Indiana football: The backup quarterback race heats up

Because he missed 2025 with an injury, Cherry is still listed as a redshirt freshman on Indiana’s roster, meaning he could be the answer at quarterback next season. Wilson, on the other hand, is out of eligibility after this season.

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This was a position battle we had our eyes on going back to spring ball, as Cherry’s development could determine whether Curt Cignetti will need to hit the portal again to find a quarterback for next season and potentially beyond.

The Hoosiers will have Prock coming to campus for fall camp in 2028, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll be ready to step into a starting role as a freshman. Looking back at similarly rated quarterbacks from the class of 2025, Deuce Knight, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Kamario Taylor show how much of a mixed bag freshmen quarterback readiness can be.

All three showed promise for their respective programs, but only Sagapolutele started for his team, Cal. As the guy with the most reps, he had the worst touchdown to interception ratio, throwing one pick for every two touchdowns on the year.

That’s not exactly the level of production Cignetti expects from his starting quarterback, however bright Sagapolutele’s future may be.

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Even Bryce Underwood, the number one quarterback prospect in the class of 2025, struggled in the starting role, throwing nine interceptions versus 11 touchdowns. He still projects well, but his inconsistency as he adjusted to the speed of the college game kept Michigan from reaching their goals on the season.

All of this is to say, again, having Cherry develop into a capable college starter would really help Indiana in 2027 and probably at least a good chunk of 2028 unless Prock is remarkably ahead of schedule in his development. Cherry was a four-star prospect himself, and with a 6-5 frame, he has the tools to be a good college player.

Cignetti and his staff have obviously had success in getting three consecutive quarterbacks from the portal, but it’s an expensive way to build the roster, especially when Indiana is projected to lose a number of other starters, like Nick Marsh, Charlie Becker, and Carter Smith.

Going from Cherry to Jameson Purcell or Lukas Prock would give Indiana a lot more consistency at the position, something that hasn’t been a huge issue yet, but always looms as a threat when you become dependent on the portal for that position.

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