BLOOMINGTON —Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti saw a little bit of everything during his first fall camp in Bloomington.
“There was good, there was bad and there was ugly,” Cignetti said, this month.
That was true for both the offense and defense, but even at their lowest point the team still performed better than it had in the spring. Cignetti was also happy to see the effort and competition that were integral to James Madison University's success on a regular basis in recent weeks.
“It was significantly prettier,” Cignetti said. “Which the goal coming into fall camp, the second time through (everything), it is more consistency of performance.”
As the Hoosiers turn their focus towards preparing for the season-opener against FIU on August 31, here’s eight takeaways from fall camp:
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1. Kurtis Rourke is QB1*
Cignetti didn’t officially announce it, but the coach has talked about Rourke separating himself from the other quarterbacks every time the subject has come up.
He told reporters at Big Ten media days he sleeps better at night knowing he has someone with that much experience under center and one of the few details he revealed about IU’s first scrimmage of the fall was about how well Rourke played.
This was always the expected result —those 33 career starts gave Rourke a huge advantage —but his consistency throughout the process was a good sign for the Hoosiers.
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2. D’Angelo Ponds is the real deal
Cignetti’s praise of Ponds was like a flashing neon sign of sorts.
He’s stingy with his praise, but Ponds has been a rare exception. Back in June, Cignetti said he saw “special qualities” in Ponds when the corner arrived on JMU’s campus as a true freshman last year. Cignetti told reporters halfway through camp that Ponds was a role model for others in the secondary to follow and “swallowed” anything thrown in his direction.
The compliments for Ponds didn’t stop there.
“He’s the real deal,” Indiana wide receiver Donaven McCulley. “I like going against him every day, he definitely makes me better.”
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3. Indiana has no room for error on the offensive line
The season-ending knee injury veteran offensive lineman Nick Kidwell suffered during fall camp was a significant blow to offense.
Indiana doesn’t have much depth to begin with, but the loss of Kidwell was particularly painful since he was the second-most experienced offensive lineman on the roster (35 starts, 1,999 career snaps) behind Mike Katic. He’s plenty talented as well having allowed only four sacks on 891 pass-rush snaps during his career, according to Pro Football Focus.
The injury likely forces another inexperienced lineman into the starting lineup and puts Indiana at risk of possibly having to play a freshman if the injury bug hits down the line. Kidwell’s past experience at tackle was also a nice insurance policy given IU’s lack of depth there.
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4. Jailin Walker embodies IU’s fast, physical and relentless motto
Walker is uniquely capable of taking advantage of the freedom Bryan Haines gives players in his defense. He hits speeds of 20-plus miles per hour on the football field —it’s one of the reasons he made Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List —and that explosiveness made him JMU’s most dangerous weapon last year.
He’s filled up the box score as a starter with 124 tackles, 23 quarterback pressures, three forced fumbles and three interceptions.
Walker was back to his old ways during fall camp after sitting out spring while rehabbing a shoulder injury.
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5. Defensive line no longer a work in progress
Indiana’s two deep on the defensive line during spring practice was filled with walk-ons.
That’s not the case anymore thanks to multiple players returning from injury (James Carpenter and Lanell Carr) and the addition of Kent State transfer CJ West. They are some of the more experienced players on the roster with a combined 120 games of experience between them.
“What you are seeing is the standard of execution has been raised a level now,” Haines said.
Cignetti mentioned Carpenter’s absence multiple times during spring practice. The sixth-year defensive tackle was a constant presence in JMU’s lineup over the past two seasons and earned All-Sun Belt honors each year.
West, who was one of PFF’s highest-rated defensive tackles last year, gives IU the size it was lacking at the position. The Hoosiers are hoping his dedication in the locker room since arriving on campus makes him an even more formidable presence.
Carr led IU in sacks last season playing the “Bull” position in Tom Allen’s defense that’s a hybrid linebacker-defensive end. He dropped back into coverage on 67 of the 494 snaps he played, but will likely be more focused on getting the quarterback this year.
“To be a front guy in this defense, there's no better place to be,” Haines said. “...Those front level guys have to go eat. Those guys are eating right now this fall camp."
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6. Special teams takes a back seat
There are some teams that build an entire identity out of their success on special teams. Tom Allen, who was a former special teams coordinator, said a team’s toughness was defined in partby how well they covered kicks.
Cignetti hasn’t spent a whole lot of time talking about the topic and was even a bit dismissive when asked about IU’s kick return game.
“We haven't worked kick return yet,” Cignetti said, a week into camp. “Not many kicks get returned if you look at, 30-something percent, but we've got guys that are good with the ball in their hand.”
The Hoosiers special teams are still in good hands with Grant Cain leading the group, but Cignetti's focused elsewhere.
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7. Donaven McCulley is a work in progress, but that’s nothing to worry about
McCulley withdrawing from the transfer portal was a welcome early development for the staff back in December. He played at an All-Big Ten level down the stretch in 2023 while averaging 81 receiving yards per game in November.
Cignetti and his staff have shown the receiver plenty of tough love during the offseason to cement that star turn.
The main focus has been improving McCulley’s practice habits, but Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan said the receiver’s rough edges were to be expected for a player who spent much of his career at quarterback.
“Some of it is a little bit new and maybe the way we are teaching it is a little bit new than what he's used to in the past,” Shanahan said.
McCulley welcomed the challenge given the lofty personal goals he laid out for Cignetti during their first face-to-face meeting and he’s made great strides during fall camp.
“I've told him this and told all the guys in our room — if you play with effort, we are going to have a great chance,” Shanahan said. “He's giving great effort, it may not be perfect, it may not be exactly how you want, but I can work with that and any of us coaches can work with that.”
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8. Change of plans at cornerback
Indiana’s depth at cornerback took a hit when JoJo Johnson and Josh Philostin suffered injuries during the first half of fall camp. Johnson is expected back in a couple of weeks, but Philostin is out indefinitely after going down with a knee injury in the first scrimmage.
The injuries forced the Hoosiers to abandon Nic Toomer’s move to safety for the time being.
Toomer was part of the long list of transfers that former coach Tom Allen added going into the 2023 season. The former Stanford defensive back was fairly effective in coverage last year when he was healthy, but only played in eight games (380 snaps).
“You’d like to be two deep,” Cignetti said, when asked if he was concerned about the team’s depth at the position.
This is a spot where Indiana can’t absorb any more long term injuries.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
