Can Indiana Become the Next Michigan as a Double-Sport Powerhouse?

Michigan proved it’s possible to be at a national title level in both football and basketball at the same time. With Curt Cignetti and Darian DeVries leading the way, can Indiana follow suit?

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Darian Devries shouts instructions to his team against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at United Center. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Indiana University.

When you hear the name and think of the cream and crimson, a few things immediately come to mind.

Curt Cignetti, Fernando Mendoza, and the rest of the 2025 Indiana football team are certainly towards the top of that list these days.

Why Indiana Can Win Big in Football and Basketball in the Same Year

But there was a time, not all that long ago, that the first thing anyone thought of with Indiana was candystriped pants, banners on the wall, red sweaters, and maybe the occasional thrown chair.

Of course, that was when the Indiana basketball program was the standard in college basketball, winning three national championships between 1976 and 1987.

While Michigan is fresh off a national championship in basketball this past season, and has one in football in its back pocket from just a three seasons ago, there is legitimate reason to think the Hoosiers could follow the blueprint of one of their conference rivals, and become a perennial contender in both.

Indiana's Staying Power in Football

Indiana is at the top of the college football mountain currently and although national championships each season aren't a fair expectation, competing for them is.

As long as Curt Cignetti is calling the shots in Bloomington, it's hard to imagine Indiana won't be a main player in the national championship chase.

Forget the history.

Indiana's incredible rise over the last two seasons will almost certainly mean a significant bump in recruiting, while the donors that made some of the rise possible are seemingly all happy with their investments.

Indiana's Transfer Portal Haul in Basketball

The first year of the Darian DeVries era at Indiana didn't go as planned. Despite the solid start to the season, Indiana was roughed up down the stretch, losing six of its final seven games to miss the NCAA Tournament after seeming like a sure-thing in early February.

As a result, Indiana went big game hunting in the transfer portal, and came out with what many view as the most impressive portal class.

Point guard Markus Burton, formerly of Notre Dame, is a certified star and should be Indiana's best point guard since Yogi Ferrell.

Notre Dame guard Markus Burton has been lighting it up at Players Era 🔥

Burton followed up yesterday's 24-point performance against Kansas with 21 in a win over Rutgers pic.twitter.com/QUwQbVs0u1

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 25, 2025

That's not it, though.

Bryce Lindsay (Villanova) can hit from anywhere on the floor, Aiden Sherrell (Alabama) is a monster on the boards, as is Samet Yigitoglu (SMU).

Then there is the slashing Jaeden Mustaf (Georgia Tech) and Darren Harris (Duke), who only add to what was largely a mid-major turned Big Ten team last season.

It doesn't guarantee anything by any means, but it certainly feels similar to what Dusty May did with Michigan in just his second season in Ann Arbor.

What Indiana Still Lacks Compared to Michigan

While its hard to argue against any coach being better in their sport than Curt Cignetti, Indiana seemingly has making up to do in basketball compared to Michigan.

Darian DeVries has three NCAA Tournament appearances to his name at Drake, and a 10-10 Big 12 mark at West Virginia before spending this past season at Indiana, where he failed to make the dance.

Compare that to May, who clearly had the upper hand off a resume previous to getting to Michigan. May led Florida Atlantic of all places to a Final Four appearance in 2023 with a return trip to the tournament in 2024.

That doesn't mean DeVries can't get Indiana to the promised land and make it a true two-sport machine like Michigan, it just means it has a longer path to plow in order to get there.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaways

It's not about learning from Michigan in order to figure out how to run two powerhouse programs in the two biggest college sports.

It should instead be about the synergy that could happen between both programs at Indiana.

Nov 9, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Ke'Shawn Williams (5) runs with the ball while Michigan Wolverines defensive back Zeke Berry (10) defends in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

When Indiana hired Ryan Carr from the Indiana Pacers, it speaks to the process of getting a well-respected basketball mind to help construct an elite roster.

Can this group with Indiana basketball find the alignment that has clearly been successful with the football program?

You need a very good head coach, a personnel department that knows what they're doing, and minds to handle not just the NIL money that comes in, but the egos that go along with that.

That's what Indiana football has seemingly mastered to date, and what could lead Indiana basketball to making Indiana University a two-sport powerhouse like we currently see at Michigan.