Class of 2026 four-star small forward Vaughn Karvala, who took a visit to Bloomington, Indiana last weekend, has officially set his announcement date for next Saturday (November 1st).
Karvala's three finalists are Indiana, California and Xavier. Karvala is a 6-foot-6 wing ranked no. 47 nationally in the 2026 class by 247Sports. The Wisconsin native is the 18th highest-rated small forward and 6th highest ranked player in the state of Arizona.
NEWS: 4⭐️ Vaughn Karvala is down to three schools and will announce his college commitment on November 1st, he tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 23, 2025
The 6-6 small forward is a top-50 recruit in the 2026 class.https://t.co/dlvkJY8cuJ pic.twitter.com/0k8tbUBgfB
Karvala who is originally from Wisconsin, out of Oregon High School is playing this upcoming 2025-26 season for Bella Vista Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona.
He was a standout for the Team Herro AAU program which paired him with Jack Kohnen who was offered by Darian DeVries and Indiana's staff yesterday and thier other "Team Herro" teammate Dooney Johnson. All three at one point were in the top five prospect rankings in the state of Wisconsin according to 247Sports Composite
In addition to his final three, Karvala had scholarship offers from Wisconsin, Marquette, Alabama, Arizona State, Iowa, Ole Miss, DePaul, Iowa State and Syracuse.
Here is what 247Sports analyst Adam Finklestein:
"Karvala is loaded with glaring upside. He's a big, nearly 6-foot-7 wing with a pretty shooting stroke from downtown. He runs well, covers the court, and can rise-up explosively to play above the rim. The key is putting it all together consistently and efficiently in order to impact winning to the highest degree.
"While this was a breakout grassroots season for Karvala, he averaged 14 points per game on just 38% shooting from the floor and 34% from behind the arc, while attempting roughly two-third of his total from three. There's no question that Karvala is a projectable shooter.
"He has a smooth release and showed versatility in his shot-making – on the move, running to the arc in transition, and being particularly good off the dribble. There were times though when his shot could get a little flat or when he could disappear altogether for stretches and not impact the game quite as much as someone with his talent should.
"As he continues to adjust to playing against high-level competition, he needs to learn to assert himself consistently and find other ways to impact the game when he isn't getting looks from downtown. Simultaneously, he has to build up his body, finish through contact more consistently at the rim, defend with consistent competitive physicality, and improve his decision-making abilities with the ball (0.8 assists vs. 2.2 turnovers). The bottom line though is that he has extreme tools and could be in the very early stages of putting them all together."
The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball program has been looking to build their 2026 class heavily since coach DeVries took over as head coach in March. As of now the 2026 class only contains of one player in four-star guard Prince-Alexander Moody. Indiana's full staff traveled to watch Karvala play multiple times throughout the offseason and hosted him in Bloomington last week for an official visit.