Indiana and Curt Cignetti predicted to beat out Alabama and others for 4-star WR

If you had told someone just a couple of years ago that the Indiana Hoosiers were trending in the right direction to land a blue-chip recruit over the Alabama Crimson Tide, most people on earth wouldn't have believed you.

However, just two years into his tenure with the program, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has made that exact thing a reality.

Rivals' Steve Wiltfong recently logged an expert prediction that the Hoosiers would land four-star wide receiver Ja'Hyde Brown over a slew of perennial powerhouse programs, including the Crimson Tide.

Curt Cignetti has put the Hoosiers on the CFB map

Brown is the No. 48 wideout in the class of 2027 and is the No. 7 overall athlete in the recruiting cycle. As a Kentucky native, having him lean toward the Hoosiers instead of any of the SEC programs is a huge tip of the cap toward Cignetti and his staff.

As the No. 1 team in the country, the Big Ten champions, and the only undefeated squad left in the entirety of the FBS, the Hoosiers landed the No. 31 class of 2026 (a huge jump from their class of 2025, which ranked 53rd in the national standings).

So far, Cignetti has landed just one commitment from the class of 2027 in three-star quarterback Jameson Purcell, so bringing in an elite athlete like Brown could be exactly what Indiana needs to secure an even better recruiting class next year.

Also read: Could Indiana land generational 2027 Five-Star WR who has been compared to Jeremiah Smith?

According to MaxPreps, Brown racked up 1,566 receiving yards for 24 touchdowns during his junior season of varsity football. Simply put, he has been unstoppable at the high school level and could hopefully only do more of the same for Indiana in two years' time.