Just one day ago, the Indiana Hoosiers were the team to beat in the recruitment of 4-star OL prospect Caleb Johnson. Johnson's list of offers exceeded 25 teams, but Greg Smith of Rivals gave the inside edge to the Hoosiers. "I'm giving Indiana a slight edge right now," said Smith on Friday.
Unfortunately, that edge has disappeared. Johnson announced his commitment decision on Friday, and instead of playing his college football in Bloomington, he will be playing for a different Big Ten team.
Indiana 4-star OL target Caleb Johnson commits to Michigan State
On Saturday, Johnson announced his commitment to the Michigan State Spartans.
It's a big win for Pat Fitzgerald and company, as Johnson becomes the first 4-star commit for Fitzgerald in East Lansing. It's an equally disappointing recruiting loss for Cignetti and the Hoosiers, who appeared to be in a strong position to land the coveted OL prospect.
COMMITTED 🟢⚪️!!!@MSU_Football @coachfitz51 @CoachTabacca @CoachJohnson64 @CoachBGasser @MalikGill5 @greinerzd68 @Bryan_Ault @LemmingReport @KyleNeddenriep @SWiltfong_ @AllenTrieu @IndianaPreps pic.twitter.com/LwV0RHpLmQ
— Caleb Johnson 4 ⭐️ (@CTJohnson27) June 13, 2026
Johnson is an in-state product as he hails from Noblesville on the north side of Indianapolis. He is ranked as the No. 3 overall player in the state of Indiana and the No. 13 interior offensive lineman prospect in the country according to 247Sports. Given his ties to Indiana, seeing him head north to Michigan State stings even more for the Hoosiers.
Furthermore, Johnson's overall rating of 90.87 on Rivals would have made him Indiana's highest-ranked recruit in the 2027 class. Landing the 6'5" 275-pound lineman would have been a great get for Cignetti and company, but now IU is still searching for its first commitment in over a week.
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The Hoosiers haven't secured a commitment since June 3, and while IU's 2027 recruiting class is in a decent spot, other Big Ten teams have put together strong recruiting streaks since then. As it stands, Indiana has the No. 29 recruiting class in the country according to Rivals. Big Ten teams ranked ahead of IU include Ohio State, USC, Oregon, Michigan, UCLA, Nebraska, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
After missing out on Johnson's services, building up the 2027 offensive line becomes even more of a priority for Cignetti. Of Indiana's 11 commits in the 2027 class, the only offensive linemen are 4-star Mason McDermott and 3-star Jeremiah Jones. McDermott. Those are solid additions, but finding more size and talent up front figures to be a point of emphasis for Cignetti over the next several weeks.
Looking ahead, Cignetti and his staff are sure to hone in on several other OL prospects in an effort to bring them to Bloomington. Prospects Indiana is still in the mix for include 4-star OT Dewey Young, OT Kal-El Johnson, 4-star IOL Kyler Kuhn, 3-star IOL Jameer Henry, and 3-star IOL Jayden Dean.
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