Fresh off a dominant Rose Bowl demolition of Alabama, Indiana’s second-year head coach has already pivoted to the future. While the Peach Bowl looms, Curt Cignetti and his staff are aggressively shaping the 2026 roster with a clear message. Momentum is only useful if you press it forward. That urgency now showed up in the backfield. 

“BREAKING: Boston College transfer RB Turbo Richard has Committed to Indiana, he tells @On3Sports,” Hayes Fawcett reported on X on January 4. 

Turbo Richard originally enrolled at the ACC school in August 2024 as a three-star talent. Now, he exits Chestnut Hill as a reliable, physical runner at 5’10 and 207 pounds. Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers gained a back who compiled 1,302 yards and scored 13 touchdowns in two seasons for BC. 

The headline addition, however, came at QB. Former TCU starter Josh Hoover committed to Indiana after a weekend visit, per ESPN sources. He is the likely starter in 2026 if Fernando Mendoza, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, departs for the NFL Draft as widely expected. 

Over three seasons, Josh Hoover appeared in 35 games and threw 71 touchdown passes. In 2025 alone, he completed 272 of 413 attempts for 3,472 yards with 29 touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per attempt. With one year of eligibility remaining, the former 4-star recruit and No. 15 QB nationally in the 2022 class gives IU stability at the sport’s most crucial position.

Curt Cignetti’s portal work did not stop there. Michigan State WR Nick Marsh elected to stay in the Big Ten, committing to Indiana after a productive season in East Lansing. He is not a developmental bet but a plug-and-play addition. He caught 53 passes for 662 yards and six touchdowns in 2025 and now brings 100 career receptions to Bloomington. His arrival is timely as Elijah Sarratt, Mendoza’s most trusted outside target and a 13-touchdown producer, is out of eligibility and headed toward NFL evaluations. 

The fourth addition addresses the other side of the ball. Edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi arrives from Kansas State after steady year-over-year growth. His sack totals climbed from one to 3.5 to four across three seasons, while his tackles for loss rose from one to 5.5 to six. He played a rotational role last season, logging 251 snaps, but Indiana is bringing him in for more than depth. The expectation is an expanded workload and continued progression.

Indiana also strengthened its secondary with Wisconsin transfer Preston Zachman and Cincinnati safety Jiquan Sanks. Zachman logged 130 tackles and seven interceptions in 34 games and is expected to gain a seventh year of eligibility via a medical redshirt, while Sanks posted 92 tackles across 24 games and showed versatility in 2024 by playing extensively in the box, at free safety, and in the slot.

Taken together, these moves reveal Curt Cignetti’s operating principle. He is sequencing. Indiana’s Peach Bowl appearance may define the present, but the transfer portal work defines the program’s intent. This staff is already playing the next hand and doing so with purpose. That forward-thinking approach now collides with the immediate reality of a season that is still very much alive.

Peach Bowl semifinal sets the standard for Curt Cignetti’s Indiana 

With four teams remaining, No. 1 Indiana, No. 5 Oregon, No. 6 Ole Miss, and No. 10 Miami, the playoff picture has narrowed to true contenders only. Indiana (14-0) enters the Peach Bowl as the most complete team left, pairing elite efficiency metrics with postseason composure. Oregon stands as the final, credible roadblock, not because of reputation, but because its recent defensive surge has matched Indiana’s late-season rise.

The matchup is a rematch for a reason. When these teams met in Eugene in October, Indiana walked out with a 30-20 win as a seven-point underdog. Fernando Mendoza threw for 215 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and the run game averaged just 3.0 yards per carry. What decided the game was control. Indiana intercepted Dante Moore twice and held Oregon to 2.7 yards per rush, winning at the line of scrimmage and dictating pace.

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This version of Oregon is sharper, fresh off a shutout of No. 4 Texas Tech in the quarterfinals, and playing its best defense of the season. Indiana, though, has evolved in parallel. Bryant Haines’ unit is peaking, while the offense has reached a level of consistency that shows up in the data. Indiana ranks first nationally in EPA per play (0.293) and fourth in EPA allowed (-0.261), with advantages in early-down efficiency, net field position, and situational downs. The margins are thin, but Indiana owns more of them heading into Atlanta.