Indiana University Football gets a commitment from Georgia Edge Rusher Daniel Ndukwe for 2024
Daniel Ndukwe, an edge rusher in the class of 2024, announced his commitment to Indiana Monday on social media. Indiana added three members to its 2024 recruiting class on Monday – Ndukwe, Mario Landino and Alberto Mendoza – and all three were previously committed to James Madison under coach Curt Cignetti, who Indiana hired on Nov. 30.
Ndukwe is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound edge out of Arabia Mountain High School in Lithonia, Ga., where he also played wide receiver, tight end and was one the track and field team. He’s a three-star recruit in the class of 2024, ranked No. 1639 overall and 113 at his position. Ndukwe decommitted from James Madison on Dec. 3, then visited Bloomington over the weekend. He received 31 total offers, including from Power 5 schools Indiana and Central Florida. As a senior, Ndukwe made 35 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss in 10 games, according to Max Preps.
Indiana University Football gets a commitment from Florida Quarterback Alberto Mendoza for 2024
Quarterback Alberto Mendoza announced his commitment to Indiana Monday morning on social media. Mendoza was originally committed to James Madison, but the coaching change has led him to flip to Indiana. After firing Tom Allen, Indiana hired former James Madison coach Curt Cignetti, who’s also bringing offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri to Bloomington. Mendoza won the state championship with Columbus High School in Miami, Fla. on Friday, and he took an official visit to Indiana on Saturday.
Mendoza is now the only quarterback committed to Indiana in the class of 2024. Ohio quarterback Timothy Carpenter was committed to Allen’s staff, but he has since decommitted from Indiana after the coaching change. At 6-foot-2, Mendoza is ranked No. 1616 in the nation and No. 85 among quarterbacks, per the 247 Sports Composite. He also held offers from Florida Atlantic, Appalachian State, Bryant, Charlotte, UConn, East Carolina, Florida International, Fordham, UMass, Temple, Toledo and UAB.
He led Columbus to back-to-back state championships. As a senior, Mendoza completed 159-of-223 passes (71.3%) for 1,950 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions in 11 games, according to Max Preps, while also rushing for 319 yards on 46 attempts. During his junior season, Mendoza completed 186-of-256 passes (72.7%) for 2,470 yards, 34 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 14 games. He also rushed for two touchdowns and 270 yards.
Indiana University Football gets a commitment from Defensive Lineman Mario Landino for 2024
Defensive lineman Mario Landino announced his commitment to Indiana Monday morning on social media. Landino was originally committed to James Madison but flipped his decision to Indiana, following coach Curt Cignetti to Bloomington. He also tagged Pat Kuntz in his post, who was the defensive line coach at James Madison before taking the same job at Indiana.
Landino attends Emmaus High School in Pennsylvania. He’s considered a three-star recruit, ranked No. 2143 in the nation and No. 214 among defensive linemen, per the 247 Sports Composite. He received 24 scholarship offers, and Indiana and Rutgers were the only Power 5 offers. Landino decommitted from James Madison on Dec. 4, then visited Bloomington over the weekend. At 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, he is currently the only defensive lineman in Indiana’s 2024 recruiting class.
Indiana Women’s Basketball’s Sydney Parrish announces she will return for her fifth and final season in 2024-25
Indiana’s hometown hero is staying at IU for another year. Sydney Parrish, who graduated from Hamilton Southeastern in 2020, announced following IU’s win over Rutgers on Saturday night that she will be taking advantage of her fifth year of eligibility with the Hoosiers in 2024-25. “I’m going to play my fifth year, if it’s okay with coach Moren,” Parrish joked. It’s surely alright with IU coach Teri Moren and her coaching staff. “We’re excited,” Moren said. “Syd has been a great addition to Indiana and our program. I kind of knew that’s where she was leaning toward, and I’m glad that she could publicly be able to tell the media tonight.”
Parrish, who was a five-star recruit and IndyStar Miss Basketball in 2020, began her college career at Oregon. She played two years in Eugene, mainly coming off the bench for the Ducks in 46 games played. After her sophomore season, she entered the transfer portal with the intention of coming closer to home. And she got about as close as possible with the Hoosiers, joining them ahead of the 2022-23 season. She immediately plugged into the starting lineup at IU and averaged 12 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season. As an all-conference honorable mention selection, she helped the Hoosiers to their first Big Ten title in 30 years and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. This season, Parrish is averaging 9.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game at the 4-spot. “Syd is a special kid,” Moren said. “Obviously, she represents not just the university, but also the state of Indiana. She’s about all the right things, and that’s the team. She wants to win. She’s super competitive, and it’ll be nice to have her around for another year.”
Indiana Fever win the Number 1 Overall Pick for the 2024 WNBA Draft
For the second consecutive season, the Indiana Fever received the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, determined by tonight’s WNBA Draft Lottery. The 2024 WNBA Draft is currently scheduled to take place on Monday, April 15. “This is tremendous news for our franchise to receive another No.1 overall pick,” General Manager Lin Dunn said. If Indiana makes the No. 1 selection in April, it would be the third time in WNBA history the same franchise selects No. 1 overall in consecutive drafts, joining the Seattle Storm in 2015 and 2016, as well as the Las Vegas Aces in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Previous Indiana Fever lottery selections by overall pick are listed below: No. 1 – Aliyah Boston, 2023 No. 2 – NaLyssa Smith, 2022; Kelsey Mitchell, 2018; Tan White, 2005 No. 3 – Lauren Cox, 2020; Teaira McCowan, 2019; Tamika Catchings, 2001 No. 4 – Emily Engstler, 2022; Kysre Gondrezick, 2021
Indiana University Football Lands Wake Forest Running Back Justice Ellison from the Transfer Portal
New Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti has officially made his first addition through the transfer portal. Former Wake Forest running back Justice Ellison announced his commitment to Indiana on Sunday night. Across his four-year career, Ellison rushed for 1,909 yards and 15 touchdowns on 4.5 yards per carry.
Ellison joins the Hoosiers with one year of eligibility after playing the last four seasons with the Demon Deacons. He was listed at 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds on Wake Forest’s 2023 roster. In 2023, Ellison was second on the team in both rushing yards and attempts. He ran the ball 120 times for 573 yards and one touchdown, good for 4.6 yards per carry. Ellison was a third-team All-ACC running back in 2022, generating 707 yards and six touchdowns. He also ran the ball for 541 yards in 2021 and earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors after a win over Louisville.
After committing to Wake Forest out of Flint Hill School in Oakton, Va., Ellison immediately contended for carries as a true freshman, rushing for 113 yards on 30 attempts in 2020. Running back is one of many position groups Cignetti has to replenish this offseason. Following the 2023 season, Indiana’s leading rusher Trent Howland (Minnesota) and the versatile Jaylin Lucas (undecided) both entered the transfer portal, and Christian Turner exhausted his collegiate eligibility. With this addition, Indiana’s running back room now includes Ellison, returners Josh Henderson and David Holloman, and incoming freshmen Khobie Martin and Justus Savage.
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