Fall camp is over, and Indiana is heading into Week 1 with a few players whose arrows are clearly pointing up. Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers open the new season Saturday against North Texas, and the depth chart battles from August have started to settle in favor of some familiar names and one newcomer who looks ready to make a real impact.
Up front, Indiana appears set to lean on a mix of experience and a little reshuffling. Adedamola Ajani has spent fall camp at right guard, and that spot looks like his to lose.
At Big Ten Media Days, Cignetti laid out an offensive line projection that included LT Carter Smith, LG Drew Evans, C Bray Lynch, RG Ajani, and RT Joe Brunner. Every one of those projected starters is a fifth-year senior except Ajani, the redshirt sophomore, but the age gap has not slowed him down.
He already showed last season that he can move around when needed, starting at both guard spots and even logging 46 snaps at right tackle in the CFP National Championship Game against Miami (FL). Cignetti made it clear in July that the guard spot fits him better.
"I think he feels a little more comfortable there," Cignetti said at Big Ten Media Days on July 30. "And he played better at guard than tackle last year when he went into games."
That’s the lane Ajani has stayed in all camp, and it points toward a starting role.
Bray Lynch is another piece of the line whose role has shifted, but his importance hasn’t. He has been around Indiana since 2022 and was a major part of last season’s national title run, starting all 16 games at right guard.
This year, though, he slides over to center and takes over for Pat Coogan. Drew Evans filled in there during spring while Lynch was dealing with an injury, but fall camp made the picture clearer: Lynch is the center now, and Evans is moving to left guard.
For Indiana, Lynch brings more than just a position change. He brings familiarity with the system and the kind of veteran steadiness that matters in the middle of the line.
The backfield is where the buzz really starts to build. Khobie Martin was third on the depth chart last season behind Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black, but he still made a real mark, finishing with 505 yards and 6 touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
Hemby and Black are now off to the NFL, and Martin is in line for a much bigger workload. ESPN has already pegged him as the first name on its list of potential breakout players in 2026, and it’s not hard to see why.
He had four games with at least 50 rushing yards and two 100-yard outings despite never getting more than 12 carries in a game. Martin also says he has taken a more dedicated approach to his diet and training, which has him feeling better than ever.
With more touches coming, the ceiling looks much higher than it did a year ago.
On defense, Tobi Osunsanmi arrives with a chance to become one of Indiana’s most disruptive players. He spent four seasons at Kansas State and was on track for a career year in 2025 before a season-ending injury cut things short after six games.
Even in that limited sample, he flashed big-time production: 6.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. At 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, Osunsanmi brings a rare blend of speed, athleticism and strength, and he is expected to be one of Indiana’s starting defensive linemen at EDGE.
If he carries that Kansas State form into Bloomington, defensive coordinator Bryant Haines may have a difference-maker on his hands.
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