With spring football approaching, we’re going position by position looking at Indiana’s roster.
Indiana’s offensive line was such a driver of the team’s success during its national championship run, Pat Coogan was named offensive MVP of the Rose Bowl Game as a figurehead for the entire unit.
Bob Bostad’s group excelled all year long as one of the best offensive lines in the country. And he’ll have a lot of that same group back for 2026.
Left tackle Carter Smith could’ve easily declared for the NFL Draft and began his pro career. But the consensus All-American opted to return as a redshirt senior and should be one of the best offensive linemen in the country.
Left guard Drew Evans had another strong season in 2025, and was able to stay healthy throughout the 16-game run. The former Wisconsin transfer has not allowed a sack in his 656 total pass-blocking snaps with the Hoosiers across two seasons. Evans and Smith should keep quarterback Josh Hoover pretty clean on the left side of the line in 2026.
Bray Lynch is a returning two-year starter at right guard. He did get benched during Indiana’s Big Ten Championship Game win over Ohio State, but that seemed to be a one-game issue. He hasn’t graded out as strong as Evans and Smith, but there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t start again in 2026.
By the end of the season, IU was utilizing a rotation at right tackle with Kahlil Benson, Zen Michalski, and Adedamola Ajani. Benson and Michalski are gone, which should make Ajani the early favorite to start there this fall. Curt Cignetti always values experience, and Ajani now has it — on the sport’s biggest stages, no less. But if he underwhelms in spring ball or fall camp, his starting spot may not be a lock.
Joe Brunner is one of the bigger transfer portal additions Indiana made in January. He’s started at left guard for Wisconsin each of the last two years, giving the Hoosiers an additional veteran on the line. He posted a 72.7 pass block grade last year, after finishing 2024 at 77.8; he’s less proficient in run blocking, but not outright bad.
Brunner is a safe bet to start in 2026, but the question is, at what spot. Indiana will need someone at center with Coogan gone, but it’s not obvious who that’ll be. That could be something the Hoosiers experiment with in spring ball. Surely Cignetti won’t move Evans off left guard, but perhaps Lynch moves to center to slot Brunner at right guard. Or maybe the Wisconsin transfer will slide over to center.
Roster overview
Who’s gone:
- Kahlil Benson (out of eligibility)
- Zen Michalski (out of eligibility)
- Pat Coogan (out of eligibility)
- Mitch Verstegen (entered transfer portal, no landing spot yet)
- Jack Greer
Who’s returning:
- Carter Smith (redshirt senior)
- Drew Evans (redshirt senior)
- Bray Lynch (redshirt senior)
- Adedamola Ajani (redshirt sophomore)
- Austin Leibfried (redshirt sophomore)
- Evan Parker (redshirt freshman)
- Baylor Wilkin (redshirt freshman)
- Matt Marek (redshirt freshman)
Who’s joining:
- Joe Brunner (transfer — Wisconsin; redshirt senior)
- Ben Novak (X-star, Crown Point, Ind.)
- CJ Scifres (x-star, Bargers, Ind.)
- Sam Simpson (x-star, River Falls, Wis.)
More previews:
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Instagram, X, and Facebook
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
