Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton delivers touching message after Indiana football’s National Championship win

The state of Indiana has to be buzzing after Indiana football broke through with the natty, taking a 27-21 win over Miami in the CFP national championship game on MLK Day. Fernando Mendoza, the potential first overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, took his team to the promised land, and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who acts as an incredible quarterback in his own right, could not have been more thrilled to see the hometown team reach the apex of college football.

After Indiana sealed the victory with a field goal with a little over a minute left, doing just enough to keep Miami at bay after a late Malachi Toney touchdown made the Hoosiers sweat, the Pacers star published a heartfelt message as he continued to embrace the state of Indiana as his own (he hails from Oshkosh, Wisconsin).

“A state has never deserved something more. Congrats @IndianaFootball ,” Haliburton wrote on his official account on X (formerly Twitter).

Haliburton knows more than nearly everybody just how much sporting success means to the people of Indiana. The Pacers received bonkers support in their run to the NBA Finals in 2025, and Indiana football’s breakthrough has to be very cathartic for a fanbase that’s come so close yet so far in terms of winning a championship.

Can Pacers follow in Indiana football’s footsteps?

The Hoosiers have undergone such a quick turnaround under Curt Cignetti, posting two consecutive seasons of incredible football that saw them qualify for the CFP. In 2024, they lost in the first round of the CFP, but this year, they broke through with an undefeated season and the natty to cap everything off.

As for the Pacers, they might be the league’s sleeping giant. Most of the core of their 2025 NBA Finals roster is injured, including Haliburton, and a few roster tweaks here and there, along with a high lottery pick in 2026, should put them well in shape for a major bounce-back season during the 2026-27 campaign.

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