Indiana’s 2027 recruiting class is already in strong shape, but the next few weeks could push it into a different tier altogether.
After a perfect 16-0 season and a National Championship, the Hoosiers have become a real draw for blue-chip prospects around the country. Curt Cignetti’s reputation for identifying talent and putting players in the right spots has only grown over his two seasons in Bloomington, and that momentum is showing up on the recruiting trail.
Right now, Indiana’s 2027 class is nearly full, with 16 commits in the fold. It’s a talented group, but there’s still room to add more depth and maybe even a little more star power before the cycle is done.
The biggest name still hanging out there is 5-star wide receiver Monshun Sales. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound standout from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis is the highest-ranked uncommitted recruit in the 2027 cycle, and Indiana is very much in the hunt.
Cignetti has leaned into the home-state angle while recruiting Sales, but the competition is fierce. Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, and LSU are all in the mix.
If Indiana can win that battle, it would be a massive statement. Sales would become the first 5-star high school commit in program history, and it would be another landmark moment for Cignetti in Bloomington.
There’s also a chance the Hoosiers aren’t done climbing within the class rankings themselves. At the moment, Indiana already has six commits who have reached 4-star status. Rivals lists EDGE Myles Smith, LB Jalaythan Mayfield, OT Mason McDermott, and DL Reinaldo Lopez as 4-stars, while ESPN gave S Brady Scott a fourth star last month and 247Sports did the same for WR Branden Sharpe.
That total could still grow by one or two more. RB Da’Jon Talley Rhodes looks like the best candidate to make that jump, since he’s Indiana’s highest-ranked 3-star commit according to Rivals. The Hoosiers already have a strong collection of blue-chippers, but another one or two rising into 4-star territory would only strengthen the class.
And then there’s the bigger-picture goal: finishing with a top-20 class.
Indiana’s recruiting rankings over the last four cycles have landed at 30th, 53rd, 60th, and 59th nationally. This year’s group is currently sitting at No. 29 in the country by Rivals, which already makes it the best class Cignetti has assembled at IU. But the Hoosiers have a real shot to keep moving up.
Sales could be the key piece in that climb. If Indiana lands the in-state star, the class would almost certainly rise in the rankings.
The program’s best recruiting finish came in 2022, when it checked in at 25th nationally, and Cignetti has Indiana positioned to match or top that mark. There’s still work left to do, but the path is there.
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