Big Ten media days week has brought the usual preseason guessing game, and Indiana is right in the middle of it.
After a 16-0 national championship season, the Hoosiers were picked to finish third in the league in both the Cleveland.com and USA Today preseason predictions for the 2026 Big Ten standings. That’s the kind of result Curt Cignetti probably won’t mind seeing. IU’s coach has made it clear he’s always hunting for an edge and always looking for a chip on his shoulder.
The Cleveland.com poll, which included 31 voters, slotted Ohio State first with 15 first-place votes, followed by Oregon with 11 and Indiana with five. USC, Michigan, Penn State, Washington, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, UCLA, Northwestern, Maryland, Michigan State, Rutgers and Purdue rounded out the order.
Indiana also showed up in the individual awards voting. Quarterback Josh Hoover finished fifth in Big Ten player of the year voting, while running back Turbo Richard and offensive tackle Carter Smith also received votes.
On the defensive side, the Hoosiers had a strong showing as well. Defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker finished sixth in the voting, and linebacker Rolijah Hardy, cornerback Jamari Sharpe, safety Amare Ferrell and linebacker Isaiah Jones all got votes. Hardy was the one IU player to land the Big Ten defensive player of the year nod in the Cleveland.com results.
USA Today’s network poll, voted on by 16 writers, matched the same top three: Ohio State with 11 first-place votes, Oregon with five, and Indiana third. USC, Michigan, Penn State, Washington, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, UCLA, Wisconsin, Maryland, Northwestern, Rutgers, Michigan State and Purdue followed.
The USA Today voters went a step further with the individual honors. They named Hardy the Big Ten defensive player of the year and Hoover the newcomer of the year.
Indiana also placed a long list of players on the USA Today First Team All-Big Ten: wide receiver Charlie Becker, offensive tackle Carter Smith, defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker, linebacker Rolijah Hardy, linebacker Isaiah Jones, safety Amare Ferrell and kicker Nico Radicic.
The rest of the preseason recognition spread around the league included Nick Marsh, offensive linemen Drew Evans and Joe Brunner, defensive lineman Mario Landino and defensive back Jamari Sharpe.
The preseason honors didn’t stop there. The Athletic also released its preseason All-Big Ten teams, putting Becker, Smith, Tucker, Hardy, Jones and Radicic on the first team. Marsh, Ferrell and Mario Landino were listed on the second team, while Sharpe landed on the third team.
In Other News...
Indiana Suddenly Has A Player In College Footballs Biggest Money Talk
The latest reminder of how fast college football money has changed comes from a place that would have sounded impossible not long ago: a player in the Big Ten is now part of the sports biggest NIL conversation. With LeBron James taking a two-year, $8 million deal with the 76ers and several college stars projected to out-earn him this season, the market has moved into territory that once belonged only to pro contracts.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah sits at the top of the list at $6.5 million, with Oregons Dante Moore and Ohio States Jeremiah Smith both projected at $5 million. Indianas presence in that upper tier is a sign of how far the Hoosiers have come in the NIL era, and it adds another layer to a roster that now has real financial weight attached to its most important positions. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Lands 10 Preseason All-Big Ten Honors And National Respect
The preseason respect keeps piling up for Indiana, and The Athletics 2026 All-Big Ten teams offered another reminder of how far the rosters profile has risen. The Hoosiers landed 10 selections overall, third-most in the conference behind only Ohio State and Oregon, with first-team nods for Charlie Becker, Carter Smith, Tyrique Tucker, Rolijah Hardy, Isaiah Jones and Nico Radicic.
For a program trying to turn last seasons momentum into something lasting, that spread of recognition matters as much as any one headline name. Beckers emergence at receiver, Smiths return up front, the defensive punch from Tucker, Hardy and Jones, and Radicics reliability all point to a team that is drawing national notice before a snap is played, even if the bigger question is how all of those pieces fit once the games start counting again. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Defensive Transfer Haul Shows The Hoosiers New Standard
Indianas recent transfer haul says plenty about how the program is being built now, especially on defense. Preston Zachman arrives from Wisconsin with a chance to step into a major role at strong safety, Tobi Osunsanmi comes over from Kansas State as another edge presence, and A.J. Harris brings the kind of experience in the secondary that can raise the floor of a unit quickly. For a team trying to keep its momentum, those are not just depth additions. They are the kind of moves that signal a higher standard for who Indiana expects to land.
What makes the group stand out is how directly it addresses the parts of the roster that can swing a season. Zachman gives the Hoosiers a steadier back-end option, Osunsanmi adds pressure off the edge, and Harris offers another proven piece in coverage. Indiana has done well to build a class that looks ready to matter in 2026, and the bigger question now is how much of that talent can translate once the games start and the new pieces are asked to mesh right away. [Read more 🡒]