Indiana picked up a pair of major football returns and a surprise basketball boost after a court ruling that again shifted the eligibility landscape in the Hoosiers’ favor.
Sam Alexis said he is coming back to IU for the 2026-27 season, giving the basketball roster an answer at a position of need. Alexis had been among the players seeking another year after the 2022 high school class was not grandfathered into the NCAA’s new five-season framework with no more appeals or redshirts.
A judge ruled that the eligibility changes had to take effect immediately, opening the door for Alexis and others to play in 2026-27. Alexis then made clear he will use that chance at Indiana, which had an open scholarship.
That matters because IU already has two frontcourt transfers on the way in Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu. Those additions help settle the starting group, but the Hoosiers still needed another big body behind them.
Alexis, who averaged 8.8 points per game last season, was pushed into a larger role than expected because Indiana lacked options at center. In a backup role, he gives the Hoosiers the depth they were missing.
He also becomes the second scholarship player returning from the 2025-2026 roster, alongside rising sophomore Trent Sisley.
The same ruling also helped Indiana football, where defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt announced they are returning for the 2026 season. Both were key pieces of IU’s success last fall, and their decision gives an already strong defense another lift.
Beyond those eligibility developments, Indiana basketball is staring at a Big Ten landscape that looks very different across the conference. Most league teams are dealing with major roster turnover, but IU has a bit of an edge thanks to the chemistry it built during competition at the FISU American Games in Peru. The Hoosiers also spent time this summer taking stock of where things stand.
On the football side, fall camp is underway as Indiana begins the next stage of preparation for a season that comes with big expectations. The Hoosiers are once again projected to sit near the top of the Big Ten and among the better teams in college football. With the season opener approaching next month, the program has already opened practice and held media availability.
Elsewhere around IU athletics, volleyball took part in Big Ten Media Day and had its television schedule announced as the season draws near. Men’s soccer announced a sponsorship with IU Credit Union, opened preseason, and revealed its TV schedule.
Women’s soccer announced new titles for all three assistant coaches and had three players honored by the Big Ten. Men’s and women’s golf released their schedules for the coming year.
Water polo is set to return to the CWPA conference in 2028 after spending time in the MPSF. IU athletics also announced a sponsorship agreement with Merchants Bank.
The Back Home Network also had multiple shows on the air this week.
In Other News...
Former Hoosiers Are Suddenly Facing Big NFL Camp Stakes
At the start of NFL training camp, 27 former Hoosiers were scattered across league rosters and fighting for the kind of opportunities that can define a summer. For Indiana fans, it is the sort of snapshot that keeps the programs pro pipeline in view, with players in all sorts of camp roles: Fernando Mendoza getting work with the Raiders, Riley Nowakowski sitting as the only fullback on the Steelers depth chart and Zach Horton finding himself back with Detroit after a teammates injury created another opening.
The early days have not been especially clean for everyone, either. Kaelon Black and DAngelo Ponds have already missed practice time, which is the sort of setback that can tighten the margins when rosters are still taking shape and every rep matters. For a group of Hoosiers trying to turn camp invitations into something more permanent, the next few days will tell plenty about who is holding ground and who still has work to do. [Read more 🡒]
Rolijah Hardy Has Become Indianas Defensive Standard Bearer
Rolijah Hardy enters the season as the clear defensive centerpiece for Indiana, and the accolades reflect how far he has come. The junior linebacker led the Hoosiers in tackles and sacks last season, and his name keeps popping up on preseason All-American and All-Big Ten lists, a sign that outside evaluators see him as more than just a productive returning starter. With Aiden Fisher gone, Indiana will lean harder on Hardy and Isaiah Jones to help set the tone for a defense that now needs new voices as much as new production.
Hardys value has been about more than chasing ball carriers. He has shown the kind of versatility that gives a defense flexibility, from a pick-six in the 2024 spring game to coverage plays that stood out during the previous season. The question for Indiana is no longer whether Hardy can make impact plays. It is how much more he can carry when the Hoosiers ask him to become the standard everyone else is measured against. [Read more 🡒]