With spring football approaching, we’re going position by position looking at Indiana’s roster.
IU saw three of its five starters in the secondary leave the program after winning the national championship in January. Louis Moore and Devan Boykin exhausted their eligibility, and D’Angelo Ponds declared for the NFL Draft.
Amare Ferrell will be back at safety, and Jamari Sharpe is back at cornerback. Those two should be pretty secure in their starting roles.
The Hoosiers already had some promising depth in the defensive backfield with guys like Byron Baldwin Jr. and Jaylen Bell, among others. Those players could see the field more in 2026 — Baldwin may be the early favorite to start at rover. Ryland Gandy returns as well, and he should be in the mix at cornerback.
IU also loaded up on DBs in the portal, and those players will both push for starting spots and fill in depth roles. Wisconsin transfer Preston Zachman could step into Moore’s spot at free safety, or potentially Bryant Haines will prefer him at the rover over Baldwin. Penn State transfer AJ Harris should have a real shot to start at the other cornerback spot opposite from Sharpe.
The secondary competitions could be the most intriguing position battles on Indiana’s defense throughout spring ball and fall camp. Haines, Curt Cignetti, Ola Adams, and Rod Ojong have a lot of talent to work with. The challenge will be getting the best of that group on the field, and putting those players in the best spots possible.
Roster overview
Who’s gone:
- D’Angelo Ponds (entered NFL Draft)
- Louis Moore (out of eligibility)
- Devan Boykin (out of eligibility)
- Bryson Bonds (out of eligibility)
- Amariyun Knighten (transfer — Miami (Ohio))
- Dontrae Henderson (transfer — Arkansas State)
- Jah Jah Boyd (transfer — Colorado)
Who’s returning:
- Jamari Sharpe (redshirt senior)
- Amare Ferrell (senior)
- Ryland Gandy (redshirt senior)
- Byron Baldwin Jr. (sophomore)
- Jaylen Bell (sophomore)
- Garrett Reese (sophomore)
- Seaonta Stewart Jr. (redshirt freshman)
- Zacharey Smith (redshirt freshman)
- Clay Conner (redshirt junior)
Who’s joining:
- AJ Harris (transfer — Penn State; senior)
- Preston Zachman (transfer — Wisconsin; redshirt senior)
- Quan Sanks (transfer — Cincinnati; junior)
- Carson Williams (transfer — Montana State; redshirt sophomore)
- Kasmir Hicks (four-star, Indianapolis)
- Jamar Owens (three-star, Jonesboro, Ga.)
- D’Montae Tims (three-star, Tampa, Fla.)
More previews:
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