BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – When Curt Cignetti became Indiana’s coach in November 2023, most of Indiana’s team was in the transfer portal. The Hoosiers announced they were firing former coach Tom Allen the day after their 3-9 2023 season ended, and those who weren’t graduating were ready to find their next school.

Cignetti — whether by his choice or the players’ — didn’t retain most of Indiana’s 2023 starters. The Hoosiers brought in 30 transfers (13 of whom Cignetti coached at James Madison) ahead of their 11-2 2024 campaign.

Most starters from Indiana’s 2023 team left, but two of them are back in Bloomington this season.

Safety Louis Moore and right tackle Kahlil Benson left Indiana for Ole Miss and Colorado, respectively, in 2024. But those two are now back as starters for the second-ranked Hoosiers.

Cignetti met individually with most of Indiana’s 2023 players, including Moore and Benson. He couldn’t convince them to stick around nearly two years ago, but he welcomed them back with open arms.

“I thought they were good players when they were here,” Cignetti said Monday. “They were productive players where they went. They saw the program change here and wanted to be a part of it.”

Moore leads Indiana with 56 total tackles and is tied for first in the country with five interceptions. He has been a tremendous ball hawk for Indiana’s defense, which forces two turnovers per game and allows just 10.8 points per game.

Benson has started eight of Indiana’s nine games at right tackle. He’s 20% of an offensive line that has allowed just seven sacks this season and led five 300-plus yard rushing performances for the Hoosiers this year. Benson and the offensive line have kept quarterback Fernando Mendoza upright, as Mendoza is in talks to be the program’s first Heisman winner.

Moore and Benson didn’t have a prior relationship with Cignetti when he was hired, so they decided to play elsewhere. But after seeing the success Cignetti had in his first season, they were convinced Indiana was the place for them. Both have been instrumental starters during Indiana’s 9-0 start.

“There's no hard feelings from my side,” Cignetti said. “They made a business decision. Then I made a business decision bringing them back.”

In the transfer portal era, players and coaches get so little time to know each other before committing to one another. So although Moore and Benson didn’t think Cignetti and Indiana were right for them initially, they found their way back to the Hoosiers and are now key pieces for one of the best teams in the country.