It was a new look Indiana football team that took the field to open the 2024 season on Saturday against Florida International.
Curt Cignetti took over as the Hoosiers' head coach back in late November. Ever since then, a host of changes have followed.
Cignetti cleaned house when he first took over the program.
His coaching staff features just one holdover from Indiana’s previous coaching regime.
Not only did Cignetti bring in almost an entirely new coaching staff, but he brought in a plethora of new players as well.
When the Hoosiers took the field against the Panthers to kick off the 2024 season on Saturday, Indiana's roster featured over 30 new transfers -- more than a dozen of them were guys that followed Cignetti over from James Madison.
In the Hoosiers' week one victory, it was those very transfers, that led the charge.
On the offensive side of the ball, 360 of Indiana's 414 total yards (87%) throughout the 31-7 win over FIU came from transfers that joined the program this offseason.
A big reason for that is transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who kicked off his sixth collegiate season on Saturday.
"I thought he made some plays, scrambled out of the pocket, made a couple of plays," Cignetti said on Rourke. "He missed two to four reads, which is going to happen in a football game, and familiarity with scheme and things like that, just playing more snaps. I like the way he moved around because he hadn't been hit and made some nice throws."
Rourke ended the game 15-24 (63.0%) for 180 yards passing. Rourke's lone touchdown pass came in the first quarter to open the scoring -- fittingly to a fellow transfer in tight end Zach Horton.
All told, Rourke fired completions to seven different players in the passing game on Saturday evening. Five of those players are new to Indiana this year.
Indiana's second-longest play from scrimmage, and longest passing play of the game, came when Rourke and Miles Cross -- a pair of Ohio transfers connected for a 30-yard gain.
"He's a really talented receiver," Rourke said of Cross. "I'm really happy he was able to come here with me and be able to be such a great weapon for me for another year. He showed out."
During the week one win, Indiana found an abundance of success on the ground.
All 234 of Indiana's yards on the ground in the season opening win over FIU came from transfers. The only two non-transfers in the Hoosiers' 2024 running back room are two true freshmen, it's a room full of new faces.
"We had some real nice chunks in the run game," Cignetti said. "So, you know, we would get the run game going in the second half in chunks, chunks, chunks, kind of breaking their will. Those guys are capable. We're going to be okay there."
JMU transfer tail back Ty Son Lawton got the start for Indiana in the backfield. Leading the Hoosiers with 16 carries on the night, Lawton rushed for 74 yards and two scores.
North Carolina transfer Elijah Green led Indiana rushing throughout the week one contest, albeit that's predominantly due to his 51-yard touchdown run when the game was already out of reach.
"I was really impressed with Elijah Green that last play," Cignetti said of Green's long touchdown run. "He showed speed and burst, and they couldn't catch him."
All four of the Hoosiers that found the end zone on Saturday were transfers.
Defensively, it was once again the transfers that stole the show for Indiana.
The Hoosiers' top four leading tacklers on Saturday are all in their first years in Bloomington.
James Madison linebacker transfers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker finished first and second in tackles on the evening.
"We're kind of just working on building continuity, there's a lot of new faces, here on offense and defense" Fisher said. "Being able to have (Jailin Walker) from JMU and having him with me now, we were able to build that chemistry amongst us and then the linebacker room which then branched out the defensive backs and the defensive line."
"I think you saw that today," Fisher continued. "Obviously, there's a lot of new faces, but I think having (Walker), I've been able to rely on him."
Cignetti knows what he's got with his roster constructed the way it is.
The 2024 Hoosiers are a bunch of transfers looking to prove that they belong at the power conference level.
It will take some time for the team to gel completely given all the new faces, and Cignetti knows that.
However, a week one win that saw the spotlight shine brightly on a number of transfers, is certainly a strong start to the Cignetti era in Bloomington.
"Ever since January, when a lot of us got here and started working, we've been dreaming of this day," Rourke said on the team's excitement entering the season opener. "Finally being able to play football as a team, we became really close throughout the whole offseason. We were ready to get going."
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