Gracie Peltier

Sport Marketing and Management / 2027



Projects by Gracie Peltier

News Story

COACH CURT CIGNETTI: REVOLUTIONIZING INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL

By Brooks White, Emily Gustitus and Gracie Peltier

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Nov. 5, 2024) — One year ago, nobody would have imagined Indiana University football being undefeated and being the fourth-highest-ranked Big Ten team. 

The Indiana Hoosiers are 9-0 for the first time in the program’s 137-year history. The Hoosiers have already equaled the program’s previous winningest season. The record hasn’t been touched in 57 years, and in Head Coach Curt Cignetti’s first year at the helm of the program, the Hoosiers see themselves on the brink of a College Football Playoff berth. 

On November 30, 2023, Curt Cignetti was hired as the Head Coach of the Indiana Hoosiers. Exactly one year later, his team will face cross-state rivals, the Purdue Boilermakers, with the chance to cap off the historic regular season with the Old Oaken Bucket. But how did Curt Cignetti’s dominant team come to be? 

The simple answer is the transfer portal and generous donations from members of Hoosiers Connect, Indiana’s NIL collective. “Hoosiers Connect made it public after the hiring of Curt Cignetti that they were willing to spend 4.5 million on the roster,” said Jeremy Gray, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications and Director of the Cuban Center. The Hoosiers anticipated an emphasis on NIL’s use in Curt Cignetti’s first year as the head coach of the Hoosiers. 

Jeremy Gray
Jeremy Grey, explains how much Hoosier Connect was willing to spend on the IU football roster. He shared that there are many rules when it comes to NIL and along with that comes many complexities. Photo courtesy of  X. 

Cignetti signed up for a rebuild when he took the head coaching job at IU. When he left James Madison University, 13 players came with him, joining another 17 transfers to round out the 2024 Hoosier roster. The most notable of these transfers is quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Formerly an Ohio University Bobcat, Rourke was named the 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year after a season with over 240 completed passes and multiple records set at Ohio University. Rourke is a redshirt senior who transferred to Indiana for his last year of eligibility. 

So far this season, Rourke has posted the second-highest quarterback rating (QBR), at 91.6. Furthermore, the $4.5 million promised to Cignetti by the NIL collective, Hoosiers Connect was used to recruit the current rushing and receiving leaders, Justice Ellison and Elijah Sarratt. The trio of Rourke, Sarratt, and Ellison has accounted for 28 total Touchdowns and has the Hoosiers firmly in contention for the Big Ten Title and a College Football Playoff berth. All three of these players received deals from Hoosiers Connect in October.

Tyler Harris headshot
In an interview, the Executive Director of Hoosiers Connect tells us about how his work maximizes student-athlete opportunities at IU. Harris touched on the success  Coach Cignetti has brought to the football team this season. Photo courtesy of Hoosier Connect Website.

Ellison is contracted through Hoosiers Connect to post content on social media related to Indiana athletics and boost engagement with the athletic department. Tyler Harris, Executive Director of Hoosiers Connect, says, “our big mission is to have athletes that are interested in IU. They know that when they come to IU, they can really maximize this opportunity off the field.” The focus of Hoosiers Connect is to promote the student-athletes and the programs that Indiana has to offer. Hoosier Connect also works to supplement costs not covered by athletic scholarships. The goal of the Indiana football team and its partnership with Hoosiers Connect is to spread engagement with the Hoosier community by providing athletes with opportunities to profit from their name, image, and likeness.

“Coach Cignetti is an unbelievable coach. 1000% credit to him and what he’s built,” says Harris. Cignetti has made remarkable strides for the Indiana Hoosiers, and much of that comes from the transfers he brought this year. He has recruited numerous well-rounded athletes who have contributed significantly to the 9-0 record for the Hoosier football team.

Indiana football isn’t the only team on campus with a big budget; Indiana University’s men’s basketball has NIL stars of their own. After losing six of their top players after the 2023-24 season, Head Coach Mike Woodson needed to do some recruiting over the off-season. “Allegedly,  IU men’s basketball spent close to $4 million in NIL money bringing in players this off-season. That’s the name of the game,” Galen Clavio notes in his press conference with our C250 class. Clavio explains that much of the NIL money gets imputed into the football and basketball rosters.

Galen Clavio in a C250 class press conference
Galen Clavio discusses the current NIL landscape in a C250 Story Lab Class. Clavio answered student questions about the role NIL plays in college athletics. Photo courtesy of  Emma Pearce.

The Hoosiers brought in six powerhouse players, most notably Oumar Ballo and Myles Rice. Ballo is a 7-foot center from Arizona, and he reportedly received $1.2 million in NIL money after committing to IU. As a junior in the 2022-23 season, he was a part of the All-Pac-12 first team and had a career-high 14.2 points per game. He still has one year of eligibility left due to COVID-19, making this year his sixth college basketball season.

Another part of the All-Pac-12 first team, Myles Rice, has also joined the Hoosiers this season. The guard was also named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year for the 2023-24 season, in which he averaged 14.8 points per game. Rice has a uniquely inspiring story as he redshirted the 2021-22 season, and then missed the 2022-23 season to recover from Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He transferred from Washington State after the 2023-24 season.

The NIL collective has been an integral part of the recent success of IU’s athletic programs, and the Hoosiers are continuing to look for opportunities to keep the winning streak going across the board.

While interviewing people on the street, we got multiple perspectives on the current NIL landscape. These people told us about how NIL has shaped Indiana University athletics and the dynamics of the teams this year. 

Public Relations Story

Tim Cook and Apple Shock consumers as they reveal the In and Outs of the brand new Apple Watch

FOR IMMEDIATELY RELEASE

Tim Cook new Apple Watch Tech Reveal

Media Contacts
Zach Willard
Grace Peltier
Mckenzie Vitale

CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, unveiled the new Apple Watch at their annual production launch this past Tuesday in Cupertino, California. The presentation included in-depth videos that highlighted the features of the newest smart watch, and they showed off those features in real time with a live demonstration. The Apple Watch is lightweight and wearable, and can be personalized with ease. From the changing of the wristband to the home screen display, it’s an easily customizable piece that can be worn no matter the occasion. “It’s as much about personal technology as it is about style and taste,” said Cook. 

 

The most notable feature of the new Apple Watch is the crown dial. A play off a classic wristwatch, the dial is the main control for the Apple Watch. It allows for easy navigation through apps and acts like the home button for the watch. Pressing down on the dial brings the user back to the “home screen” of the watch, which displays the apps in a customizable, bubble format. The apps can be arranged and reorganized to the Apple Watch user’s liking.

A woman checks her Apple Watch while shopping in Bloomington Indiana. With the new technology of the watch, she doesn’t have to pull out her phone to see who is contacting her.

Another highlight of the new Apple Watch is its health and fitness features. The Fitness and Workout apps allow for the watch to function as a fitness tracker, while also having all the features of an iPhone in one convenient device. The Fitness app tracks all activity throughout the day and displays that data in “rings”. The Move ring tracks calories burned during the day, and closes once the user has reached their personal goal. The Exercise ring tracks any activity that is at or above the intensity of a brisk walk. The standard, globally recommended goal is 30 minutes per day, and it doesn’t need to be all at once for the user to close the ring. The third ring is the Stand ring. This tracks how often the user has stood throughout the day, and a complete ring means they’ve stood for at least one minute per hour. This is designed to help reduce sedentary time by reminding the user to stand up and move if they haven’t already. The goal of the app isn’t to just, “highlight the quantity of movement, but the quality and frequency, as well,” said Cook.

 

The Workout app can set and track specific goals for different activities. The user can set goals based on time, distance, and intensity, as well as create custom routines that save and can be selected with an easy tap. Running, biking, and other favorite activities are already preset in the app for easy access. During exercise, the watch displays the stats on the watch face that can be easily seen at a glance. Similar to a “raise-to-wake” feature, the Apple Watch turns on when it is turned toward the face of the user. Simply raising the wrist allows the user to see the duration of the workout, as well as the distance and intensity. All activity data is stored in the Fitness app and can also be shared with the Apple Health app on the iPhone. 

An IU student opens her laptop while music plays on her Apple Watch. She can control her music directly from her watch rather than switching browsers on her laptop.

The Apple Watch works seamlessly with the iPhone for all features and apps, not just the Apple apps. All apps, including third-party apps, work and display similarly to how they would on the iPhone, and the notifications have action options that are specific to the app. For example, X (Twitter) notifications have the option to like, comment, and retweet right from the Watch. For text messages, users are able to respond with voice text or even drawing out the words on the screen. Phone calls can also be answered directly from the Watch and switched to iPhone with ease. 

 

The Apple Watch is compatible with not just the newest iPhone 6 models, but the iPhone 5 models, as well. It is offered in two different sizes, standard and a smaller model, so that it is accessible and comfortable for all users. To charge the watch, Apple has taken their MagSafe technology and created a simple and sleek charging design. A round, magnetic charger connects to the underside of the watch, where the sensors are, and it easily locks into place. 

 

The Apple Watch combines all the best features of a watch, a cell phone, and a fitness tracker into one innovative device. It starts at $349 and will be available early next year.

Kevin Lynch says this feature allows users to show voice feature for easy use. Allows users to use voice to easily maneuver through Apple Watch.

Tim Cook talks about valuing precision when it comes to the Apple Watch through the zoom feature. Cook says the zoom feature makes for easier use and precise location for maps.

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