Following a 16-0 season, 2026 is not a rebuild campaign in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers have reloaded as they pursue a repeat national title.
That’s according to ESPN, which ranks Indiana’s newcomer class (i.e. incoming high school recruits plus incoming transfers) as the No. 5 best group in the nation.
Other outlets have come to similar conclusions.
On3 ranks Indiana’s net transfer portal class (quality in vs. quality out) as No. 1 in the nation. 247Sports says the Hoosiers have the No. 8 transfer class when only considering incoming players.
IU’s 2026 high school class is No. 30 at Rivals and No. 38 at 247Sports.
The Hoosiers will also be looking to defend their Big Ten title in 2026. From the conference, ESPN ranked Ohio State as having the No. 2 newcomer class, Oregon No. 10, Michigan No. 12, USC No. 13, and Penn State No. 21.
Here’s what ESPN had to say about Indiana’s high school recruits and incoming transfers.
Top recruits: DT Gabe Hill, DE Kevontay Hugan, CB Kasmir Hicks, TE‑H Parker Elmore, OG Benjamin Novak, LB Ja’Dyn Williams
Indiana brings back some veteran talent from its national title team and were proficient in the portal. So while the Hoosiers signed one of their strongest classes in years, only a few freshmen are positioned to earn early snaps in 2026. Hill could play early. He projects as a stout anchor who can hold up versus double teams, squeeze the pocket and spell older tackles without a big drop-off. Off the edge, Hugan brings length and burst at a spot still searching for long‑term difference‑makers and should work into the pass rush rotation on obvious passing downs. In the secondary, Hicks has the quickness and ball skills to compete for corner or nickel snaps, with immediate special teams upside. On offense, Elmore might have flown a bit under the radar having missed a significant amount of time over the course of his sophomore and junior seasons. He’s coming off a strong senior season and is a movable H‑back who can block, go in motion and serve as a short‑area safety valve. Novak is a physical interior lineman who can either push for a guard job or be a high‑end sixth man in the offensive line rotation.
Transfers: WR Nick Marsh, QB Josh Hoover, OG Joe Brunner, DE Tobi Osunsanmi, CB AJ Harris, RB Turbo Richard, DL Joshua Burnham, S Preston Zachman, TE Brock Schott
Indiana’s portal class is built to reshape the depth chart immediately. Hoover (31 starts, 9,629 career yards, 71 touchdowns) has one of the quickest releases in college football and fits Air Raid/RPO concepts and gives them an experienced player to try and replace Fernando Mendoza. Hoover must protect the ball better, as he threw 13 interceptions in 2025. Brunner is a plug‑and‑play guard with 24 starts and the balance and power to function in gap or zone schemes. At 6-3 with 100 career catches for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns, Marsh profiles as a true X on the boundary. He combines deep tracking, contested‑catch ability and yards-after-catch toughness. Osunsanmi brings real edge juice (12.5 TFLs, 8.5 sacks) and should feature in third‑down packages. Harris (32 games, 89 tackles, 6 pass breakups) gives Indiana a long, physical press corner to upgrade the boundary rotation. Richard is a compact, explosive change‑of‑pace and pass‑catching back who adds a true third‑down and perimeter threat. Together, they help the Hoosiers reload at multiple key positions for 2026.
IU football: Position-by-position look at anticipated 2026 roster changes
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