New IU Football Coach Curt Cignetti Announces complete coaching staff
Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti has announced the hiring of 10 assistant coaches and the head of the Hoosiers strength and conditioning program on Wednesday. Cignetti’s first coaching staff in Bloomington will feature seven members of his James Madison staff, one member of the 2023 Indiana coaching staff, and three coaches that will work with Cignetti for the first time. The list includes: Bryant Haines – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Mike Shanahan – Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
Grant Cain – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
Tino Sunseri – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Ola Adams – Safeties/Defensive Backs
Bob Bostad – Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line
Pat Kuntz – Defensive Tackles
John Miller – Running Backs
Rod Ojong – Cornerbacks
Buddha Williams – Defensive Ends
Derek Owings – Strength & Conditioning Full bios for each coach can be found by clicking here.
Bryant Haines – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
A 2023 Broyles Award semifinalist, Haines begins his second stint at Indiana and will lead the defense for Cignetti for the third-straight season. Haines spent five seasons on staff at James Madison and coached with Cignetti at Elon (2017-18) and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2014-15). In each of his first four seasons at JMU (2019-23), the Dukes ranked top 10 nationally in total defense. His unit sat among the top 10 in the FCS in scoring defense while ranking top 25 in the program’s first two FBS seasons in 2022 and 2023. Eight defenders earned All-America honors during his five seasons in the Shenandoah Valley with linebacker Dimitri Holloway earning second-team honors in 2019.
Mike Shanahan – Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
Shanahan was Cignetti’s offensive coordinator in his final three seasons at James Madison and will serve in the same role at IU. Each of Shanahan’s eight seasons as a full-time on-field coach have been spent on Cignetti’s staff and each of the last three seasons have featured conference players of the year. His Dukes offenses produced two All-America selections at wide receiver and six of his pupils earned all-conference honors. The 2023 James Madison offense led the Sun Belt in offensive efficiency though the regular season and finished No. 29 in the FBS in total offense (430.2 ypg). Quarterback Jordan McCloud was named Sun Belt Player of the Year and wideouts Reggie Brown and Elijah Sarratt were each tabbed first-team all-conference.
Grant Cain – Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
With 21 seasons of collegiate coaching experience, Cian joins Cignetti at IU after five seasons on staff at James Madison. Cain served as Cignetti’s special teams coordinator all five seasons with the Dukes and tutored three All-Americans, four All-Sun Belt Conference picks, and nine All-Colonial Athletic Association selections during that span. In 2021, James Madison led the FCS in field goals per game (2.07) while ranking fourth in kick-return average (26.5) and field goal percentage (.906), seventh in kickoff-return defense (15.25), eighth in punt-return defense (3.7), 12th in blocked punts (2), and 20th in net punt average (38.8).
Tino Sunseri – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Sunseri produced three-straight conference player of the year honorees in three seasons at James Madison and begins his first coordinator role as the co-offensive coordinator at IU. In just three seasons as an on-field assistant coach, he has quickly established a reputation for developing quarterbacks and as a high-level recruiter. In three seasons tutoring the quarterbacks in Harrisonburg, Sunseri’s pupils averaged 3,400 yards passing, 32 touchdown passes, and 256 completions per season. With 21 rushing scores added, the trio accounted for 119 touchdowns in three years (19.8 points per game).
Ola Adams – Safeties/Defensive Backs
Adams owns 15 seasons of experience across college and professional football, with 11 seasons coaching defensive backs after an all-conference career at Concord (W.Va.) University. He has tutored at least one all-conference honoree in all but one season dating back to 2009. Most recently, Adams served as a defensive analyst and analytics coordinator for the nation’s No. 1 defense at Penn State and his last on-field role came with the Denver Broncos in 2022. In three seasons as defensive coordinator at Villanova, Adams defenses created 50 takeaways over that span.
Bob Bostad – Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line
The lone coach to return from Indiana’s 2023 staff, Bostad owns 26 years of experience coaching the offensive line at the collegiate and professional levels. He has tutored numerous All-Americans on the offensive line, at linebacker and tight end, while he has seen 20 pupils drafted to the NFL, which includes nine offensive linemen. In his first season at Indiana, Bostad helped the offensive line to its best season grade since 2017 according to Pro Football Focus and allowed just 16 sacks on the season after 26 during the 2022 season. Center Zach Carpenter earned honorable mention All-Big Ten at season’s end.
Pat Kuntz – Defensive Tackles
The 247sports All-Assistant Team pick as the defensive line coach, his defensive front created havoc during his two seasons at JMU. All-Americans Jalen Green and Isaac Ukwu led a group of seven All-Sun Belt picks and his 2023 defensive line featured two first-team and two second-team All-SBC picks, which included Green as the 2023 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year. The Dukes success at the point of attack showed during its first two seasons at the FBS level. A nation’s best rushing defense (61.5 ypg) was bolstered by an FBS-best 9.1 tackles for loss per game in 2023. In 2022, JMU sat No. 2 in both categories at 79.5 rushing yards allowed per game and 8.6 tackles for loss.
John Miller – Running Backs
Miller played for two seasons under Cignetti at James Madison and spent five of the past seven seasons on his staff. The 2017 Colonial Athletic Association Special Teams Player of the Year spent one season as a graduate assistant (2018) and four seasons (2021-23) as Cignetti’s running backs coach. Miller’s running backs room averaged 175.6 yards per game and 1.9 touchdowns per game over 45 games under his watch. Six Dukes running backs eclipsed 500 yards rushing in a season and his group rushed for over 2,000 yards twice.
Rod Ojong – Cornerbacks
Ojong has tutored defensive backs in each of his last five on-field coaching stops and made a stop as a quality control coach at Georgia in 2020. In one season at Charlotte, Ojong helped Dontae Balfour to third-team All-American Athletic Conference honors. Ojong made an impact in two seasons at Buffalo (2021-22) and tutored Marcus Fuqua to first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors in 2022 after leading the FBS in interceptions (7). His seven interceptions were the most in a single season for a Bull since 1986.
Buddha Williams – Defensive Ends
In his first season on Cignetti’s staff, Williams joins Indiana after two seasons at Colorado State where he tutored Mohamed Kamara to 2023 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. Kamara led the Mountain West with a program-record 13.0 sacks and 17.0 tackles for loss in 2023. Prior to CSU, Williams had a five-year stay at North Dakota State (2017-21) that netted a 66-5 record, four national titles, and three All-American defensive linemen. The Bison won the 2017-19 and 2021 national titles, with Greg Menard (2018), Derrek Tuszka (2019), and Brayden Thomas (2021) each named All-America under Williams.
Derek Owings – Strength & Conditioning
Ownings followed Cignetti to Indiana from James Madison where he served in the same role for four seasons. He spent two seasons at Texas Tech (2019-20) as the associate strength & conditioning coach and one year as assistant director of sports performance with football at UCF. Owings helped the Dukes to a 38-7 overall record in his four seasons and trained 15 All-America selections. He developed defensive lineman Mike Greene reach finalist status for the Buck Buchanan Award – FCS national defensive player of the year – in 2020, and quarterback Cole Johnson finish No. 4 in the voting for the Walter Payton Award – FCS national player of the year – in 2021.
Indiana University Volleyball’s Camryn Haworth becomes the program’s fourth AVCA All-American
Junior Setter Camryn Haworth, one of the nation’s most dynamic players, was unveiled as Indiana volleyball’s fourth All-American in program history, as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Wednesday afternoon. In a vote by the AVCA committee, Haworth was among 56 athletes in the nation to earn Honorable Mention All-American honors. 14 players made each of the First, Second and Third Team All-American lists.
“Our program is incredibly proud of Cam and all the work she has put into her development at IU,” head coach Steve Aird said. “She would be the first to say she owes it to her teammates and shine the light on other people. But I think it is truly important to recognize the accomplishment and how she has elevated her game. She deserves every ounce of credit and respect coming her way. Knowing her, she will get right back in the gym and continue to grind. We believe in her and she believes in IU. We are excited to get back to work in the spring and continue to chase greatness together.”
The Fishers, Ind. native took a massive step forward and produced one of the best seasons in program history. Her 1,247 assists led the Big Ten following the conclusion of the regular season and her 73 aces led both the conference and the NCAA. She averaged 10.22 assists per set, one of three Big Ten setters with 10+ assists per set on the season. The junior helped run an offense that hit .237 on the season, the fourth-best mark in program history. Five Hoosiers had 200+ kills while middle blockers Kaley Rammelsberg (.365) and Savannah Kjolhede (.361) had two of the most efficient offensive seasons in school history.
On the season, Haworth totaled 1,247 assists, 261 digs, 110 kills, 73 aces and 60 blocks. She produced two triple-doubles, the only power five player in the country with multiple on the season. Her 73 aces were most by an IU player since becoming a varsity sport at the school. Haworth was one of 15 setters to earn All-American honors. Three setters were named to the first team, two were named to the second team and one was named to the third team. Eight more setters, including Haworth, earned Honorable Mention All-American honors. Of the over 350 starting setters in NCAA division one volleyball, Haworth was among the top four percent of all available selections. She was one of just two Big Ten setters (Nebraska’s Bergen Reilly) to earn All-America honors from the AVCA. For her career, Haworth has 2,862 assists (No. 8 in program history), 164 aces (No. 2 in program history), 706 digs, 124 blocks and 274 kills. She will have a shot at becoming the third player in program history with 4,000 assists next season. She is just 34 aces away from becoming the program’s all-time leader from the service line.
Three players in program history, before Haworth, have been honored as All-Americans. Karen Dunham (1985) and Erica Short (2008) earned Honorable Mention honors but Ashley Benson remains the only Hoosier to be named to one of the top three All-American teams. Benson was a third-team selection in 2009 before earning the nod as the program’s only first-team selection in 2010, following IU’s trip to the Sweet 16. Haworth, along with libero Ramsey Gary and IU’s top-four pin hitters, will return in 2024 to lead the Hoosiers into the new era of the Big Ten. IU matched a program record for regular season wins (21) in 2023 and will bring five returning starters into the new year in Bloomington.
Indiana Volleyball All-Americans –as selected by the AVCA Dunham, Karen, S (1985 – Honorable Mention)
Short, Erica, OH (2008 – Honorable Mention)
Benson, Ashley, MB (2009 – Third Team, 2010 – First Team)
Haworth, Camryn, S (2023 – Honorable Mention)
Indiana University Volleyball lands four on the College Sports Communicators Academic All District Team
Indiana University Volleyball had four players named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team, as announced by the committee on Tuesday afternoon. Kaley Rammelsberg (Westerville, Ohio), Isa Lopez (Richardson, Texas), Grae Gosnell (Charleston, S.C.) and Candela Alonso-Corcelles (Madrid, Spain) were all honored for their achievements in the classroom that paired with an outstanding season on the volleyball court.
Rammelsberg, who earned her undergraduate degree in May of 2023, maintained a cumulative GPA of over 3.9 while producing at a high level on the court. She hit .365 on the season while tallying 281 kills and 110 blocks for the Hoosiers. The graduate student finished her IU career, over three seasons, hitting a collective .329 with over 1500 career offensive attempts. Her hitting percentage is second in program history behind only All-American Ashley Benson.
Lopez was an instrumental back row player for IU, playing in all 65 games the past two seasons. In the classroom, she has maintained a 3.75 GPA while pursuing a degree in Computer Science. She finished 2023 with 164 digs (1.38 per set). Gosnell played four seasons for the Hoosiers, appearing in 79 matches while recording 317 digs, 57 kills and 42 assists. A human biology major, she has plans to become a specialized surgeon in either brain or spine surgery. Alonso-Corcelles, a native of Spain, has represented the core values of the program since arriving in Bloomington last year. She has 575 kills in her two seasons and has played in 64 contests including all 32 during her freshman year. After choosing Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management as a degree path, Alonso-Corcelles has maintained an outstanding 3.7 GPA and has thrived in the classroom while taking various types of courses. All four student-athletes will advance to voting for Academic All-America honors, to be announced at the beginning of January.
2023 Indiana University Women’s Soccer Senior Class recap
Indiana University Women’s Soccer seniors wrapped up their final season in the 2023 campaign. This group of seniors combined for an overall record of 30-21-16 and helped lead the Hoosiers to their first NCAA tournament appearance since the 2013 season. “I am immensely proud to celebrate our exceptional seniors: Anna, Sofia, Paige, and Zoe,” van Bennekom said. “These remarkable individuals have not only excelled on the field but have left an incredible mark on our program, enriching the day-to-day environment and leaving it stronger than they found it. Their dedication, leadership, and passion for the game have elevated the entire program, and I have no doubt that they will carry these qualities into their future endeavors.”
Anna Bennett | Senior Midfielder | Holland, Mich.
Bennett has scored 11 goals, 14 assists with 36 points on her career with the Hoosiers. She started in 55 out of 66 games with 3680 minutes played on the pitch. In her senior season, she scored the game-winning goal in the battle for The Golden Boot against Purdue in the opening 0.37 seconds of the match. The Holland, Mich., moved up to second in the all-time single season assist record with nine in her final season. She ranked fourth in the Big Ten in assists and 33rd in the nation and 22nd in total assists to end her time in the cream and crimson. Bennett will graduate this spring with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
Sofia Black | Senior Midfielder | Alpharetta, Ga.
Black appeared in 48 games and earned seven starts in her career with the Hoosiers. She netted four goals in her career with two coming in her final season against Tennessee and Illinois. She finished with .545 shots on goal percentage. Black will graduate in the spring with a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Kelley School of Business.
Zoe Tiger | Senior Defender | Wantage, N.J.
Tiger was named to the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Players to Watch List headed into her final season in the cream and crimson. She started in all 20 matches this season in the backline as she helped lead the Hoosiers to a record breaking 10 shutouts. The defender scored her first career goal against Ohio State and totaled over 2800 minutes on the pitch. Tiger is set to graduate this spring with a bachelor’s degree in interior design.
Paige Webber | Graduate Forward | Grand Blanc, Mich.
Webber had an outstanding final season earning All-Big Ten First Team. She led the Hoosiers offense with 12 goals, four assists combined for 28 points this season. Webber holds .426 shots on goal percentage and has netted five game winning goals this season. The Grand Blanc, Mich., native was also named to the Big Ten women’s soccer Preseason Watch List, NCAA Player of the Week and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
She spent three seasons with the Hoosiers, playing in 55 matches with 37 starts in the cream and crimson. Webber finished her career with a .423 shots on goal percentage and six game-winning goals. Webber will graduate this month with her bachelor’s degree in human biology and enter into the NWSL draft. Additionally, this group has earned Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished scholar honors for their performance inside the classroom.
“As they embark on new chapters in their lives, I eagerly anticipate witnessing the continued success that undoubtedly awaits Paige, Sofia, Anna, and Zoe,” van Bennekom said. “They are not just graduates; they are forever part of the IUWS family, and I look forward to welcoming them back as proud alumnae.”
Seven Former Indiana University Hoosiers in the NBA
The NBA regular season is more than a quarter of the way complete and it’s time for our first “Hoosiers in the NBA” update. Here’s a look at how each of the seven Hoosiers in the NBA are performing through more than 20 games of the 2023-24 campaign:
Eric Gordon- 2023-24 stats (21 games): 14.2 points, 2.9 assists, two rebounds in 32 minutes per game. Gordon’s minutes have been more plentiful than expected due to Bradley Beal’s injury. Beal has played in just four games for the Suns, which has thrust Gordon into a more prominent role. The 34-year-old veteran has taken advantage of the opportunity. Gordon is shooting 39.9 percent on 3s, more than two percent better than his career average. Gordon has already scored in double figures 17 times this season and remains an extremely productive player.
O.G. Anunoby – Toronto -2023-24 stats (19 games): 15.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals in 32.7 minutes per game. One of the NBA’s most valuable defenders, Anunoby is currently the best player of all of the former Hoosiers in the league. At just 26 years old, he’s just coming into his prime and is the prototypical “3-and-D” wing. Toronto currently sits in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game out of one of the play-in spots in the standings. It’s clear the Raptors aren’t a contender as constructed, so expect Anunoby’s name to come up as a trade target for contenders. He’s got a player option for next season for $19.9 million, which he would be wise to opt out of.
Victor Oladipo – Houston- 2023-24 stats: Has not played due to injury. Oladipo suffered a season-ending knee injury last season in Miami and was traded twice in the offseason. First, the Heat sent him to Oklahoma City and the Thunder then moved Oladipo to the Rockets. He remains out indefinitely and there’s no timetable for his return to the NBA.
Thomas Bryant – Miami- 2023-24 stats (14 games): 4.7 points, 3.6 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game. Bryant won a championship last season in Denver and then inked a free agent contract with Miami in the offseason. His role for the Heat has been limited and he’s racked up several DNP’s this season. His best game was a 10-point, seven rebound effort against Cleveland on Nov. 22.
Cody Zeller – New Orleans- 2023-24 stats (19 games): 1.7 points, three rebounds and one assist in 9.7 minutes per game. Zeller was a part of Miami’s roster that reached the NBA finals last season. It looked like Zeller might be out of the NBA until the Heat picked up him last spring for the stretch run of the season. Zeller was able to parlay his productive stretch with the Heat to a guaranteed deal with the Pelicans this season. Like Bryant, his role has been limited with his new team. Zeller has scored more than four points just once this season.
Jalen Hood-Schifino – Los Angeles Lakers- 2023-24 stats (5 games): 2.8 points, 1.2 rebounds and .8 assists in 10.4 minutes per game. Injuries kept Hood-Schifino, the No. 17 pick in June’s NBA draft, from making his debut until a Nov. 27 loss at Philadelphia. He’s played a total of five games for the Lakers and he scored 10 points in 11 minutes off the bench in a 133-107 win at Detroit on Nov. 29. Hood-Schifino has a chance to get some run as Gabe Vincent remains out with an injury, but he just missed last night’s game against Dallas due to back spasms.
Trayce Jackson-Davis – Golden State- 2023-24 stats (14 games): 2.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and .6 blocks in 7.8 minutes per game. Jackson-Davis was playing somewhat regularly for the Warriors early in the season but didn’t appear in the NBA game for almost a three-week stretch from Nov. 24 to Dec. 12. As the Warriors try to figure out their issues that currently have them in 11th place in the Western Conference, Jackson-Davis has been on the outside looking in for a rotation spot. He’s played in four games in the G-League where he’s averaged 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocks per game.
Bloomington North Girls Soccer Head Coach Jeff Thomas steps down
Growing up in New Zealand, a then 23-year-old Jeff Thomas had a chance to participate in a three-month outing in his home country that was sponsored by the Raleigh International. In 1992, Operation Raleigh became Raleigh International Trust, a charity that works to “create sustainable change on a wide range of projects around climate change, water and sanitation, sustainable enterprise and social accountability,” the website says. Today, it uses past participants as adult leaders and that’s where Thomas comes in 40 years later, with Raleigh now sponsoring trips to Costa Rica and South Africa, which is where Thomas will find himself this summer. As a result, he is stepping down after a four-year run as the head girls’ soccer coach at Bloomington North. “It’s a chance for me to give back,” Thomas said.
He’ll be living in Kruger National Park in June, July and August, running logistics for the base camp. He’ll be helping guide young adults through various projects that include community development (building a school or painting a building), the environment (building a garden or making an improvement to the park), and then an adventure component, such as a long hike. No soccer is involved. “When I did it 40 years ago, I spent a month living on a rock off the west coast of New Zealand, doing wildlife projects,” Thomas said. “It’s a chance to give back and it’s something that will not come around again.”
Thomas said he’ll likely continue to coach travel and club teams when he returns to the States, but his high school coaching days are over, for now. North was 7-9-2 last season, following two 7-8 campaigns. A big freshman class is coming in. “I was happy to have the freedom to build what you might call a development program,” Thomas said. “I was able to see more of the incoming freshmen before they get there, so I was able to streamline the experience between high school and travel ball. “There were some good ones and close losses and a couple of heavy defeats every year. But you’ve got to be resilient.”
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