Indiana’s preseason hardware keeps stacking up, and this time the Associated Press put four Hoosiers on its 2026 preseason All-America teams.
The biggest headliners were on the first team. Fifth-year offensive tackle Carter Smith and third-year linebacker Rolijah Hardy each landed first-team honors, giving Indiana two selections on the AP’s top unit. That’s second-most in the Big Ten, trailing only Oregon, which had three.
Smith’s spot comes with plenty of weight behind it. The reigning Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year is set for his fourth straight season as Indiana’s starting left tackle.
At 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds, he has opened 41 straight games at the position dating to his redshirt freshman season in 2023. He was also a finalist for the Outland Trophy in 2025 and earned consensus All-American recognition.
Hardy’s rise has been just as impressive. The Lakeland, Fla., native led the Hoosiers in total tackles with 102 and sacks with 8 last season as a true sophomore, while starting all 16 games and picking up second-team All-Big Ten honors. He finished top-10 in the Big Ten in total tackles, sacks and tackles for loss, with 15.5 behind the line.
Indiana also placed a pair of players on the second team: third-year receiver Charlie Becker and fifth-year defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker.
Becker didn’t record a catch as a true freshman in 2024, but he broke through last season with 34 receptions for 679 yards and four touchdowns. The Nashville, Tenn., native led the Big Ten with 20.0 yards per catch and is widely projected as a first-round NFL Draft prospect in 2027.
Tucker’s path has been different, but the production has been undeniable. A former unranked recruit who walked on at James Madison, he is back for his fifth and final season at Indiana after posting career highs in 2025 with 40 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks and two pass breakups. The 6-foot, 307-pound tackle started all 16 games and was named to the Associated Press All-America First Team as well as first-team All-Big Ten by both the media and coaches.
The AP’s full preseason All-America teams also included Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, Texas edge Colin Simmons, Georgia safety KJ Bolden and a long list of other nationally recognized names on both sides of the ball.
In Other News...
Indiana Football Just Reached A Level Memorial Stadium Has Rarely Seen
Indiana football is on the verge of doing something Memorial Stadium has not seen in generations. Indiana University is expected to sell out all eight home games in 2026, and the schools official ticket site already shows no remaining tickets available. The significance goes beyond a hot ticket market, because this would be the programs first full season sellout since 1969, even with the stadium carrying more capacity than it did back then.
For a fan base that has spent years waiting for football at Indiana to feel different, the timing is hard to miss. The Hoosiers also enter that season with a 15-game home winning streak, the longest in the country, which has helped turn Bloomington into one of the more difficult places to visit in college football. The only real question now is how much further this surge can stretch once those stands are full from opening day through the final home date. [Read more 🡒]
Former Hoosiers Put Friendship On Hold For An NFL Showdown
Fernando Mendoza and Aiden Fisher spent their Indiana days as teammates and friends, and now they are walking into the same NFL exhibition season on opposite sidelines. Mendoza, a quarterback with the Raiders, and Fisher, a linebacker with the Texans, both made positive first impressions in Week 1, which only adds a little more intrigue to a matchup that will be watched closely by Hoosiers fans looking to track where those college relationships end up once the pads go on for real.
For Indiana followers, it is part of a broader run of updates worth noting. Kaelon Black has returned to 49ers practice, Kurtis Rourkes injury status remains a storyline to monitor, and Cam Jones has re-signed with the Chiefs. But the most immediate spotlight belongs to two former Hoosiers who know each other well, even if their usual conversation will have to wait until after the game. [Read more 🡒]
Paul Finebaum Just Gave Indiana Fans A New Reason To Push Back
Indianas perfect 2025 run ended with its first national championship under Curt Cignetti, but the Hoosiers are still finding out that winning the whole thing does not guarantee universal respect. Even after going 16-0, they opened the 2026 preseason AP Poll at No. 6, a placement that reflects both the challenge of replacing Fernando Mendoza and the reality that the rest of the country is not ready to hand them the benefit of the doubt just yet.
Paul Finebaum added to that debate by questioning Indianas nonconference slate while pointing to the grind that awaits in the Big Ten. For Hoosiers fans, it is another reminder that the defending champs will spend all season trying to prove last year was no fluke, and the ranking discussion may linger until they start stacking wins against the kind of opponents that shape the playoff picture. [Read more 🡒]