Indiana University Football lands Arizona Transfer DJ Warnell Jr.
Arizona Safety DJ Warnell Jr. has committed to Indiana football out of the transfer portal, as he announced on social media Wednesday. Warnell played for the Wildcats for two seasons after transferring from Pac-12 foe UCLA, where he spent two years. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining at IU — his COVID year. Last season, Warnell played in all 13 games for Arizona and finished with 15 combined tackles, including three sacks. He posted 26 combined tackles in 2022 with one tackle for loss and one pass breakup. Warnell recorded 11 total tackles with two pass breakups and one fumble forced in 16 games across his two seasons with the Bruins. Warnell was a three-star recruit, per 247Sports Composite rankings, out of Dickinson (Texas) High School in the class of 2020. Warnell joins an IU safety group that already includes Josh Sanguinetti, Tyrik McDaniel, Nic Toomer, Bryson Bonds, Terry Jones Jr., and Shawn Asbury II.
Indiana University Men’s Basketball to have an Alumni Team Called Assembly Ball in The Basketball Tournament
Indiana will finally have an alumni team in ‘The Basketball Tournament’. Troy Williams, Juwan Morgan, and Miller Kopp will be three of the players on the “Assembly Ball” IU team in the annual summer event. Christian Watford is expected to have a role as well. Other team members are named in the coming days and weeks. TBT squads typically have around 10 players. The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is a 64-team, open-application, single-elimination tournament played across the U.S. each summer since 2014. Now in its 11th year, TBT has paid out more than $13M in prize money to 10 champions over the years. The winning team takes home $1 million.
Indiana fans will get a chance to see the former Hoosiers up close and personal. The team will play at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse July 19-24. The TBT utilizes the Elam Ending, which means every game ends on a made basket. The TBT will be hosted across eight regionals. All regional events are hosted by an alumni team representing a college basketball program.
This summer’s locations and host teams include: Wichita, Kansas (hosted by the AfterShocks/Wichita State)
Houston, Texas (hosted by Forever Coogs/University of Houston)
Indianapolis, Indiana (hosted by All Good Dawgs/Butler University)
Cincinnati, Ohio (hosted by Nasty Nati/University of Cincinnati)
Dayton, Ohio (hosted by Red Scare/University of Dayton)
Lexington, Kentucky (hosted by La Familia/University of Kentucky)
Louisville, Kentucky (hosted by The Ville/University of Louisville)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (hosted by Zoo Crew/University of Pittsburgh)
TBT’s regionals will run July 19-24. One team from each region will advance to TBT’s quarterfinals, which will take place July 29-30. TBT’s semifinals will be played on Aug. 2, and the $1 million winner-take-all championship will be played on Aug. 4.
Indiana University Football lands James Madison Transfer Tyrique Tucker
Indiana has added some much-needed depth to its defensive line. James Madison transfer defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker announced on Tuesday he is joining his former head coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers. Tucker entered the portal two weeks ago and visited Bloomington over the weekend. The 6-foot and 295-pound Tucker played in all 13 games in 2023 as a redshirt freshman, making five starts on the defensive line (two at defensive tackle and three at nose guard). He had 29 tackles (seven solo) to go with 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Now the 11th former JMU player to join Cignetti at Indiana, Tucker has three seasons of eligibility remaining. He’ll join former JMU defensive linemen James Carpenter and Mikail Kamara, who are also with the Hoosiers. Several James Madison assistant coaches also joined Cignetti at Indiana. Tucker hails from Norfolk, Va. where he attended Life Christian Academy.
Indiana State Men’s Basketball Hires Edgewood Graduate Mark Slessinger as an Assistant Coach
Indiana State Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matthew Graves announced his newest addition to the coaching staff, Mark Slessinger. Slessinger who is and Edgewood High School Graduate joins the staff after spending his time as the head coach at the University of New Orleans since 2011. “I am absolutely thrilled that my good friend, Mark Slessinger, has decided to join the Sycamore Basketball family,” said head coach Matthew Graves. “Coach Slessinger is bringing an unbelievable wealth of experience as a current DI head coach for the past 13 seasons. His knowledge and ability to effectively communicate are at the highest level. He will be a tremendous addition for not only the men’s basketball program but the University and Wabash Valley area.”
His 2017 team was the Southland Conference Champions, the first title in 20 years, that season along with others garnered him multiple awards including: SLC Coach of the Year NABC’s Region Co-Coach of the Year Louisiana Sportswriter’s Association Coach of the Year Two-time Louisiana Basketball Coaches Association Major College Coach of the Year Eddie Robinson Award Winner – Presented by GNOSHOF – All-State Sugar Bowl University of New Orleans Employee of the Year
That conference championship team held All-American Selection Erik Thomas, a 10-year professional athlete overseas. Before UNO, the Ellettsville, Ind. native was at Northwestern State University as an Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator from 2000-11. Slessinger saw success at NSU, winning three conference titles, seeing the conference championship game five times, and advancing to the NCAA tournament twice winning a game each trip. Prior to Northwestern State, Slessinger was in Holbrook, Ariz. at Northland Pioneer College, starting as assistant coach and earning the head coaching title for a season. In his three years at Northland, he was also held the role of Interim Athletic Director for 1.5 years. Slessinger spent a year at Central Michigan University as an assistant coach, and prior began his coaching career at Aurora University, graduating from Aurora in 1996.
“This is an amazing opportunity to return home to Indiana and be a part of such a storied program that I grew up watching. The success that ISU has had the past three years has been incredible and clearly shows the potential that is here and in the Wabash Valley within the greatest basketball state in the country. I am excited to be able to serve our student-athletes here and be a part of such a dynamic and vibrant campus and community.”
“Coach Graves is someone I have known most of my life and has been one of my closest friends in the coaching business,” said Coach Slessinger. “The opportunity to return home to work with him was one that I just couldn’t pass up. He is one of the brightest basketball minds in the business and I am excited to be a part of such an exciting style of play.”
I know my wife, Toni, and our children Holden, Nola Ann, and Beaux can’t wait to get here, be an active part of campus and the Wabash Valley, and, of course, to be so close to their grandparents and family. We are grateful to be a part of the ISU family.” While at Aurora, Slessinger was a two-sport athlete in basketball and soccer, earning the Aurora University Spartan award, the most coveted award at Aurora, given to the top graduating senior in the areas of curricular and extracurricular excellence.
After a Short Stint with Indiana University Football Linebacker Jayden McDonald Enters the Transfer Portal
Linebacker Jayden McDonald is back in the transfer portal after a brief run at Indiana. McDonald transferred from Troy to Indiana in January. He went through spring practice with coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers, but then he re-entered the transfer portal on Wednesday with one year of remaining eligibility. McDonald, a 6-foot, 227-pound linebacker, played all 13 games at Troy in 2023. He led the team with 75 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss and ranked 320th in the nation with a 67.4 defensive grade by Pro Football Focus.
McDonald’s junior season in 2022 was limited to 13 tackles due to injury, though he was a starter before being sidelined. He also suffered an injury during the 2021 season, but still finished ninth on the team with 36 tackles. In his first year at Troy in 2020, McDonald played all 11 games and finished second on the team with 67 tackles. Prior to Troy, McDonald originally committed to Iowa as a three-star recruit, ranked No. 779 overall in the class of 2018 out of North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Ga. He was named Georgia High School Defensive Player of the Year by Georgia High School Coaches Association as a senior. McDonald spent one season at Iowa in 2018, but used a redshirt and did not play. Due to NCAA rules at the time, he had to sit out the 2019 season at Troy as a transfer. With McDonald leaving, Indiana’s linebacker room includes James Madison transfers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker, as well as returning Hoosiers Kaiden Turner, Joshua Rudolph, Isaiah Jones, Jeff Utzinger and Clayton Allen.
Indianapolis Colts pick up Fifth Year Option on Lineback Kwity Paye
Chris Ballard backed up his words with action. The conviction: You can never have too many pass rushers. The consequence: The Indianapolis Colts on Thursday picked up the fifth-year option in 2021 first-round draft pick Kwity Paye’s rookie contract. The option is worth a guarantee of approximately $13.4 million in 2025. Paye has a $2.52 million base salary this season. “You talk about trust, right? There’s a man that you trust,’’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said prior to the announcement of the team’s decision on Paye. “On the edge, does things right, comes to work every day. You know what you’re going to get.’’ He added the team believes, “there is another level for him.’’ Ballard agreed.
“Kwity is a really good football player,’’ he said during last week’s NFL draft. “He’s a great teammate. I think you know our philosophy. We want to keep as many of our own guys as we can. We like Kwity a lot.’’ Enough to ensure Paye will be a part of Gus Bradley’s defense at least through 2025 and perhaps form a legitimate one-two outside rush tandem with Laiatu Latu. Despite the presence of Paye, 2021 second-round pick Dayo Odeyingbo, Samson Ebukam and others, Ballard used the No. 15 overall pick in round 1 last Thursday on Latu, the highest-ranked defensive player on his draft board. “He’s a natural rusher . . . his ability to rush the passer,’’ he replied when asked about opting for Latu. “Any time you can rush the passer – you got a guy that can rush the passer – you got a chance to be a difference maker.”
Paye’s career arc has been steadily rising: 4 sacks as a rookie, 6 in ’22 and 8.5 last season. In 2023, he also had a career-high 52 tackles to go along with nine quarterback hits and two fumble recoveries. It should be a good pairing between Paye and Laiatu. They’ve been training together, along with Odeyingbo, under the direction of defensive-line guru Eddy McGilvra. “I’m going to be looking up to Kwity Paye a lot,’’ Latu said. “(I’ve) learned a lot from him. “I can’t wait to get in the building. I just look up to a lot of those dudes. I want to show them what I can do as well.’’
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