Indiana has 'championship' goals in 2025 and is making sure the 'standard is upheld' in order to reach them

One of the underlying themes of the 2024 Indiana roster was an underdog mentality with a chip on its shoulder. From underrated and overlooked players, to guys who had never played at the power four level — Indiana was out to prove a point in year one of Curt Cignetti’s leadership.

Now in year two, the question isn’t if Indiana can do it, because it showed last year that it could. It’s about whether or not that season needs to be looked at as a fluke, or if it can be replicated in a way to prove the culture and standards of the new Indiana football have actually changed.

Whether players joined Cignetti from James Madison, or transferred in from other FCS schools, the mindset and hunger that came with was uncanny. The identity of the team was clear.

So, can a season like 2024 be replicated in a way that has the national perspective around IU changed for good? Time will tell, but the players who return from last year have a goal in mind to do so.

“(The hunger) is the same. Actually it’s more, because now you have more eyes on you, right,” IU defensive lineman Mikail Kamara said last week. “So I’ve seen a lot of things talking about the sophomore slump, so that’s something that I know I’ve taken pride on, something that’s not going to happen.”

Kamara is one of three All-Americans that returns for Indiana on the defensive side of the ball. He’s joined by linebacker Aiden Fisher and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds. All three were JMU transfers who followed Cignetti to Indiana.

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Now, they are the cornerstone of the Indiana roster and the undoubted leaders of this team.

All three had the option to leave Bloomington. And, some can question whether or not their stock would ever be higher. Higher for the transfer portal, or the NFL. But, all three decided to come back to make a point. That point? A championship.

“I feel like the experience that a lot of these guys have, especially with my top two guys, Fish and Ponds, coming back. We kind of talked about it a little bit,” Kamara said. “And I was like we can come back and really make a good run. So it’s really just about coming back to try and bring a championship here to Bloomington.”

Indiana went 11-2 and set a program record in wins, among other program firsts. The Hoosiers were also in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.

Indiana’s two losses were losses to the best two teams, and the only two ranked teams, on its schedule; Ohio State and Notre Dame. Both losses were also to the last two teams standing — the eventual National Champion and the Runner up.

Despite the success on the field, there are still doubters based on how IU’s season ended — or more importantly how IU played in front of millions of eyes.

That’s not a worry inside the locker room though. But, it is a motivator.

“It left a bad taste in my mouth,” Ponds said. “I wanted to come back and prove we can go to that stage, the National Championship.”

While there are returners, and key players from a season ago, there are numerous newcomers — both from the transfer portal and high school. Either way, there is at least a third — if not more — of the roster that will be arriving to a team that has changed the perception of before. However, that just means there is a certain expectation to live up to.

“The turnaround has been great, but with a lot of fresh faces, we have some freshmen in here who saw what we can do last year, maybe they could be a little cocky out on the field,” Indiana offensive lineman Carter Smith said. “We need to make sure that the standard is upheld and they have the right mindset going into all of their training.”

With multiple culture-setters returning, that shouldn’t be difficult. And, while they all lead in their own way, holding everyone accountable is all that matters.

“When you have a whole group of dogs, you don’t really say too much, right? You just go out there and play,” Kamara said. “So I think everyone that’s a part of this program knows what they need to get done and how to get it done. So it’s really not much talking we have to do.”

There’s no taking away what Indiana did last year. But from inside the locker room, there’s a constant emphasis on moving on from last year and focusing solely on what’s ahead of them — because that’s all that matters right now now.

“They are excited to be on a team that achieved a lot of success last year, but at the end of the day, we’re 0-0. We have accomplished nothing as a team for 2025,” Fisher said. ” … make sure they know we’re at ground zero right now … we have a long way to go but we’re going to get there.”