Indiana football turned into a transfer portal hot spot once Curt Cignetti took over. That philosophy turned into a stunning College Football Playoff appearance. Now the Hoosiers are adding a talent who witnessed the postseason.

Indiana bolstered the offensive room by adding tight Holden Staes from Tennessee, per Matt Zenitz of 247Sports Thursday. He's the same Staes who deliver a CFP appearance with the Volunteers.

Staes caught 15 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown playing for Josh Heupel and his offense. He scored his lone touchdown against No. 24 North Carolina State on Sept. 7. He delivered four games of catching two passes in limited action.

The 6-foot-4, 248-pound Staes emerged as the second TE option for the Vols next to Miles Kitselman — who caught 22 passes for 301 yards and scored four times. Together, they helped the Vols rank 15th overall in total offense and third among Southeastern Conference teams.

Staes is heading toward his third collegiate stop. He originally enrolled at Notre Dame in June 2022. He eventually transferred to Tennessee in Dec. 2023. He was a four-star TE prospect by 247Sports.

Has Indiana continued to deliver stamp on transfer portal?

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti runs with his team before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium.
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Cignetti's first IU team comprised of past James Madison talent he coached, plus other mid-major stars. One was quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who came to Bloomington via Ohio University. The Hoosiers immediately emerged as a force in the Big 10 Conference.

Is Cignetti capitalizing on the portal once again? Signs are showing he's become even more aggressive in landing talent to IU.

The Hoosiers reeled in former Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, considered one of the top talents in the portal. But Mendoza isn't the only past power conference talent set to walk around the IU campus. Indiana and Cignetti even swooped up a portal addition representing a conference rival: Tyler Morris, who played wide receiver at Michigan. Morris committed on Jan. 4.

There's more from within the Big 10. Cignetti and company landed offensive tackle Zen Michalski on Jan. 3 — who comes via CFP semifinalist Ohio State. Indiana is even welcoming back interior offensive lineman Kahlil Benson, who spent one season with Deion Sanders at Colorado.

Indiana ranks fourth among Big 10 teams for the 2025 portal class per 247Sports. Only this time, IU and Cignetti have brought in more power conference talent — with the latest coming from a playoff representative from the SEC.