'Dedicated' former Center Grove QB back from injury, impressing Indiana football in spring

BLOOMINGTON — Curt Cignetti acknowledged Thursday that Tyler Cherry’s return to the Indiana football field this spring was anything but guaranteed. A severe knee injury suffered in December 2024—during a non-contact drill while the Hoosiers prepared to face Notre Dame—sidelined the former Center Grove standout for the entire 2025 season and cast doubt on whether he would ever play again.

Cherry, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound redshirt freshman, has quieted those doubts. After Indiana removed him from the roster and used him as a student assistant during last fall’s national championship push, Cherry has regained his place on the practice field and is turning heads with his progress.

“He’s dedicated,” Cignetti said. “There were some people that didn’t think he’d come back from that knee, and he did. He had his mind made up, and he was committed to playing football.”

The four-star prospect originally pledged to Duke before flipping to IU when Mike Elko departed for Texas A&M. Cherry enrolled early in 2024, split third-team duties with Alberto Mendoza behind Kurtis Rourke and Tayven Jackson, and preserved his redshirt by appearing in only one game.

Now fully cleared, Cherry has bulked up roughly 20 pounds since arriving on campus and possesses the deepest grasp of Indiana’s offense among the younger quarterbacks. That command prompted Cignetti to rest presumed 2026 starter Josh Hoover and backup Grant Wilson on Thursday, funneling first-team reps toward Cherry, Jacob Bell and Maverick Geske.

“I needed to see him against better competition,” Cignetti said. “I needed to see Tyler Cherry with the ones.”

The coach still found teaching moments—tighter footwork, quicker release, a pair of off-target throws—but left encouraged.

“He’s only going to get better,” Cignetti said. “I really like the way he’s improving.”