Indiana’s 2026 offseason turned into a full-scale roster reset, and Darian DeVries and his staff responded by working the portal hard. With nearly the entire 2025-26 group that still had eligibility headed out, the Hoosiers had little choice but to rebuild quickly. The result was a transfer haul that 247 Sports ranked No. 5 in the country.
That kind of turnover leaves plenty of talent on the table, but it also leaves a stack of questions. For Indiana, the next step isn’t just about collecting names. It’s about figuring out which new pieces can actually make the whole thing work.
Markus Burton is the headliner, and the biggest question around him is simple: can he finally lead a winning team? His scoring ability isn’t in doubt.
Burton is a true lead guard who can pile up points, set up teammates and, even at his size, make life difficult for opponents on defense. He was Notre Dame’s centerpiece from the moment he arrived in South Bend, but the results never followed.
The Fighting Irish never got close to .500, much less the NCAA Tournament.
At Indiana, Burton is expected to be the heartbeat again, only this time he’ll have more help around him. That should open things up for him as both a scorer and a playmaker.
Darren Harris brings a different kind of uncertainty. The Duke transfer has never played more than 9.7 minutes per game in a college season, so Indiana is betting on projection more than volume.
He’s hit 30.8 percent of his career threes, though that number comes with a tiny sample. The real issue is whether he can handle a bigger workload and still look like the sharpshooter he’s supposed to be.
Whether he comes off the bench or works his way into the starting five, the Hoosiers need something from him.
Bryce Lindsay adds another layer, especially on defense. If Indiana starts Burton and Lindsay together, the backcourt will be small.
Burton figures to take the toughest point guard assignments, and he has the track record to be a nuisance on the ball. That leaves Lindsay with the two-guard matchups, and some of those could come against bigger wings.
How well he survives those battles will matter a lot for Indiana’s defense.
Justin Monden may not be looking at a major role in the rotation, but that doesn’t mean he won’t matter. The senior lead guard has three years of college experience, and in a season like this, Indiana can use someone who helps organize things behind the scenes. His value may come less from minutes and more from acting as an extension of the staff.
Jaeden Mustaf is another player whose jumper will be under the microscope. Across two seasons at Georgia Tech, he averaged just 0.6 made threes per game, and his 72.2 percent free-throw shooting doesn’t exactly scream reliability from the perimeter.
Still, he brings real athletic pop and the ability to get downhill. If the shot comes around, the upside gets interesting fast.
He could have All-Big Ten upside.
Aiden Sherrell’s shooting is part of the same conversation, even if he’s coming from the frontcourt. His career 33.6 percent mark from deep is respectable for an interior big, but he has never averaged more than 0.8 threes in a season. Indiana’s frontcourt pairing of Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu should help on the glass and defensively, but it could also tighten the floor on offense if Sherrell isn’t a real threat from outside.
Yigitoglu’s issue is different. The SMU transfer is expected to do the dirty work: post touches, dump-off finishes, rebounding and rim protection.
The one area that has to improve is the line. His career free-throw percentage sits at 53.1 percent, and that won’t do.
If he’s going to be living at the stripe as much as Indiana expects, he has to cash in more often.
In Other News...
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 🡒]