Indiana has completed spring practice and now turns the page to summer workouts and the start of fall camp in early August.
What does the IU depth chart look like for the reigning national champs?
Here’s an estimation of where things stand for the offense.
We’ll follow up with the defense later in the week.
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QUARTERBACK
1 – Josh Hoover
2 – Grant Wilson
Hoover is the clear No. 1 for 2026. Younger quarterbacks Tyler Cherry and Jacob Bell, both redshirt freshmen, made good impressions this spring and will look to continue to develop. One of them could potentially surpass Wilson for the No. 2 spot by the start of the season, with Cherry the more likely of the two at this point.
RUNNING BACK
1 – Khobie Martin or Turbo Richard
3 – Lee Beebe, Jr.
It’s hard to distinguish Martin and Richard right now, and we probably don’t need to do that. They’ll both get heavy workloads much like Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby in 2025. Beebe, Jr. will look to be back to 100% by the start of fall camp to give the staff the three-back option they prefer to start the season. The fourth back has gotten a lot of work the last two years. Redshirt freshman Sean Cuono and freshman Jayron Campbell appear to be battling for that spot.
WIDE RECEIVER
1s – Nick Marsh, Charlie Becker, Tyler Morris
2s – Shazz Preston, Davion Chandler, Lebron Bond
With Morris showing this spring he’s back to 100 percent, Indiana appears to have one of the best wide receiver rooms in the nation. While the top three seems set, Preston is a former 4-star recruit who started his career at Alabama. He has a high-end pedigree and a solid build. And watch out for Davion Chandler to be a breakout player in this group.
TIGHT END
1 – Andrew Barker
2 – Blake Thiry or Brock Schott
This is by far the most interesting position group on the roster. All five of Indiana’s tight ends have “freshman” in their year — either redshirt or true. Right now we’ll give the ever so slight nod to Barker, but that’s in pencil. The redshirt sophomore started the spring game. This will be a wide open competition in August. Brock Schott missed the spring due to injury but the Miami (Fla.) transfer is a high end athlete and he will have a chance to earn the starting role.
TACKLE
LT1 – Carter Smith
RT1 – Adedamola Ajani
Possible backups at tackle: Joe Brunner, Austin Leibfried, Baylor Wilkin.
It’s probably not accurate to look at the offensive line depth chart as simple A and B options. An injury up front at any position could set off a reshuffling at multiple spots. In 2025 the staff had a top seven with Zen Michalski and Ajani rotating into both guard and tackle spots when duty called. Brunner and Leibfried appear to have that flexibility, and Wilkin was getting a careful look with Smith out this spring. Ajani could also end up being the preferred option at left tackle after Smith, with Brunner bumping out to the right tackle spot.
GUARD
LG1 – Drew Evans or Joe Brunner
RG1 – Bray Lynch or Joe Brunner
Top backups: Austin Leibfried, Matt Marek, Sam Simpson
It seems certain that the trio of Evans, Lynch and Brunner will man the interior as starters in some fashion. Indiana is very happy with that contingent. And Leibfried appears to be the swing man/next man up should any of the them go down. Matt Marek could be in the mix too. That staff likes Sam Simpson, but as a true freshman he could be a year away.
CENTER
C1 – Drew Evans or Bray Lynch
Top backups: Austin Leibfried, Matt Marek
Indiana gave snaps to five players this spring in an effort to create some clarity here. But with Lynch injured this spring they probably didn’t gain a ton of insight. Both Evans and Lynch have taken a lot of center snaps in practice over the last couple years. It’s all going to come down to which of the veterans the staff is most comfortable with as it relates to reading defenses and the communication aspect of center, along with actually snapping the football. This will be a role to watch in August.
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