No quarterback in the country has bigger shoes to fill than Josh Hoover. Replacing a national champion and Heisman-winning QB is a daunting task, but Hoover has the tools to succeed at IU. Schematically, Hoover and Mike Shanahan are a match made in heaven. Hoover's 2.45-second time to throw ranked 11th-best in the nation in 2025, and that decisiveness should allow him to thrive in IU's quick RPO game. However, Hoover has struggled with turnovers throughout his career, making it a major storyline heading into this season. At IU, he'll be asked to do less, which should help reduce those turnover tendencies. Hoover wins with anticipation and a quick trigger rather than raw arm talent, and it will be worth watching how Cignetti and Sunseri build the scheme around his processing speed and accuracy to amplify those strengths. Cignetti and Sunseri previously worked together in 2024 to develop Kurtis Rourke into an NFL-caliber QB. We have full faith in this staff to elevate Josh Hoover. Why wouldn't we?

D'Angelo Ponds was a key piece to IU's 2025 championship defense. Ponds' ability to completely shut down the boundary allowed Haines to roll coverage to the field side, preventing vertical threats and space concepts. While replacing Ponds will be a near-impossible task, Jamari Sharpe is a serviceable replacement, and AJ Harris and Ryland Gandy will be competing to fill the CB2 spot. Harris, the former five-star recruit, transferred to IU from Penn State after a late-season regression in 2025 and a staff overhaul at State College. While Harris possesses strong athleticism, he can lack zone awareness, and his aggressive tendencies can get him in trouble at times. We will be looking to see who CB coach Rod Ojong and this staff choose to fill the CB2 role. We will also be looking to see how much Haines trusts Sharpe to hold down the boundary and if he adjusts any of his scheming.

Haines has consistently done more with less. A staple of Bryant Haines' defense is his use of stunts and twists up front to confuse offensive linemen and allow players to get home regardless of the caliber of the athlete. In 2025, it did not matter who Haines put up front, they were getting home. Don't believe us? Just go watch Daniel Ndukwe's CFP highlights. He filled right in for the injured Stephen Daley, blossomed, and will likely be playing the stud lineman position this year. Now, coming into 2026, Haines arguably has the most talented group to work with in his career. We will be watching to see how Haines continues to terrorize offensive lines and utilize new transfers like Chiddi Obiazor, Tobi Osunsanmi, and Joshua Burnham off the edge.

Neal Brown is taking over as head coach following the departure of Eric Morris. The transition also represents a shift away from the explosive, pass-heavy Air Raid offense that put up historic numbers last year toward a more balanced, physical, ground-heavy approach. Brown will handle the offensive play calling for the Mean Green, and history tells us that he will place a heavy emphasis on establishing the run early. In his career, Brown is 49-10 when his teams rush for 150+ yards. Given the talent disparity between the two teams, expect Brown to do his best to control the time of possession and limit IU's offensive opportunities.

Tayven Jackson, brother of IU basketball legend Trayce Jackson-Davis and a former Hoosier, will return to the Rock as North Texas' starting QB. Jackson brings a significant amount of experience to the table, with 16 career starts under his belt, including 10 last season at UCF. The key trend to know with Jackson is that he has struggled significantly under pressure. According to PFF, Jackson completed only 37% of his passes last year when under duress. Given this trend, we expect Bryant Haines to send pressure on obvious passing situations to try to force turnover-worthy plays.

North Texas brought in 72 transfers this offseason, but the one that should keep the IU defense up at night is Jahiem White. Brown coached White at West Virginia in 2023 and 2024, and those WVU rushing offenses finished No. 3 nationally in 2023 and No. 27 in 2024. White has averaged 6.47 yards per carry in his career and, as a freshman in 2023, recorded nine 30+ yard runs. He is now reunited with Brown and RB coach Chad Scott following a season-ending knee injury in 2025. We expect White to receive plenty of early touches, and slowing him down will be crucial to IU's defensive game plan.