Indiana announced it’s retained its entire coaching staff and all eight All-Big Ten players with remaining eligibility for the 2025 season. The moves position the Hoosiers for another College Football Playoff run after their breakthrough 2024 campaign.
Head coach Curt Cignetti managed to keep his core together while programs across the Big Ten underwent major changes. Ohio State and Nebraska reshaped entire staffs while Indiana stood firm.
That stability starts with the players coming back.
Linebacker Aiden Fisher headlines the returning talent after posting 124 tackles and 12 tackles for loss last season. Defensive end Mikail Kamara recorded 10.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hurries. Cornerback D’Angelo Ponds picked off four passes and broke up 13 more.
All three bypassed early NFL entry to stay in Bloomington.
The coaching staff presented a bigger challenge to keep intact. Defensive coordinator Bryant Haines fielded serious offers from other programs after his unit finished No. 2 nationally in total defense. Indiana allowed just 256.3 yards per game and ranked sixth in scoring defense at 15.6 points allowed.
Indiana responded with a $2 million annual contract for Haines. The deal places him among the Big Ten’s highest-paid coordinators.
Strength coach Derek Owings also drew interest from USC before signing a three-year extension. The Hoosiers boosted his salary to $925,000 to keep him in place.
Cignetti credits Owings with establishing the physical standard that carried Indiana through its 10-0 start in 2024. The team’s conditioning and strength development became a signature of the program’s turnaround.
The continuity gives Indiana something most programs can’t match this offseason. While competitors deal with new systems and personnel, the Hoosiers return with established chemistry.
Indiana’s 2024 season ended with an 11-2 record and a College Football Playoff appearance. The program hadn’t reached those heights in decades before Cignetti’s arrival.
Now the Hoosiers enter 2025 not just hoping to repeat last year’s success. They’re positioned to build on it with the same foundation that made it possible.
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