Will Stein bests Curt Cignetti as coveted 4-star OL chooses Kentucky over Indiana

After some strong recruiting momentum in the month of May, Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers have now gone a week without securing any new commitments.

The Hoosiers were hoping to get back on track a commitment from 4-star OL Dominic Black, who had Indiana listed among his list of finalists. However, when Black made his commitment decision on Wednesday, he chose to play college football elsewhere.

4-star OL Dominic Black commits to Kentucky

Announcing his decision live on the CBS Sports YouTube channel, Black committed to play for Will Stein and the Kentucky Wildcats.

It's a tough blow for Indiana, who was included in Black's finalists along with Michigan State, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.

Black hails from New Madison, OH, and is ranked as the No. 1 offensive lineman prospect in the state of Ohio. Furthermore, he is ranked as the No. 9 overall player in the state of Ohio and the No. 12 offensive lineman in the country by Rivals.

Owning a 6'5" 280-pound frame, Black is described by 247Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks as a player who "Projects as a potential high-major O-line cog who could become a pro prospect." Black landing in Bloomington would have given Indiana a solid 1-2 punch up front, as IU's 2027 class is led by 4-star OT Mason McDermott. The 6'7" 295-pound prospect is Indiana's second highest-ranked player in the 2027 class, and having both Black and McDermott featured in the class would have been a pleasant sight.

But now that Black has committed to Kentucky, Cignetti and company are looking to get back on track

Indiana looking to get back on track on the recruiting trail

Despite missing out on Black, Indiana is still holding steady with a Top-30 recruiting class in the country. Specifically, the Hoosiers' 2027 class is ranked No. 29 in the nation by Rivals.

However, Cignetti and company are in danger of slipping in the rankings without adding any new names to the mix over the last week. When looking around the Big Ten, teams such as Ohio State, USC, Oregon, Michigan, UCLA, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are all ranked ahead of Indiana in the national recruiting rankings.

Ranking the 3 biggest needs Curt Cignetti must address in the 2027 recruiting class

Cignetti has proven that he doesn't need highly-ranked recruiting classes to be successful, but adding as much talent as possible to IU's 2027 class is still important. Plus, Cignetti is on the verge of putting together a historic 2027 recruiting class. Indiana's highest-ranked recruiting class in program history came in 2022 with a No. 25 ranking, and currently holding steady at No. 29, Cignetti has Indiana poised to meet or exceed that ranking for the 2027 cycle.

Those efforts would be bolstered by putting together an impressive showing this weekend during Official Visits. Five of Indiana's top targets are slated to be on campus, which means Cignetti's recruiting momentum could be right around the corner.

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