BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Daily Hoosier spent the last two days at IU football fall camp as the Hoosiers kick off practice ahead of the 2026 season.
Here’s some observations from our viewings of the team on the practice fields north of Memorial Stadium.
— The cornerback competition to replace D’Angelo Ponds is one to watch this month. Coach Curt Cignetti said Wednesday Penn State transfer A.J. Harris was recruited to replace Ponds, but he’s locked in a battle with returning reserve Ryland Gandy, who is coming back from injury.
“I’m high on Gandy, who will be full go next week,” Cignetti said. “Jamari Sharpe has really done a great job. He’s our number one guy. And A.J. Harris has the abilities. Looking for the day in, day out consistency, play in, play out consistency.”
That comment felt like a challenge directed at Harris by Cignetti. The IU head coach said something similar about Tyrique Tucker this time last year, and Tucker ended up being All-Big Ten.
— Speaking of Tucker, the final James Madison transfer on the team is a clear leader on this team. Cignetti doesn’t let many players speak up during full team calisthenics, but Tucker did that on Thursday after linebacker Isaiah Jones led the charge on Wednesday. Cignetti doesn’t name captains, but it’s clear those two and Carter Smith are among the early leaders on this team.
— If you think Nick Marsh is more of a big physical receiver than a speed guy, you might end up reassessing that. Watching him run routes in practice, you see a gear that looks fast, and then he turns upfield and you find yourself thinking ‘Whoa, that was different.’
— Consistent with prior years, IU is expected to start the season with a trio of running backs who should all get plenty of snaps. Khobie Martin stands out as the quickest twitch and fastest of the three, while Lee Beebe, Jr. and Turbo Richard are a bit thicker. Can Martin make the jump from the fourth option to the season opening starter? He appears to be in legitimate contention to do that, at least early in fall camp.
— Sophomore safety Byron Baldwin always gives high level energy in practice. That’s a carryover observation from 2025. Baldwin appears to have bulked up and could be a legit contender for serious snaps at the rover position this fall. He has the versatility to play multiple safety spots.
— Mario Landino looks explosive. We watched him do four strong reps in a row with the defensive linemen. This was only a drill, yes, and game action looks different. But he may have a little better burst than what he’s shown so far in his career — and he already had a good burst off the line.
— The tight end room is young, but you can see the potential of second-year Indiana native Brock Schott. Watching him run routes, he looks as fast as some of the wide receivers, and his 6-foot-3 and 241-pound frame should allow him to fulfill the critical blocking duties required of that position in the IU offense. He set a weight lifting record at Miami last year. The path is clear, it’s just a question of whether it all comes together in year two for Schott.
— Consistent with what Curt Cignetti said at Big Ten Media Day, the team appears to be reasonably healthy. It isn’t clear who all is fully cleared for 11-on-11 activities, but you’re seeing guys who were out or limited in the spring doing more. That includes All-American left tackle Carter Smith, who said at media day he should have full clearance very soon if he doesn’t by now already. Bray Lynch, Brock Schott, Charlie Becker, Lee Beebe, Jr. and Quan Sanks are some of the other notable players seemingly without limitation after spring setbacks, but at the very least much more active than they were in the spring.
Mike Schumann and Seth Tow contributed to this report.
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