What makes Indiana's defense so great? Here's what 5 college coaches had to say
Indiana's defense relies on the fundamentals but the way the Hoosiers package their schemes together is what makes it special.
The biggest change of all the stunning moves Curt Cignetti has made at Indiana? Turning the Hoosiers into one of the most fearsome defenses in college football.
In the two seasons before Cignetti arrived in Bloomington, the Hoosiers ranked at the bottom of the Big Ten in defense. When Cignetti took over at IU, he didn’t just bring a bunch of impact players with him from JMU; he also brought defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, and that changed everything.
Indiana has shot up to No. 2 in each of the last two seasons in the Big Ten on defense, but an even bigger statement is what Haines’ defense has done to the top quarterbacks in 2025. The Hoosiers sacked Oregon’s Dante Moore six times when it held the Ducks to one offensive touchdown in a 30-20 win at Autzen Stadium. Moore had only been sacked once in the Ducks’ first five games.
In the Big Ten Title Game, the Hoosiers sacked Ohio State’s Julian Sayin five times in a 13-10 win. In the Buckeyes’ other 12 games combined, Sayin had only been sacked six times.
How exactly do Haines and the Hoosiers cause such problems for quarterbacks, and what will Alabama’s Ty Simpson have to worry about?
The Athletic spoke to four coaches who have played Indiana this year and to a Power 4 defensive coordinator who studied the Hoosiers this month to learn more about what makes them so good.
“(Haines) gets all those sacks because he changes the look post-snap,” said a Big Ten running backs coach. “The quarterbacks think, ‘OK, I’m getting pressure, I’m gonna throw it right here, and then realize — ooh, he’s covered. Sack. He sucks to play against.
“Their scheme, man, it’s so tough. They had us in a blender. They’re very multiple. They’re so good with fire zones, simulated pressures, do a good job of fitting the run, and Haines does such a great job of breaking his own tendencies. He does some stuff that is like NFL complicated. He does a great job of understanding what he’s put on film, and having a good feel for how you’re going to attack that so he can lay a trap and watch you walk right into it.”
The Hoosiers also lead the nation in red zone touchdown percentage allowed at 27 percent. It’s been four years since a defense (Georgia’s at 28 percent in 2021) allowed less than 30 percent. You have to go back 10 years to LSU’s in 2016, when the Tigers allowed 24 percent, to find one stingier than Indiana’s has been this year. It’s even more impressive when you consider it’s a defense that doesn’t have a single player who was ranked above a three-star coming out of high school.
“Haines does a hell of a job,” said a Big Ten O-line coach of a defense that is No. 6 in the country in sacks and No. 2 in tackles for loss. “He’s got a nice package of things that complement each other very well. Like if they’re in this defense, you’ve got a run you think that will be great, then all of a sudden they shift to this defense where that run ain’t worth a damn. It’s a really good system he’s put together, and they execute the hell out of it. They play really fast.”
