Throughout the course of Big Ten Media Days this week, Curt Cignetti offered the clearest indication yet of what Indiana's Week 1 starting lineup could look like. Some positions are already known, but others, such as the offensive line, have more question marks.
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Whether it be through roster turnover or positional shake-ups, IU fans are eager to see what the Hoosier offensive line will look like this season. After Cignetti's comments this week, that picture is starting to shift into focus.
Left tackle - Carter Smith
No surprises here. Carter Smith has been one of the best offensive linemen in all of college football during his time with the Hoosiers. He's made 41 consecutive starts at left tackle dating back to 2023, and is in line to play a vital role for the IU offensive line once again this season. The Olentangy, OH native played a huge part in keeping Fernando Mendoza upright during his Heisman Trophy-winning season, and has allowed just 4 sacks over 2,516 snaps in his career in Bloomington.
Smith missed all of spring ball recovering from labrum surgery, but he is on track to be ready for the season opener on September 5 against North Texas.
Left guard - Drew Evans
Drew Evans started 12 games at left guard last season, and the position appears to be his to start the 2026 season. All 21 games Evans has appeared in have been starts, but he's had multiple injuries over the last two seasons. He suffered a season-ending injury prior to Week 11 against Michigan back in 2024, and missed four games late last season. However, he returned for the CFP semifinals and title game and performed well. Playing alongside Carter once again, the redshirt senior brings plenty of returning experience to Indiana's left side.
Center - Bray Lynch
During Big Ten Media Days in Chicago this week, Cignetti stated that redshirt senior Bray Lynch is poised to be Indiana's starting center this season. “Bray Lynch and Drew Evans both can be a center,” said Cignetti. “We’re probably going to start out with Bray Lynch.” With Lynch and Evans both capable of taking over at center, it will be interesting to see how fall camp goes. But at this time, Cignetti expects Lynch to be the starter.
Lynch has appeared in 38 games with 29 starts for the Hoosiers, and spent the majority of the past two seasons as Indiana's starting right guard. He has big shoes to fill, as Pat Coogan earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and was the Rose Bowl Offensive MVP this past season. He is off to the NFL after being selected in the sixth round by the Titans.
Right guard - Adedamola Ajani
Cignetti plans for Adedamola Ajani to slot into Indiana's starting right guard spot. Ajani saw some time at right guard last season, but he spent most of his time at left guard while also seeing time at right tackle as well. Needless to say, his versatility has been clutch. But moving forward, Cignetti expects Ajani to hold things down at right guard.
“We’ll probably start him out at guard," Cignetti said at Big Ten Media Days. "He feels a little more comfortable there, and he played better at guard than tackle last year when he went into games." As a redshirt sophomore, Ajani projects to be the youngest of Indiana's starting offensive linemen this season.
Right tackle - Joe Brunner
Wisconsin transfer Joe Brunner was one of the highest-rated players in Indiana's transfer portal class this offseason. Brunner spent the past two seasons playing on the interior offensive line for the Badgers, but it seems that Cignetti expects him to move to right guard this season. That's where he started the spring game, so keeping him there throughout the fall wouldn't be surprising to see. Brunner brings plenty of experience from Madison to Bloomington, as he has made 39 appearances with 24 starts over four previous seasons at Wisconsin.
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