The offensive line is a position group where you can never have enough depth. Indiana's offensive line was among the best in the country last season during its National Championship run, and with multiple returning starters back for this season, IU's offensive line has great potential once again in 2026.
Looking ahead, Curt Cignetti is hard at work finding elite offensive line talent to bring to Bloomington. When it comes to Indiana's 2027 recruiting class, Cignetti has already received commitments from three OL prospects: 4-star Mason McDermott, 3-star Jeremiah Jones, and 3-star Caleb Pugh.
Indiana's 2026 schedule sets up a golden opportunity for another CFP run
As he looks for more depth, Cignetti and the Hoosiers suffered a tough recruiting loss when 4-star OT target Kal'El Johnson pledged his commitment to an ACC program.
4-star OL prospect Kal'El Johnson chooses Georgia Tech over Indiana
Kal-El Johnson is one of the most coveted offensive line prospects in the country. Hailing from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Johnson is ranked as the No. 21 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 10 overall player in the state of Ohio for the 2027 recruiting class by Rivals.
Indiana has been in the mix to land Johnson's services over the last several months, and was included in his list of finalists along with LSU, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Maryland. However, Indiana ultimately fell short as the 4-star recruit chose to head to Atlanta to play for Georgia Tech.
BREAKING: Four-Star OT Kal’El Johnson has Committed to Georgia Tech, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 26, 2026
The 6’8 325 OT chose the Yellow Jackets over LSU, North Carolina, Indiana, and Maryland
“The next chapter starts on The Flats”https://t.co/3bMi2GaaUQ pic.twitter.com/QL8wID7QSZ
Johnson was in Bloomington for an Official Visit back in May, and made visits to all of his finalists throughout the spring. He joins a Georgia Tech 2027 recruiting class that ranks as the No. 23 in the country according to Rivals. For comparison, Indiana's 2027 class currently holds the No. 29 spot in those same rankings.
Indiana fans shouldn't be discouraged by missing out on 4-star OL target Kal-El Johnson
Landing Johnson would have been a great addition to Indiana's 2027 recruiting class. He owns a solid 6'8" 320-pound frame, and his Rivals rating of 90.35 would have made him IU's third-highest ranked commit among its 2027 class. But with Johnson now heading to Georgia Tech, Indiana football fans shouldn't be discouraged.
Indiana's 2027 recruiting class is still in a great spot, and could potentially be getting better soon. Cignetti has IU well-positioned to land several blue chip prospects following Official Visit season, including 4-star TE Colton Johnson and 5-star WR Monshun Sales. If Cignetti is able to seal the deal with Sales, he would become Indiana's first 5-star high school commit in program history.
Cignetti has also shown that he can win a National Championship no matter how few blue chip recruits he has at his disposal. He led the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 season and historic national title with few blue chippers on the roster, as his elite eye for talent and effective system of development helped overlooked and under-the-radar players become stars.
Moving forward, IU football fans have plenty of confidence in Cignetti's ability to keep Indiana among the list of College Football Playoff contenders.
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