Indiana safety Amare Ferrell is returning for the 2026 season.
That’s according to a report by ESPN’s Max Olson on X through Ferrell’s agent.
Ferrell will give IU an anchor in the defensive backfield in 2026. He has played in 40 games over the last three years and has been a full-time starter throughout the last two seasons.
The 6-foot-2 and 202-pound Lake City, Fla. product has 106 tackles, eight interceptions and 15 pass breakups over his three-year career. He has 7.0 career tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
In 2025, Ferrell has played 769 snaps and has the fourth-highest overall defensive grade among starters at PFF. He played 743 snaps in 2024, and 105 as a freshman under Tom Allen in 2023. His overall PFF grade has improved each season.
Ferrell was originally recruited to IU by Allen and chose to stay with the Hoosiers through the transition to Curt Cignetti.
2026 will be his final season of eligibility.
Indiana is losing starting safeties Louis Moore and Devan Boykin to eligibility after next Monday’s national championship game, so locking in Ferrell for one more year should help provide some stability in the IU secondary. The Hoosiers added veteran Wisconsin safety Preston Zachman via the transfer portal to join Ferrell on the backend.
This story will be updated.
