Indiana University Men’s Basketball Unveils the 2026 Non-Conference Schedule The Indiana men’s basketball program will host a nine-game non-conference home slate, highlighted by matchups with UCF and Missouri. “We are excited about how the non-conference schedule came together,” said head coach Darian DeVries. “We will get the opportunity to test ourselves in several high-profile, power-conference games this season. We cannot wait to get this season rolling and be back in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with Hoosier Nation.” Indiana has announced exhibition games at Butler (Sunday, Oct. 11), against North Carolina (Sunday, Oct. 18) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and versus Western Kentucky (Sunday, Oct. 25) in Evansville.
The season will open with home contests against Eastern Illinois (Monday, Nov. 2) and Bellarmine (Thursday, Nov. 5) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The month will also feature home contests against Tennessee Tech (Thursday, Nov. 12), versus Jacksonville (Tuesday, Nov. 24), and against Bowling Green (Friday, Nov. 27). The Hoosiers will play three neutral site games early in the season: against Syracuse (Monday, Nov. 9) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, versus Arkansas (Tuesday, Nov. 17) at Madison Square Garden, and against Kentucky (Friday, Nov. 20) at Lucas Oil Stadium. December will feature four home games with tilts against Western Illinois (Thursday, Dec. 3), UCF (Saturday, Dec. 12), Missouri (Friday, Dec. 18), and Fairleigh Dickinson (Tuesday, Dec. 22). The Big Ten schedule, tip times, and television designations will be announced at a later date.
Indiana’s Oliver Moller-Jensen Named National Men’s Soccer Player of the Week Top Drawer Soccer published its ‘Team of the Week’ on Tuesday and named Indiana men’s soccer forward Oliver Moller-Jensen its national player of the week. IU’s new Danish dynamo recorded three goals and two assists in a pair of opening-week victories. In his first match week as a Hoosier, Moller-Jensen contributed to five of Indiana’s six goals in convincing victories over Notre Dame (3-1) and Evansville (3-0). The fourth-year player marked his IU debut with a brace and assist in the season opener, taking part in all three Indiana scores.
Three Is Better Than One — Indiana University Football’s Run Game Once Again Poised for Dominance Running backs Turbo Richard, Khobie Martin and Lee Beebe Jr. have wrapped up an Indiana press conference and are heading out of the Don Croftcheck Team Room when a final question comes. Who’s the fastest? Richard, who once won a North Carolina high school state title in the 100 meters, stays silent, as does Beebe Jr. Martin, however, breaks into a grin. “I’ll take that (role),” he says. For now, with the Sept. 5 season opener against North Texas less than two weeks away, the answer remains elusive among these three standouts. There is, however, no uncertainty when it comes to the importance of a productive Hoosier running game. “The coaches say it very often,” Beebe Jr. says with a laugh. “They want us to get the running game going because without a good running game, it’s not going to be a good day.”
IU’s running-game approach under head coach Curt Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan is to rotate backs to keep them fresh. For this season, three is better than one. Last year, Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black got most of the carries and each rushed for more than 1,000 yards while combining for 17 touchdowns. In a backup role, Martin added 505 yards and six TDs. In 16 games, IU averaged 212.9 rushing yards with 35 total touchdowns. In Cignetti’s first season at Indiana, the Hoosiers averaged 165.1 rushing yards a game with 37 touchdowns. Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton combined for 1,516 yards and 22 touchdowns.
What could this season bring? Consider Beebe Jr. ran for 209 yards and a touchdown in three games last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Before that, in 27 games at UAB, he had 1,844 all-purpose yards with 13 touchdowns. In 19 career games at Boston College, Richard totaled 1,027 rushing yards and 11 TDs, including 749 and nine last year. Martin has 579 rushing yards in 16 career Indiana games, all as a backup. “It keeps everybody fresh,” Martin says about the rotation. “You can beat and bruise the defense. “You’ve got somebody like Lee running through everybody. Somebody like Turbo, he can do everything on the field. Defenses don’t know what to watch for when we get in the game. “At the same time, we have three deadly weapons in the backfield. Everybody can do something. Everybody stays fresh. It leaves defenses tired and not knowing what to do.”
As for a rotation limiting the number of carries everyone gets, Martin says, “Coach Cig and Coach Shanahan do a great job of making sure everybody gets some playing time. They do a great job of making sure we all get in, benefiting the team and doing whatever we can to make sure we win. “Last year, and the year before that, everybody was getting in the rotation, doing something to make sure we won. We can do the same thing this year, for sure.” Beebe Jr. says sharing carries doesn’t generate competitive tension. “All three of us have a great bond, and it’s not just the three of us, it’s the whole running back room. When we’re out there on the field, we feed off each other’s energy. That’s when we do great.”
A rotation of this magnitude is new for Richard, and he’s fine with it. “I am grateful to take on a role of doing what I can in this offense. Coach Shanahan — I love his offense — runs a great offense and puts us in situations that we need to be in to execute our job. In my role, I can do everything I can do to help us win championships and games.” Running backs coach John Miller is instrumental in IU’s rushing success. “He’s great,” Beebe Jr. says. “He breaks down every play so we all can make sure we know what we have to do, when we have to do it. We know what our assignments are and where we have to line up. It’s the small and big details. He does a really good job at that.”
Another plus — IU projects to have one of the nation’s best and most experienced offensive lines. “It’s a huge advantage,” Beebe Jr. says. “During a game, everything isn’t just black and white. Sometimes things get out of order. Just having that veteran O-line, they can sort that out. They’ve played a lot of games. They can make the right decisions.” That’s exactly what Cignetti expects. “Running the ball has been key for us,” he says. “It all starts up front with the offensive line, the tight ends and the wide receivers blocking. I think the tight ends are making progress. “We can get a little better at receiver blocking with our hand placement in particular. The running backs are running hard. I really like our backs.”
IU targeted the 5-foot-9, 204-pound Richard as soon as he entered the transfer portal. The Hoosiers’ balanced attack and Cignetti’s winning culture were big draws. “Indiana was the right place for me because I love the way Coach Cignetti coaches and the standard he has on the team,” Richard says. “How every rep is important; how we do anything is how we do everything. I love his standard. “I’m also grateful for Coach Juice (Justice Ellison) and Coach Miller for bringing me here and giving me this opportunity. I’m here to do what I can to contribute to winning.” It didn’t hurt that IU ran 60 percent of the time last season while imposing its physical will, plus had a dominant passing attack. “It was the way the O-line got in the trenches and the way those guys blocked up front,” Richard says. “That caught my eye. How much we run the ball and the (run-pass-option) system. Teams can’t play the run fully because we have a run-pass offense.”
IU is 27-2 in two seasons under Cignetti, including last season’s 16-0 national championship. The Hoosiers are ranked No. 6 in major preseason polls, behind No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Oregon in the Big Ten. “IU has a winning mentality,” Richard says. “I’ve always had that mentality, from little league, middle school, high school, and now college. When I came here, I felt I fit right in with the culture.” That includes the practice approach. “First and foremost,” he says, “it’s being consistent. Not just doing something right one time. It’s doing it over and over every day and practice. “Playing clean football is what I mainly focus on. Just being great and doing whatever I can to do those things. “It’s making sure we are on top of everything at game speed and being as consistent as we can. It’s treating every practice rep like a game rep. Then, when you get to the game, you play with those winning habits that you built in practice.”
How is Martin, a third-year player out of Fishers High School near Indianapolis, better prepared for a bigger role? “I feel like I improved in a lot of areas. Pass pro and receiving are some of them.” Martin caught one pass for 14 yards last season. “Before last year, I was still trying to adjust, learn the plays, learn my position, do whatever I could on the field, just make sure the team could benefit in any way. I was still young. This year, I feel like I grew up a little bit, matured some more.” Martin is listed at 6-foot and 204 pounds, four pounds lighter than last season. He credits meal preparation as well as another year in IU’s strength and conditioning program. “I feel like a different player. My body feels lighter. I can pick my legs up quicker. I feel faster. Twitchier. “I grew in a lot of areas just off my meal prep. My eating was one of the things, it wasn’t childish, but I matured. Eating was one of the ways I matured. “Meal prep has really taken my weight and body composition to a different level. I’ve got more muscle in my arms. I toned down a little bit. I had a little bit of baby fat. I got rid of that. Now I’ve got more of a grown man body.”
As far as how that will translate to the field, Martin says, “I feel I’m more of an elusive back. I can weave in and out of tackles. I have some speed to me. I can catch passes. I can do a lot of things.” Martin says he looks up to Beebe Jr. and Richard, just as he did with Hemby and Black last season. “Kaelon and Ro were great leaders. So are Lee and Turbo. They have a lot of experience. I can look at them and say, ‘Okay, they’ve got more experience than me, I can learn from what they see on the field, whatever moves they read, how to study and watch film.’ I look at them almost the same way I look at Roman and KB. “All the guys in the running back room are giving great competition but also helping me improve my game.”
The fact Hemby and Black are now NFL rookies, Hemby with the Las Vegas Raiders, Black with the San Francisco 49ers, is motivational, Martin adds. “It lets me know that dreams can come true. Seeing the hard work, they put in at IU, it tells me if I follow the course and do what I can do, I can get to that same level they’re at now. “KB, congratulations to him. He got married and has a kid on the way. I see nice clips of him running. I see Roman on TV. It’s great those guys are out there competing and being successful in the league. It’s amazing.
At 5-foot-10 and 218 pounds, Beebe Jr. says he’s been full go since the start of August camp and is back to the form that enabled him to average 7.7 yards a carry last season. “When I touched the rock, I knew then that, ‘Okay, cool, I’m back.’” As for dwelling on the injury, he says, “I try not to think about it a lot. A lot of injuries happen whenever you think about it too much. It’s putting the injury past me, focusing on what I can do now, getting in the treatment room. Just treating my body right.” Why is Beebe Jr. a running back and not, say, a linebacker? “I love running back because I can hit people,” he says with a smile. “I like hitting people more. I like running to people’s faces.”
Indiana University Football Offensive Tackle Carter Smith feeling strong still with something to prove in 2026 Indiana All-American left tackle Carter Smith is on track to start the season opener against North Texas on Sept. 5. Would Smith even still be in Bloomington if not for a late first half injury in the national championship game against Miami? That’s a question that might never be answered, but the Hoosiers are happy to have the 6-foot-5 and 313-pound fifth-year from Powell, Ohio back. College programs don’t often enjoy the luxury of the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year and consensus First-Team All-American returning to school for a fifth season. Smith had shoulder surgery soon after the national title game. Knowing that was going to significantly impact his ability to make a strong impression in front of the NFL ahead of the draft, he made the decision to return to college.
After missing spring practice, Smith appears to have full clearance at fall camp. He has been seen in scrimmage videos in 11-on-11 activities, and just as one example at practices, he’s repeatedly dropping his full body weight to the ground in a prone position, and pushing back up to standing during calisthenics. That seems like a pretty good indication he’s fully confident in the shoulder. Live action on the field is furthering that confidence. Every collision makes the next feel more natural. “I feel strong. I actually had an incident today where I broke my arm brace, so I think I’m feeling extra strong from that,” Smith said this week. “In terms of playing the game, it never really leaves. Being out for spring ball and being part of the offense still having a good gauge and watching everything that’s happening doesn’t really count me out I don’t think. So, I’m feeling good and it’s good to be back in there.”
With his NFL dreams still in front of him, there isn’t much chance of Smith entering his final season of college football complacent. Especially not when playing for head coach Curt Cignetti and offensive line coach Bob Bostad. But there’s no more decorated offensive lineman in the nation this year. In addition to all of his postseason and preseason accolades, he’s the highest-graded returning offensive tackle in the nation according to PFF. How is Smith avoiding the temptation of patting himself on the back and easing into the 2026 campaign? “I’m trying to set an example for some of the young guys,” he said. “For example, I’m trying to get off social media as best as I can. I think I tried to take that from Fernando (Mendoza) this year. It really worked well for him, and seeing all that stuff on social media, it starts to creep up on you and maybe kills your preparation or your mindset. So I’m just trying to quiet all that stuff out.”
There’s another factor keeping Smith sharp at fall camp. He’s going against arguably the best defensive line in the country every day at practice. The edge rushers he faces are especially deep and talented. Smith seemed to really develop over the last two years going against outside talent like Mikail Kamara, Stephen Daley, Kellan Wyatt and others. This year he’s being pushed every day by waves of All-Big Ten caliber edges. “I could say a lot of things about our D-line right now, they give me a lot of problems,” Smith said. “A lot of big guys on the edge. Chiddi (Obiazor) is tall, strong, fast. Tobi (Osunsanmi) is really fast. Squeak (Tyrique Tucker) and Mario (Landino) are very disruptive inside. It’s just one of the best groups to be able to — iron sharpens iron. We go out there, we bang heads and make each other better every day. That’s all we can do.”
Big Ten issues formal rules on NFL to NCAA path The Big Ten Conference has formally taken the lead in banning former NFL players from playing football for members of the league. On Tuesday afternoon the conference put out a statement. “The Big Ten Conference announced Tuesday the unanimous adoption of a conference rule to prohibit football players who have signed a professional contract, were on a professional roster at any point or declared for the NFL Draft as an underclassman without withdrawing, from maintaining eligibility for athletic competition at a conference institution. “The conference continues to evaluate potential rules restricting professional athletes in other sports from conference competition.” CBS is reporting the head coach of any team that plays an NFL player will be suspended for half the season, and the school will be fined.
These rules should have no impact on the ongoing efforts by defensive ends Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt to play for the Hoosiers in 2026. Neither player fits any of the criteria for prohibition. The final sentence in the Big Ten statement at least leaves open the possibility the league could prohibit basketball players on NBA Summer League contracts such as Sam Alexis, who intends to play for the Hoosiers in 2026-27. The efforts by Daley, Wyatt and Alexis to play a fifth season of college sports stems from the NCAA’s passage of a new five-year eligibility rule this summer. The rules does not apply to the trio, who were all members of the class of 2022 and exhausted their eligibility in four seasons. Each has been covered by a wave of court injunctions that attempt apply the five-year rule to members of the class of 2022.
The new Big Ten rules come in the wake of several players departing NFL training camps and signing with college teams. The SEC on Monday issued a statement emphasizing its belief that athletes who choose to leave college athletics and sign professional contracts “should not then be permitted to return to college competition,” but the league has not yet issued an outright ban of such players. LSU has received commitments from former Ole Miss players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, both of whom were waived after spending time in NFL training camps. Both players were on the Ole Miss team that went to the College Football Playoff semifinals a year ago. SEC officials are meeting this week. The Big 12 and ACC have not yet formally established any rules on this matter.
Indianapolis Colts announce new Anvil Strike uniforms On Tuesday, the Indianapolis Colts revealed their new Anvil Strike uniforms, a brand-new uniform style for the upcoming season. The new jersey will make its debut on Sunday, Sept. 27, against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. For the first time in team history, the Colts’ iconic horseshoe logo will be integrated into the jersey design. The horseshoe logo will be embedded onto the shoulder pads of the new uniforms. The Colts said the new threads introduce a metallic blue helmet that features a high-shine finish, meant to bring a “modern edge” to the Colts’ blue. The uniforms are inspired by the steel of an anvil, meant to embody the “grit and intensity” of Colts football. The jersey reveal is part of the NFL and Nike Rivalries series, a league-wide effort meant to honor the competitive spirit of divisional football. To see the Colts’ new uniforms, click here.
Taylor Trojans Ranked No. 20 in Women’s Golf Preseason Poll The NAIA announced its Women’s Golf Preseason Top-25 Poll recently, with Taylor landing at No. 20 entering the 2026 fall season. The Trojans earned 148 points in the poll, earning a spot in the NAIA Top-25 for a 55th-consecutive national poll. That streak is the seventh-longest active streak in the NAIA, dating back to September 29, 2018. The Trojans posted an average team finish of 4.4 and an average score of 313.9 last season, posting two team titles and recording top-three team finishes in seven scored events. Returning NAIA All-American, Eleanor Schuitema, figures to pace the Trojans once again in 2026 after leading the team in events and rounds played last season and ranking second with a 76.6 scoring average. Schuitema was TU’s top finisher in five events, registering a trio of individual tourney titles and four top-five finishes, before representing Taylor at the NAIA National Championships with a 45th-place finish. Taylor is set to begin its 2026-2027 season on September 7 and 8 at the 54-hole Indiana Wesleyan Wildcat Invitational in West Lafayette, Indiana.