BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football will be without three players when it faces Kennesaw State at noon Saturday on Merchants Bank at Memorial Stadium.
The Hoosiers ruled out two safeties — redshirt senior Bryson Bonds and freshman Byron Baldwin — and punter Mitch McCarthy on their pre-game availability report.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said Monday in his press conference Bonds will miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury suffered in a season-opening 27-14 win over Old Dominion on Aug. 30. Bonds, a sixth-year senior, hasn't eclipsed 100 defensive snaps in his career, but he's the longest-tenured Hoosier and a four-phase special teams player.
Elsewhere on Indiana's special teams unit, McCarthy appeared to suffer a leg injury in the first half against Old Dominion. After booting a punt, he hobbled off the field and took a knee on the Hoosiers' sideline. Quinn Warren, a sophomore walk-on, replaced McCarthy at punter, though McCarthy carried on with his holding duties.
Cignetti touted Warren as a "really good prospect" on Monday.
Baldwin, the highest-ranked recruit in the Hoosiers' 2025 class, also missed the season opener due to an undisclosed injury. Cignetti labeled him as day-to-day.
Several of Baldwin's teammates said during fall camp they expected him to make an impact this season, and he may be forced onto the field sooner than expected.
Starting safety Louis Moore's eligibility-based 14-day temporary restraining order, which granted him the ability to play in the first two games, expires Sept. 10. With Bonds already out for the year, if Moore, a sixth-year senior, isn't given further eligibility, Baldwin becomes the primary candidate to start next to Amare Ferrell at safety.
And if Baldwin does, it'll be without a pair of non-conference tune-ups to help him acclimate to the college level.
No. 23 Indiana (1-0) and Kennesaw State (0-1) kick off at noon Saturday on FS1.