‘Dream Come True’ – Indiana University Football’s Joe Brunner Embraces Left-Guard Transition Clothing, so the saying goes, makes the man. Do beards make the player? You are the judge. Here is Joe Brunner, all 6-foot-7 and 313 pounds of him, shrinking the Don Croftcheck Team Room podium in a gray sleeveless Indiana football shirt, sporting an imposing dark-brown beard that, in some cultures, suggests power and strength. Brunner, a Wisconsin transfer, aims to rock in what is likely his final college season on an offensive line that should rate among the nation’s best. “He can play inside,” head coach Curt Cignetti says. “He can play outside. He’s a good player.” Consider this recent practice moment on a sun-splashed late morning at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. Action is winding down with special teams’ work. Offensive linemen line up for drills in groups of three behind the north end zone under offensive line coach Bob Bostad’s intense scrutiny. It’s technique over force as Brunner works with fellow linemen Adedamola Ajani and Austin Leibfried to achieve game-ready consistency.
Brunner has spent his career thriving with minimal mistakes. Last season, in 316 pressure opportunities, he didn’t allow a sack. He’s committed just five penalties over four years and 1,541 career snaps, including just one last season. He’s also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten student. Brunner is a key figure on an offensive line set to impose its will on defenses. Making that happen has him shifting from left guard, where he played the last two seasons at Wisconsin, to tackle. It is, he says, no big deal. “I think going from left to right — especially interior — is not really challenging,” he says. “You kind of bounce around as a young player, playing both sides, so I am used to that.”
Still, given all 24 of his starts as a Badger were at left guard (he played in 39 games overall) he adds, “going out to tackle, it is new. You are facing a different type of (defensive) player, a speed guy, not as much strength, not as big. But it’s also fun. It’s a part of the experience of learning a new position and just learning how good of a football player you are. “I have the confidence in myself to play tackle. I’m learning from Coach Bostad every day. I am getting better everyday thanks to him and to the guys next to me. I’m here to do what is best for the team.”
As far as the last time he took consistent reps at tackle, Brunner says during his first two years at Wisconsin, he played both guard positions and occasionally would “bounce out at tackle.” “In high school, I played right tackle only. The past two years I was only at guard. I played in a game one time at left tackle. I have the experience, just not at length. “I know what I am doing out there, but it has definitely been a while.” Moving Brunner to tackle, Cignetti adds, allows Ajani, a promising third-year player out of Indianapolis, to play guard. “(Bostad) moves those guys around a lot. He wanted to start out that way. He thought it gave us our best five with Ajani being more comfortable at guard than tackle.”
Brunner is a Hoosier in part because he’s seen what it’s done for former Badger offensive linemen Drew Evans and Trey Wedig. Evans is now a fifth-year Hoosier lineman; Wedig is a former IU offensive line standout now playing in the United Football League. “I haven’t talked to Trey about the tackle move,” Brunner says, “but I have talked to him about the transition to IU and how it was good for his game. He said it was the best thing that ever happened to him. “Hearing that from him and then talking to Drew and seeing how well he’s done has been extremely helpful. It’s awesome to see. “I’m glad I’m here, and seeing how they made the transition, and did it so smoothly. Being here for eight months, I can see why they did it so smoothly.”
Evans, and fellow offensive linemen Bray Lynch and Carter Smith have helped ease the transition. “They’re super experienced guys,” Brunner says. “They’ve played multiple years on the offensive line and started multiple games. It’s seeing the way they approach the film room and the practice field and how they work together as a group. “When I first saw that, I could tell why they were so good last year. They took me in and allowed me to step into that role with them. I couldn’t be more grateful. They made me a better player. They allow me to bounce ideas off of them, to learn and grow from them.”
Smith, who is in his fifth college season, has been an invaluable resource. “When you have a guy like Carter in your offensive line room – one of the best players in the country – you’ve got to lean on him,” Brunner says. “For me, taking on a new role in this offense, to have that source there, it is every single day: in the film room, on the field asking him questions. “We bounce things off of each other. We have two different play styles; it’s been really helpful in my development as a tackle.” Brunner is expected to emerge as a leader as center Pat Coogan, a Notre Dame transfer, did in his one IU season. “This is the time of year where a number of the older transfers step up,” Cignetti says, “but you’ve got to put them in that position. “We’ve had the same five to six to seven guys in the spring to talk to the team. Now, there’s a handful of five to seven other guys who have the potential to lead the right way. (Brunner is) one of them.” Brunner says he’s ready.
“It’s a credit to the guys in this program. When I came here in January and the way they welcomed me, it seemed like I’d been here before. It made it easy to grow as a person and a player and then take on that leadership role with the younger guys and lead with older guys in the offensive line room like Drew, Bray, and Carter. “I give all the credit to the culture that’s been here. It’s like I’ve known these guys forever.” Brunner says he can’t wait for the Sept. 5 season opener against North Texas at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. He’s already experienced the energy from a sellout IU home crowd, and if it came from the opponent’s perspective as a member of the Wisconsin team that lost last November to the Hoosiers, 31-7, that doesn’t mean he didn’t appreciate the rocking atmosphere fueled by Cignetti’s 15-0 career home record at IU.
“It was super exciting to come into this environment and play that kind of team,” Brunner says. “That’s what you want as a kid. That’s what you want when you play college football. You want to play the best teams in the country. “I remember that defense was the best in the country last year. They were so fundamentally sound.” Nothing has changed. Brunner still goes against Bryant Haines’ attacking unit, this time in practice, which doesn’t make it any easier. “Going against that every day,” he says, “it makes every guy on the offense better.” That’s part of the thrill, he adds, of now being a Hoosier. “To be here with these guys is like a dream come true. It was super fun last year and it’s even more fun now.”
Indiana University Football has a new trophy case inside Memorial Stadium For more than a century; the idea of an IU football trophy case was a laughable concept. Beyond a few lower-level bowl wins and an occasional appearance by traveling trophies, there wasn’t much to collect except dust. Yes, Indiana won an outright league title in 1945 and shared the crown in 1967, but those accomplishments came before the Big Ten started handing out a trophy. Now? Indiana fans don’t need to be reminded — everything changed in 2024 after Curt Cignetti was hired. In 2025 alone, IU football exceeded its previous all-time number of postseason wins with four. And after going on a journey via bus throughout the state, along with numerous recruiting and fan photo shoots, IU football’s massive 2025 trophy haul has found a new home.
The Big Ten posted a brief video of a new trophy case inside Memorial Stadium designed by IU Athletics during the offseason. The trophy case appears to be situated on the opposite side of the stadium from the locker rooms, and beyond where a player might go to reach the team room, position rooms or weight rooms. In other words, it’s out of sight, and Curt Cignetti likely hopes — out of mind — for the players, while in a spot where fans, recruiting prospects and former players can appreciate the program’s significant accomplishments. Included in the trophy case are: The College Football Playoff national championship trophy. AFCA national championship trophy. The Peach Bowl championship trophy. The Rose Bowl championship trophy. The Big Ten Championship trophy and Indiana’s copy of Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman Trophy.
Spyridoula Komini Added to the Indiana University Women’s Volleyball 2026 Roster Head coach Steve Aird boosted his attacking options on Wednesday afternoon with the signing of outside hitter Spyridoula Komini. The 6-foot-1 native of Athens, Greece joins a talented collection of left-side hitters in Bloomington this season. She is one of two international players on IU’s 2026 roster. “We are excited to have Spyridoula join our roster for this season,” Aird said. “Spi comes to us with plenty of international experience and is really excited to get rolling. We feel we have added a versatile, six-rotation player that can play on both pins and score in a variety of ways. More importantly, we have added a gem of a human being that will play with passion and do what the program asks of her.”
Komini brings high-level experience to this year’s squad after spending last season playing professionally in Greece. She helped guide AON Amazones to a third place finish in the Greek Pre-League Second Division during the 2025-26 campaign. Her resume also includes time playing with FO Vrilíssia (2024-25) and SFA Foivos Melisson (2019-2024). She graduated from the Moraitis School where she won a pair of Hellenic High School Championships. That includes the 2022-23 season where she was named the league’s MVP. During her volleyball journey, Komini has played with the Greek junior national team at the U16, U18 and U18 levels. She finished third in the U16 Balkan Championships in 2018. Since Aird took over the program in 2018, she is the sixth international player to feature for the Hoosiers. That includes second-year and All-American setter Teodora Krickovic. In total, Komini is the eighth international volleyball player to feature for the Hoosiers and the first that hails from Greece. She will wear the number 22 jersey this season.
Former Indiana University Men’s Basketball Player Reed Bailey is transferring to St. John’s Former Indiana forward Reed Bailey is planning to play his fifth and final season at St. John’s according to multiple Tuesday reports. The news came just hours after it was reported Bailey had entered the transfer portal. Bailey has played four seasons of college basketball beginning in 2022. Like all players with that fact pattern, he currently can play a fifth season due to various court injunctions. A judge in the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction that required the NCAA to declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted four seasons of eligibility this spring. Bailey was also part of a smaller group granted an injunction by a judge in North Carolina. After transferring to IU from Davidson, Bailey appeared in all 32 games with 10 starts in 2025-26. He averaged 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 19.1 minutes per game and shot 57.0% (77-of-135) from the floor. Under similar facts, center Sam Alexis is planning to return to IU for a fifth season in 2026-27. The NCAA is currently fighting the various injunctions in an effort to prohibit the class of 2022 players from competing in college this season.
Indianapolis Indians to match donations for Central Indiana Flood Relief The Indianapolis Indians are joining the effort to help Hoosiers impacted by last week’s historic flooding. The team announced Tuesday that Indianapolis Indians Charities will match donations to aid flood victims in central Indiana. Every dollar donated through Aug. 30, up to $10,000, will be matched by the charity. “We’re here to rally around our community that always rallies around us,” the team wrote on its website. Indianapolis Indians Charities, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has given over $1 million to the central Indiana community since 2018, the team says. The charity aims to help “youth and families grow stronger together, learn more and live healthier lives, and aligns with nonprofits that support youth development, family success, education and neighborhood development.” To donate to Indianapolis Indians Charities and assist victims of central Indiana flooding, click here.
Kelsey Mitchell sets WNBA record in the Indiana Fever’s Fever loss to the Dallas Wings The Indiana Fever (24-13) suffered a 91-85 loss to the Dallas Wings in the team’s third of five road games. The Fever close out their five-game road stretch with a back-to-back beginning last night at New York, followed by at the Chicago Sky this evening. A tightly-contested first quarter saw the Indiana Fever with a four-point lead thanks to nine points from Kelsey Mitchell. With 12 points in the second quarter, Mitchell set the WNBA record for most consecutive 20+ point games, but the Wings were able to close the gap, making it a tied, 42-42, game at the halftime break. Dallas outscored the Fever 24-19 in the third quarter to take a 66-61 lead and would hold onto that lead throughout the fourth quarter, securing the win for the home team.
With 21 points in the first half, Kelsey Mitchell set a new WNBA record for the most consecutive 20+ point games, extending her streak to 21 games, breaking the previous tie held with A’ja Wilson. Kelsey Mitchell earned her 29th 20+ point game of the season, now tied with A’ja Wilson for the second most in a single season in WNBA history, five shy of the league record of 34 games with seven games still remaining. Additionally, the game marked Kelsey Mitchell’s 139th career 20+ point game, setting a new franchise record for the most of said games in Indiana Fever history, passing Tamika Catchings (138). Mitchell’s 139 20+ point games ties Lauren Jackson (139) for the 10th most in WNBA history.
Kelsey Mitchell’s 37 points brings her season total to 912, tying A’ja Wilson for the fifth most in a single season in league history. Additionally, Kelsey Mitchell’s 37 points helped her pass herself for the most points in a single season in franchise history, breaking her previous record of 890 points set in 2025, with seven games still remaining. Finishing the night with 37 points, Mitchell became the fourth player in league history to score 900+ points in a single season, joining Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson. Kelsey Mitchell scored in the double digits for the 52nd consecutive game, extending her lead for the longest of such streak in franchise history, while breaking her tie for the 13th longest in WNBA history. Kelsey Mitchell’s 37 points mark the third most in a single game in franchise history, one shy of her career high of 38 points done twice, first in 2019 and then in 2025, both against Connecticut. Makayla Timpson earned her first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Indianapolis Colts Signing Veteran Wide Receiver and Six-Time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen The Indianapolis Colts have found their answer to the lingering question at wide receiver. According to multiple reports, the Colts are in the process of signing veteran wideout Keenan Allen. The one-year deal is worth up to $8.32 million. The six-time Pro Bowler brings 12 years of experience to Indy, playing with the Chargers his entire career except for the 2024 season when he was with the Chicago Bears. The move reunites Allen with Colts head coach Shane Steichen. The two were together with the Chargers from 2014-20. Allen played 17 games with the Chargers last season, amassing 81 catches for 777 yards and four touchdowns. The 34-year-old has reached at least 1,000 yards six times in his career. In addition to being named a Pro Bowler six different seasons, Allen was awarded the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2017. Allen was originally selected by the Chargers in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft after a record-breaking few seasons at Cal. Allen is a significant addition to the Colts thin receiver room. The Colts don’t have much depth behind Alec Pierce and Josh Downs. Not to mention, Pierce is still working his way back from March’s ankle surgery. Colts general manager Chris Ballard said last week that he anticipates Pierce will be ready for Week 1’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, but Indy’s highest paid receiver still hasn’t practiced yet.