Darian DeVries Has A Chance To Change Indiana's Recruiting Buzz

As Darian DeVries eyes his inaugural 5-star recruit, Indiana prepares to host top prospect Brady Pettigrew in a pivotal weekend visit.

Indiana’s recruiting momentum is starting to build, and Darian DeVries has a chance to make that week even better on the trail.

The Hoosiers are set to host Brady Pettigrew for an official visit beginning Friday, putting one of the nation’s most sought-after 2028 prospects on campus at a time when Indiana is already coming off a commitment from 7'1" center Felix Kiehlneker and the release of its official 2026-27 regular season schedule.

Pettigrew is a big-name target for a reason. The 6'3", 170-pound combo guard from Bolingbrook, IL is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 combo guard and No. 18 overall player in the 2028 recruiting class.

As a sophomore at Bolingbrook High School, he averaged more than 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game. On the Nike EYBL Circuit with Bradley Beal Elite, he put up 24.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, with that scoring average ranking second among all players in the 2028 class.

Indiana has already had Pettigrew on campus once before. He made an unofficial visit to Bloomington in the spring, and this weekend gives DeVries and his staff another shot to make a strong impression.

The competition, though, is stacked. Pettigrew already took an official visit to Michigan last weekend, and his schedule is loaded from here on out.

After Indiana, he is set to visit Florida on Sept. 25-26, Illinois on Oct.

2-4, North Carolina on Oct. 9-11, Kentucky on Oct.

23-25, BYU on Oct. 30-31, Ohio State on Nov. 6-8, and Arkansas on Jan.

1-3.

That kind of calendar makes an immediate decision unlikely. Pettigrew has nine visits lined up, and he appears to be in no rush to trim things down before taking a full look at the field.

For DeVries, the bigger picture is clear: he is still chasing his first 5-star commit at Indiana. Pettigrew is one major piece of that pursuit, and so is 2027 5-star Darius Wabbington.

The 6'11", 245-pound center is ranked by Rivals as the No. 2 center and No. 14 overall player in the country in the 2027 class. Indiana is in his group of finalists along with Arizona, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Texas.

Wabbington visited Indiana earlier this month and was also in attendance for Indiana’s season-opening football game against North Texas.

Indiana’s 2027 class currently includes 4-star point guard Chase Branham and international center Felix Kiehlneker. The 2028 class remains empty for now, but DeVries has a real opportunity to change that soon.

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