Curt Cignetti and Indiana appear to have moved into the driver’s seat for one of the biggest recruiting prizes in the country.
Five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales, the No. 2 receiver and No. 8 overall prospect in the nation according to Rivals, is still uncommitted and remains the highest-ranked 2027 recruit without a decision. The Indianapolis native has long been on Indiana’s radar, and the Hoosiers now look well-positioned to keep him close to home.
Alabama once looked like the team to beat. The Crimson Tide were involved from the start, and in December Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong and Greg Smith logged expert predictions for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama to land Sales.
That outlook has shifted. Those predictions now favor Cignetti and Indiana, while Alabama’s standing in the race has faded.
Earlier this week, Wiltfong said his sources no longer had Alabama in the mix. At the moment, he said, the main contenders are Indiana and Texas.
Texas has been in the picture for some time, but it was never viewed as the clear favorite. That said, Steve Sarkisian and his staff have made a strong push in recent weeks, and Sales has been showing the Longhorns plenty of attention on social media. Nothing is locked in yet, but Texas seems to have taken Alabama’s place as Indiana’s biggest threat.
Sales’ visit schedule also tells part of the story. His first official visit of the spring was to Indiana, and his second came at Alabama in late May. The Hoosiers and Tide have been locked in a tight battle, and Indiana holding the edge now is a meaningful development.
There are still reasons Alabama was so heavily involved. Sales plays at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, but his family is originally from Alabama.
He still has family there, grew up rooting for the Crimson Tide, and even had the nickname “Bama” as a kid. Those connections, along with Alabama’s persistent recruiting effort, made the Tide legitimate contenders.
If Indiana can close on Sales, it would be a major win for Cignetti and the program. It would also add another painful twist for Alabama after Indiana’s 38-3 win over the Tide in the Rose Bowl during the Hoosiers’ CFP run, a result that helped propel Indiana to its first-ever National Championship.
And from an IU recruiting standpoint, landing Sales would be historic. Indiana has never signed a five-star prospect out of high school, so keeping Sales in the Hoosier State would stand as a landmark victory for the program.
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Monshun Sales Just Turned Up The Pressure On Indiana Football
A major recruiting decision is coming into focus for Indiana football, and it has everything to do with Monshun Sales, the highly ranked Lawrence North wide receiver who has become one of the most important names in the Hoosiers' 2027 class. Sales has set his commitment announcement for Friday, July 17, and he will reveal his choice live on The Pat McAfee Show, putting a national spotlight on a recruitment that already carries plenty of weight for Curt Cignetti's program.
Indiana is in the mix with several bluebloods, but this one matters beyond the usual recruiting drama because Sales is the kind of prospect who can change how a class is viewed before it even takes shape. If the Hoosiers can land him, it would send a message on the trail that they can win battles for elite talent close to home and beyond, which is exactly why the coming announcement has turned into a pressure point for Indiana as much as a decision for Sales. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Entered A Recruiting Fight Hoosiers Fans Will Notice
Indiana is in the mix for one of the more coveted quarterbacks in the 2028 class, as Lukas Prock of The Hun School of Princeton has trimmed his focus to a small group of finalists. The four-star prospect is already drawing national attention, with more than 30 Power Four offers and a profile that has him among the quarterbacks everyone in the recruiting industry is tracking.
For Indiana, the encouraging part is that Prock has said the Hoosiers are among the programs standing out most to him right now, alongside Ohio State and Notre Dame. He has preferred to wait until after his junior season to make a decision, but the clock may not stay that simple if other quarterbacks start coming off the board this summer. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Nears A Program-Changing Recruiting Decision Fans Have Been Waiting For
Monshun Sales is set to put one of the biggest recruiting decisions in the 2027 class on the calendar, with the five-star wide receiver expected to announce his college commitment on July 17 during the Pat McAfee Show. For Indiana, that alone makes this a notable moment, because Sales is not just another highly rated target. He is one of the top uncommitted prospects in the country and a player with the kind of profile that can change how a program is viewed on the recruiting trail.
Sales is drawing interest from Alabama, Indiana, LSU, Ohio State and Texas, but the latest chatter has centered on a tighter race than the original list suggests. Indiana has been the Rivals Prediction Machine favorite for much of the year, while Texas has made a late push, setting up a finish that has Hoosiers fans watching closely for what could be a defining recruiting win. A commitment in Indianas favor would carry real program significance, and that is exactly why this decision has become must-see television. [Read more 🡒]