Indiana and Notre Dame Battle in the First Round of The College Football Playoff The Last time Indiana and Notre Dame met on the Football Field on September 7, 1991, Indiana Head Football Coach Curt Cignetti was 30 Years Old and was the quarterbacks coach at Temple and Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman was 5 Years Old. The Hoosiers and the Fighting Irish will renew their rivalry this evening at 8 PM in the First Round of the 12 Team College Football Playoff at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend with the game televised on ESPN and ABC. ESPN College Gameday will be broadcasting a special edition of the show at 3:30pm ahead of the first ever College Football Playoff Game held on a college campus and the first ever Friday Night Game in Notre Dame Stadium History. The Winner will advance to face the #2 Georgia Bulldogs in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana on New Years Day. Indiana is the #10 seed and Notre Dame the #7 seed in this year’s playoff.
Notre Dame leads the all-time series 23-5-1 including and 13-1-1 record in South Bend along with a 6-3 record in Bloomington and a 4-1 record in Indianapolis. The last meeting between the two teams in 1991 Notre Dame won 49-27 in South Bend and that was start of the New Notre Dame Television Contract with NBC in which all Notre Dame Home Games have been televised leading up tonight’s game that will be the first one not televised by the network. ESPN which owns ABC has the rights to the College Football Playoff. Indiana’s only win in South Bend came on November 5,1898 by a score of 11-5 and the played to a scoreless tie-on November 2, 1907. The Hoosiers last beat the Irish 20-7 on October 21, 1950 in Bloomington. Notre Dame has won six straight in the series which before the 1991 matchup and had not played since 1958.
Indiana has been shut out 11 times and Notre Dame 3 times in this series. Both teams are 11-1 coming into this game and both teams put up points with Indiana averaging 43.3 and Notre Dame averaging 40.8 so a shutout in this game is unlikely. The Hoosiers have their best season in school history under first head coach Curt Cignetti. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke who finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy Voting led the FBS in passing efficiency with 181.83 and named second team All-Big Ten. Ten of the Hoosiers 11 wins were by 14 or more points and they faced deficits in only three games and only once in the second half. But even if that’s not the same story underneath the Friday night lights, the Hoosiers insist they’re ready for any challenge. “We know we’re supposed to be here, we know we belong, but we’re always going to have that chip (on our shoulder),” Indiana receiver Elijah Sarratt said. “We remember what everyone was saying during the season and remember what everyone is saying now. We’re going to go down there, focus on us and try to handle business.”
Indiana leads the nation in fewest yards rushing per game allowed (70.8) and the 2.46 yards per carry allowed is second best in FBS. Even in their loss, Ohio State rushed 29 times for just 115 yards. So, the Hoosiers know where they must begin if they hope to advance. “We’ve got to stop the run,” all-Big Ten linebacker Aiden Fisher said. “That’s something we’re very prideful in here as a defense and something that they are really good on offense. It’s going to be a really good matchup.” Curt Cignetti and his assistant coaches are used to this playoff format coaching at the FCS and Division II Levels and has a national championship ring from his days as Nick Saban’s recruiting coordinator at the University of Alabama. “Well, I am kind of used to this routine,” Cignetti said. “But I don’t think it’s a major change for any of the coaches, to be quite honest with you, that are in the playoff.”
Notre Dame comes in with a ten-game winning streak after a two-point loss at home to Northern Illinois in September and two weeks to prepare after winning at USC Thanksgiving weekend the Irish are ready for this matchup. “We’ve been in the playoffs since Week 3,” Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman said, alluding to their postseason hopes following the stunning loss to the Huskies. “Every game we play is a version of a playoff game in our minds. We have to continue to understand that you don’t have any more added pressure than you’ve had the previous 10.” Notre Dame hasn’t made a national championship run since 1988, its longest title drought since winning the school’s first in 1924 and both schools are going through finals this week, so it’s been anything but normal for both programs, but they are trying to keep their routines normal. “The hardest thing throughout this whole process has probably been finals here at Notre Dame because that’s no joke,” quarterback Riley Leonard said. “Otherwise, it’s like a couple of bye weeks for us. We handle it the same way. Practice has been the same, the same recipe for success.”
Head Coach Marcus Freeman just finished his 3rd season as Head Coach and has 30-9 overall record with a 2-1 Bowl Record. The 38-Year-old was given a long-term extension earlier in the week that will keep him in South Bend for six more years. Freeman will get his first chance to face the Hoosiers as a head coach, but he has faced the Hoosiers many times in his career. Freeman played at Ohio State from 2004-08 and was a graduate assistant for the Buckeyes in 2010. Freeman was the Linebackers Coach at Purdue from 2013-15 and added the Co-Offensive Coordinator Duties in 2016. Freeman was the Linebackers Coach at Kent State from 2011-12 and Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach at Cincinnati from 2017-20. Freeman took the same position at Notre Dame in 2021 and after the Regular Season he took over when then Head Coach Brian Kelly left to become the Head Coach at LSU. Freeman coached the Irish in the Fiesta Bowl in a loss to Oklahoma State.
As for Indiana they are ready to show that they belong on this stage and that the best season in school history is not a one hit wonder. Indiana has the most losses in FBS History with 704 and Notre Dame has won 974 games which in the top five along with Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama and Texas. This will be the first college football playoff matchup between two in-state teams who are separated by 194.3 miles and all eyes will be focused on this matchup for many reasons. The State of Indiana gets the national spotlight tonight with two of the most iconic brands in all college sports meeting on the football field for the first time in 33 years and under the lights in the biggest game for the right to continue the season doesn’t get any better than this.
Indiana University Football Lands University of Wisconsin Tight End Riley Nowakowski Indiana landed a commitment from Wisconsin transfer tight end Riley Nowakowski on Wednesday. Nowakowski is coming off a 2024 season with the Badgers that saw him catch a career high 11 passes for 74 yards in 12 games. According to PFF, Nowakowski was targeted 13 times and had no drops this season. He played a total of 410 snaps. Only two Wisconsin players with at least as many snaps had a higher pass blocking grade. He did not allow any pressures in 28 pass blocking snaps and had the eighth-best pass blocking grade in the nation among tight ends with 250 snaps. He did not grade out well at PFF for run blocking. Like other Wisconsin players who have joined the IU program, Nowakowski was in Madison at the same time as IU offensive line coach Bob Bostad. Their time overlapped for three seasons — 2020 to 2022.
In 2023 Nowakowski played in nine games, making one start at tight end. He had seven catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. He made his first career catch versus Illinois, caught two passes for 31 yards at Indiana, and caught two passes, including a five-yard TD, his first career touchdown, at Minnesota. In 2022 he played in 13 games on special teams and made three tackles. In 2021 he played in 2 games, seeing action vs. Northwestern and in Las Vegas Bowl vs. Arizona State. That ended up being a redshirt season. In the 2020 season that didn’t count against eligibility he saw action in four games. Nowakowski was Academic All-Big Ten each of the last four years. The 6-foot-1 and 243-pound Nowakowski has one year of eligibility remaining. The Hoosiers and Nowakowski will host Wisconsin next season on Nov. 15. Indiana will lose starting tight end Zach Horton to eligibility after the 2024 season. James Bomba, Brody Kosin, Brody Foley, and Sam West are all eligible to return.
Indiana University Women’s Basketball Sophomore Lenee Beaumont will Redshirt the 2024-25 Season due to Knee Surgery Indiana sophomore guard Lenee Beaumont is out for the 2024-25 season following knee surgery, the program announced Thursday morning. The 6-foot-1 guard from Lisle, Illinois did not appear in IU’s first 11 games this season. Here’s the full statement from IU on Beaumont’s injury and her status moving forward: “Indiana women’s basketball sophomore guard Lenee Beaumont underwent successful knee surgery this week. Medical staff have determined she will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season and will utilize her medical redshirt. “Lenee is in fantastic care with our medical staff, and we are looking forward to her return in 2025-26.”
Beaumont appeared in 30 games off the bench last season for the Hoosiers and averaged three points in 9.6 minutes per game. She logged a season-high 31 minutes and scored 11 points in a win against Northwestern on January 28. The 2023 Illinois Miss Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois averaged 18.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a senior at Benet Academy. Beaumont scored over 1,300 career points in high school. By utilizing her medical redshirt, Beaumont will have three seasons of eligibility
Indiana University Men’s Basketball Player Jakai Newton is out indefinity after Surgery Indiana guard Jakai Newton had surgery and will be out indefinitely, IU Athletics said in Wednesday release: “Indiana redshirt freshman guard Jakai Newton underwent successful surgery to treat an injury to his lower body. He will be out indefinitely but is expected to return this season. This injury is not related to the one he had prior to the start of the 2023-24 season,” according to the release.
Injuries have been a recurring theme for Newton, who missed all of the 2023-24 campaign with a knee-related issue. If there are silver linings in this news, they would be (1) the injury is not related to his prior issue that limited his availability for more than two years, and (2) this latest setback is of a nature that a return later this season is possible. The 6-foot-3 product of Covington, Ga. has played in three games this season and scored six points in a total of 14 minutes. He missed multiple games with a hamstring issue. Newton is the second reserve guard to have surgery since the start of the 2024-25 season. Gabe Cupps had knee surgery and will likely miss the rest of the season. While neither player had a significant role to this point, IU’s depth is getting dangerously thin in the backcourt. Indiana is down to four available scholarship guards: Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal. Indiana (8-3) will host Chattanooga at Noon ET on Saturday.
Indiana University Men’s Tennis announces the 2025 Schedule Indiana Men’s Tennis head coach Jeremy Wurtzman has announced the team’s schedule for the 2025 spring season. Indiana will play 11 non-conference matches and 13 conference matches in their 2025 campaign. The Hoosiers will open their season with a home doubleheader on Jan. 18 against Cleveland State and Ball State at the IU Tennis Center. Indiana will continue the season with matches against Dartmouth on Feb. 1, and a doubleheader against Brown and Toledo the next day. The Hoosiers will hit the road for the first time the following weekend on Friday, Feb. 7, to take on Middle Tennessee State. Later on, Indiana will travel to Idaho to take on Boise State on Feb. 19. Big Ten play will begin on Friday, March 7, when the Hoosiers travel to Los Angeles to take on UCLA. Indiana’s home conference matches include Northwestern, Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington. Indiana’s road conference matches include UCLA, USC, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Purdue, Ohio State, and Penn State Following the regular season, Indiana will compete in the Big Ten Championships from April 24-27.
Indiana University Volleyball adds two more to its Historic 2025 Signing Class Head coach Steve Aird and the Indiana volleyball program added the final two pieces to the highest-ranked prep recruiting class (No. 14 by Prep Dig, TBD by Prep Volleyball) in school history on Wednesday (Dec. 18) evening. All five players will join the team this summer. The Hoosiers signed a pair of back row pieces – both ranked inside the top 150 of Prep Dig’s Class of 2025 rankings – that will provide instant impact in service reception and defense. The two players join previously signed outside hitters Charlotte Vinson and Jaidyn Jager and middle blocker Victoria Gray as part of IU’s five-player freshman class. “Our 2025 class has been considered one of the nation’s best for some time and we are incredibly proud to welcome them to IU,” Aird said. “They each bring unique skills to the table, but they are all fantastic human beings and great teammates. We want to keep building the program with selfless athletes that care deeply about this university and each other. Our staff has worked incredibly hard to recruit amazing young people and we can’t wait until this group arrives in Bloomington.”
Avery Freeman, a 5-4 defensive specialist from Bloomington, Indiana is the first homegrown player (Bloomington North) to sign with the Hoosiers since All-American Ashley Benson (Bloomington North) in 2007. Freeman is considered one of the best defensive specialists in the entire class and will provide depth in the back row alongside All-Big Ten libero Ramsey Gary. Freeman was ranked No. 73 overall in the class of 2025 by Prep Dig. As a high school player, Freeman was a three-time All-Conference Indiana selection and was named an IHSVCA Second Team All-State selection in 2024. She was teammates with Vinson (Yorktown) in the 2024 IHSVCA 3A/4A All-Star team. Freeman racked up over 1,200 digs during her varsity career and also tacked on over 200 service aces.
Audrey Jackson, a 5-11 outside hitter and defensive specialist from Flower Mound, Texas, was a late addition to the signing class but provides versatility with a big arm and great ball-handling skills. A decorated beach player, Jackson made the late switch to play indoor volleyball in college. She can score points from all over the court but also has the ability to serve as a three-row defensive specialist for the Hoosiers. Jackson was the 5-6A District MVP at Flower Mound High School in Texas after racking up over 300 kills as a senior. She helped lead her prep program to over 57 wins in the last two seasons including 34 in 2023. Jackson spent time with the USA National Team Development Program on both the indoor and beach side. She played her club volleyball at Texas Advantage (TAV) – the same illustrious program that produced former Hoosiers Isa Lopez and Savannah Kjolhede.
Avery Freeman • 5-4 • Defensive Specialist • Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North (Circle City)
• No. 73 Overall Recruit by Prep Dig, No. 11 Defensive Specialist
• Career Stats: 1,230 Digs, 213 Service Aces, 190 Assists
• Three-time All-Conference Selection
• 2024 IHSVCA Second Team All-State
• 2024 Indiana 3A/4A All-Star Team
• USA Volleyball National Development Program Selection
• First Bloomington native to sign with IU since Ashley Benson (2007)
• One of five top 150 recruits by Prep Dig to sign with Indiana (No. 14 Overall Recruiting Class)
Freeman – Why IU: “I chose IU because I’ve grown up around the program since I was little and it’s been my dream to play in my hometown at IU.”
Aird on Freeman: “We have watched Avery for years and have always appreciated her for so many reasons. First, she is a fantastic volleyball player. Her ball control and footspeed are elite. We feel she will make an impact on the program immediately. Second, she is a tough competitor. She is not afraid of a challenge and will compete every day of her career. Finally, she loves Indiana. She had many options to continue her career but always loved IU and truly wanted to be here. Finding people who believe in your vision is crucial. Her heart has been at IU for as long as she can remember, and in many ways, she was destined to wear the cream and crimson.
Audrey Jackson • 5-11 • Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist • Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound (TAV)
• No. 142 Overall Recruit by Prep Dig
• Career Stats: 510 Kills, 382 Digs
• Helped lead Flower Mound High School to 57 wins over the last two seasons
• 2024 District 5-6A MVP and 1st Team All-District Selection in Texas
• USA Volleyball National Development Program Selection in Indoor and Beach
• Accomplished Beach Volleyball Player
• 2022 and 2023 Under Armour All-American
• One of five top 150 recruits by Prep Dig to sign with Indiana (No. 14 Overall Recruiting Class)
Jackson – Why IU: “When I saw the team culture and the level of play, I immediately wanted to be a part of it. The coaching staff is amazing and I like how they develop their players. I feel like IU will bring out the best in me as a player and a person.”
Aird on Jackson: “Audrey is a fantastic young volleyball player that has taken an untraditional path IU. She was on our radar early in her club volleyball career but chose to pursue beach in college, so that was the end of our recruitment. When she reopened her options, we were excited to connect with her again and thrilled she chose to continue her career here. She is a dynamic athlete that has a great feel for the game and exceptional ball control. She is competitive and has plenty of tools that can our program in a variety of ways. Audrey is excited about the opportunity, and she will do great things at IU.”