Coming off a National Championship-winning season, the Indiana Hoosiers are locked and loaded for another strong season on the gridiron. Lots of big-name talent is off to the NFL, but Curt Cignetti has utilized the transfer portal masterfully and retains some key contributors from last year's title team as well.
The Hoosiers pride themselves on playing complimentary football. They aren't too reliant on one position group to carry the load, which has played a big part in Indiana's success under Cignetti. The 2026 roster is extremely well-rounded, and it's tough to find glaring weaknesses.
With the season opener against North Texas fast approaching, let’s take a look at what each position group brings to the table—and how each unit stacks up on Indiana’s 2026 roster.
1. Defensive line
The IU defensive front has the potential to be elite. The Hoosiers return four of their top-five sack leaders from last season, which is a rare feat in today's era of college football. Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino are both back at the defensive tackle positions, and both are poised for strong seasons after playing big roles in IU's title run. A pair of Kansas State transfers, Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor, figure to take on the starting EDGE spots, making for an extremely dangerous Hoosier defensive line. Notre Dame transfer Josh Burnham and Tulsa transfer Joe Hjelle give this group plenty of depth, which is always valuable.
2. Wide receivers
Despite losing both Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt to the NFL, Indiana boasts plenty of talent depth at wide receiver. Charlie Becker emerged as one of the best wideouts in the country during the second half last season, and is now primed to take on a leading role. Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh was one of the most coveted players in the portal. He put up strong numbers in a Spartan passing attack that was among the worst in the Big Ten. Now in a much better position to thrive, he could form an incredible receiving duo with Becker. Behind them, Michigan transfer Tyler Morris and Tulane transfer Shazz Preston are proven veterans who bring elite depth to the Hoosier WR room.
3. Offensive line
Indiana's offensive line is full of proven experience. Four of the five projected starters on the O-line are fifth-year seniors. The group is led by LT Carter Smith, who is already garnering plenty of first round NFL Draft hype. LG Drew Evans, C Bray Lynch, and RG Adedamola Ajani are all back, while newcomer Joe Brunner enters the fold after making 39 appearances with 24 starts over four seasons at Wisconsin. With so much veteran experience to go around, a lot should be expected of Indiana's offensive line in 2026.
4. Linebackers
Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones combined for 13.0 sacks and 30.5 tackles for loss last season. They are both back in 2026. Along with their well-rounded skill sets, Hardy and Jones are both experienced leaders in the middle of the field. While some pieces from the defense are gone, Hardy and Jones should be able to keep things rolling in a major way. Jeff Utzinger and Kaiden Turner are both fifth-year seniors, which should make defensive coordinator Bryant Haines extremely confident in his linebacker group this season.
5. Quarterbacks
Replacing Fernando Mendoza is a nearly impossible task. But Josh Hoover is up the challenge. Cignetti has mastered his transfer QB formula, which includes finding a veteran gunslinger capable of running an RPO-heavy style. That's what he has in Hoover. Hoover made 31 starts and threw for nearly 10,000 yards and 71 touchdowns at TCU, and is now in a much more complimentary system in Bloomington. He was one of the highest-ranked players in the portal for a reason, and while he shouldn't be expected to be Mendoza 2.0, he is in a great position to succeed. Grant Wilson and Tyler Cherry both return as backups, and they are familiar with the offensive system Mike Shanahan wants to operate.
6. Secondary
The Hoosier secondary lost a pair of big pieces in D'Angelo Ponds and Louis Moore. The good news is that Amare Ferrell and Jamari Sharpe are both back. Ferrell earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors from the conference media last season, while Sharpe cemented his legacy in Hoosier lore with his game-winning interception in the National Championship against Miami (FL). Penn State transfer CB A.J. Harris was one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten last season, and fifth-year senior Ryland Gandy is also in line for a bigger role.
7. Running backs
Replacing a pair of 1,000-yard rushers is never easy. Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black were arguably the most lethal RB duo in the country last season, and now they are both gone to the NFL. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard figures to take on a leading role, while redshirt sophomore Khobie Martin is on breakout watch after leading IU with 6.5 yards per carry among qualified players a season ago. Lee Beebe Jr. is also back after suffering a season-ending injury just three games into the season in 2025. There is a lot to like about this group, but there are also a lot of moving parts and unknowns. It will be interesting to see how the RB workload is split among these three playmakers throughout the season.
8. Special teams
Placekicker Nico Radicic returns to Indiana after going 18-for-19 on his field goal attempts and converting on all 87 extra point attempts last year. He was clutch when it mattered most, knocking down several crucial kicks in the postseason. His longest kick came from 46 yards, and it remains to be seen if Indiana will utilize Tory kicker Paddy McAteer from long distances in 2026. The kick returning situation is also still in flux, bringing just a bit of uncertainty to IU's special teams entering Week 1.
9. Tight ends
The Hoosier tight end room is wildly inexperienced. All five TEs on the roster are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen, and none have seen steady roles at the collegiate level. The group has a combined 17 snaps of college football experience under their belts, with Miami (FL) transfer Brock Schott owning 16 of them. Given the vast amount of inexperience and unproven production, Indiana's TE room is the biggest question mark on the roster heading into the new campaign.
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