Curt Cignetti’s second season at Indiana is already off to a rocky start—and the calendar hasn’t even flipped to summer workouts.
The Indiana Hoosiers will be without one of their most promising new weapons in 2025, as wide receiver Tyler Morris has been ruled out for the season after suffering a non-contact knee injury.
Morris, a former Michigan Wolverine, transferred to Indiana this offseason with high expectations. He was expected to be a starter and immediate contributor, but instead, he’ll now undergo surgery and miss the entire year.
Curt Cignetti helped lead Indiana to the postseason in his first year under the expanded 12-team playoff format, which no one expected. Though the Hoosiers were bounced in the first round, the foundation appeared to be set. Morris was part of the plan to help elevate the offense, but he'll now be lost for the season.
Now, Indiana will have to move forward without him.
What does this mean for Indiana football in 2025?
This injury comes at a really tough time for Indiana. Not only was Tyler Morris expected to be a go-to option in the passing game, but the Hoosiers are also working in a new quarterback—Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza. The plan was for Mendoza to have a strong supporting cast to help smooth his transition. Losing Morris throws a wrench into that.
For a receiver who had big-game experience, good hands, and the ability to stretch the field, it’s not easy to find a replacement—especially not one who already had reps against elite defenses like Texas, Ohio State, and Alabama.
Mendoza will now need to find quick chemistry with other targets, and Cignetti will have to sort out who’s ready to step into a starting role. Maybe that’s another transfer. Maybe it’s a young player stepping up. But either way, it’s a setback in a year that already looked like it could be tougher.
After a 2024 season where Indiana essentially missed most of the big Big Ten opponents, that won't be the case in 2025. The Hoosiers are slated to face Illinois, Oregon, and Penn State—three teams that could all be top-15 contenders.
Now, there’s a real risk that the Hoosiers could take a step back after their 2024 playoff breakthrough. It doesn’t mean the season is lost—far from it—but the margin for error just got a lot smaller. Right now, we'd say it's much more likely Indiana goes 8-4 in 2025, rather than coming anywhere close to that 11-1 mark from a year ago.