Former Center Grove QB Tyler Cherry returns to Indiana football roster

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football quarterback Tyler Cherry has been re-added to the official roster and is back on scholarship after spending the 2025 season as a student coach.

Cherry sat out last season while rehabbing a knee injury he suffered in the lead up to IU’s first-round CFP game against Notre Dame in 2024.

On Tuesday night, he was listed as a redshirt freshman and held onto the No. 15 jersey he wore while redshirting.

The Center Grove alum was a late addition to the program’s 2024 recruiting class. He was initially committed to Duke, but reevaluated his options after both programs went through coaching changes. He was a four-star prospect and No. 6 in-state prospect that cycle, according to 247 Sports composite rankings.

Cherry set career passing records for the Trojans with with 5,461 yards and 56 touchdowns while putting up a 23-4 record as a starter. He was a Mr. Football award winner at his position and led the program to the Class 6A state title game as a junior.

Indiana heads into spring camp this year looking to replace its top two quarterbacks after Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza declared early for the NFL draft and his brother Alberto transferred to Georgia Tech. The Hoosiers signed TCU transfer Josh Hoover, who is the most productive returning quarterback in the country, and brought back Grant Wilson and Jacob Bell.

Cignetti also brought back Tino Sunseri as the team’s quarterbacks coach for the 2026 season. Chandler Whitmer, Sunseri’s one-time replacement, returned to the NFL after one season in Bloomington. Sunseri was one of the assistant coaches that Cignetti brought with him from James Madison.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tyler Cherry is back on the Indiana football roster after sitting out