown said before the game that Sacramento was struggling to make the one extra play that often determines close games – but Sunday’s game was a blowout. Ahead by 13 in the fourth, the Pacers went on an 8-0 run to seal the win. Sheppard made back-to-back 3-pointers, followed by a layup by Obi Toppin to put Indiana up 104-83. The Pacers shot 62.5% (15 of 24) in the third quarter to take a nine-point lead into the fourth. The Kings were held to 36.5% shooting in the game. The Pacers visit the Warriors on Monday, while the Kings host the Pistons on Thursday.

Hannah Hildago drops 33 points as #3 Notre Dame Women’s Basketball rolls over Loyola Maryland   All-American point guard Hannah Hidalgo scored 33 points and graduate guard Olivia Miles posted the fifth triple-double of her career as No. 3 Notre Dame beat Loyola Maryland 97-54 on Sunday. Hidalgo’s 33 points is two short of her career high. She also had five steals to spark a 20-0 advantage for Notre Dame in fast-break points. Miles scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and kicked out 10 assists. She is the only player in the nation averaging at least 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists a game. Liatu King scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. Laura Salmeron scored 23 points to lead Loyola Maryland.

After a rough start getting outscored 26-9, the Greyhounds hit 7-of-14 shots and were only outscored by one point (16-15) in the second quarter. The Fighting Irish connected on 10-of-20 3-pointers against Loyola Maryland. Notre Dame entered the game with the best 3-point shooting percentage in the country — 42.8%. After hitting only 3-of-17 3-pointers in its season opener against Mercyhurst, Notre Dame is 99-of-218 behind the arc (45.5%). Miles swooped in to block a lay-up attempt, chased it down in the corner, and then weaved her way the length of the court to dish to King for a fast-break basket. After conceding a 3-pointer to open the third quarter by Loyola Maryland, Notre Dame went on a 12-0 run in a span of 1:52. The Greyhounds host Haverford on Dec. 30. The Fighting Irish Open Atlantic Coast Conference play at home on Dec. 29 against Virginia.