After an underwhelming first season at the helm of the Indiana basketball program, Darian DeVries is looking to lead the Hoosiers back to the NCAA Tournament in 2026-27. Some decent momentum is building, as Indiana brought in one of the top transfer portal classes in the country as well as a promising freshmen recruiting class.
Indiana's Big Ten schedule sets up nicely for Darian DeVries to make big improvements
DeVries has also spent the past few months looking to build some momentum on the recruiting trail. He's already secured commitments from a pair of 2027 prospects in the form of 4-star guard Chase Branham and international center Felix Kiehlneker.
DeVries and company were also in the mix for coveted Top-65 recruit Jason Garnder Jr, who hails from Fishers High School on the north side of Indianapolis. While the Hoosiers were firmly in the running, Gardner will be playing his college basketball outside of the Hoosier State.
Indiana misses out on keeping 4-star prospect Jason Gardner Jr. home
On Monday afternoon, Gardner announced his highly-anticipated commitment decision live on the CBS Sports YouTube channel. His list of finalists included Indiana, Auburn, DePaul, Stanford, and Florida. While Hoosier fans were hoping that Gardner would stay local and play for the Cream and Crimson, he instead chose Auburn.
NEWS: 4⭐️ Jason Gardner Jr. has committed to Auburn, he told @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) September 28, 2026
The 6-1 point guard is a top-65 overall recruit in the 2027 class. https://t.co/M9YKQohP0j pic.twitter.com/C0iVJCIKCY
Playing for Fishers High School, Gardner is ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the state of Indiana and the No. 67 prospect in the country for the 2027 recruiting class according to 247Sports. Furthermore, he is heralded as the No. 15 point guard in the nation.
The Hoosiers remained among Gardner's list of contenders until the very end, but were never really considered the frontrunners. In fact, On3 gave Indiana a less than 5% chance to secure a commitment from Gardner as late as last week. Gardner took an official visit to Auburn earlier this month, and then quickly announced his commitment date. Thus, it isn't entirety surprising to see him pick the Tigers. He is now set to join an Auburn program coming off an NIT Championship last season.
It's always a bummer to see the top players in the state of Indiana choose to leave the Hoosier State. Indiana has had several high-profile in-state recruiting misses over the past few years, which adds even more frustration among the fan base. Notable in-state prospects to leave the Hoosier State in recent memory include Gary Harris, Trey Lyles, Braylon Mullins, and Kyle Guy, among others.
After a trio of exhibition games in October, DeVries and the Hoosiers are set to begin the new season on Nov. 2 against Eastern Illinois. Big Ten play begins on Dec. 1 against Rutgers.
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