Indiana spent the last few months trying to make a real run at one of its own, but the Hoosiers came up short in the chase for Jason Gardner Jr.
Gardner, a 6-1 point guard from Fishers High School, announced Monday afternoon on the CBS Sports YouTube channel that he is headed to Auburn. His finalists were Indiana, Auburn, DePaul, Stanford and Florida, but the local pull wasn’t enough to keep the top-65 recruit in state.
For Darian DeVries, the miss stings a little more because Gardner had been one of the biggest names Indiana was pursuing on the 2027 trail. The Hoosiers have still put together some encouraging work in recruiting, including a strong transfer portal class and a promising freshman group, and DeVries has already landed commitments from 2027 guard Chase Branham and international center Felix Kiehlneker. But Gardner was a chance to add a major in-state win, and that didn’t happen.
According to 247Sports, Gardner is the No. 5 player in Indiana and the No. 67 overall prospect in the 2027 class. He’s also ranked as the No. 15 point guard in the country.
Indiana stayed involved all the way to the end, but the buzz around the race never really tilted toward the Hoosiers. On3 had Indiana at less than 5% to land him as recently as last week, and Gardner’s official visit to Auburn earlier this month signaled where things were headed.
He then moved quickly to set his commitment date.
Gardner now joins an Auburn program that is coming off an NIT Championship last season.
For Indiana fans, this was another familiar letdown on the in-state recruiting front. The Hoosiers have watched several high-profile players leave the state in recent years, including Gary Harris, Trey Lyles, Braylon Mullins and Kyle Guy, among others.
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Indiana May Have Avoided A Bigger Problem Before Rutgers
Indiana got encouraging news on the injury front coming out of its win over Northwestern, with both Turbo Richard and Rolijah Hardy expected to be available for Saturday nights primetime matchup at Rutgers. Curt Cignetti said the running back and linebacker, each of whom exited the game with injuries, are considered day-to-day, which is a welcome development for a Hoosiers team trying to keep its momentum rolling.
Richard left with a lower leg and ankle issue, while Hardy came out after a tackle attempt, and both absences would have thinned two important spots on the roster at a busy stretch of the schedule. For Indiana, the timing matters just as much as the names, because avoiding a deeper injury setback before a road trip can make a real difference in how comfortable a team feels heading into a game like this. [Read more 🡒]
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For a program trying to stay in the national spotlight, the debate is hard to miss. Indiana has drawn criticism over the strength of its schedule and the way some of its games against lesser opponents have stayed closer than expected, which has raised questions about how much of the respect in the rankings comes from current play and how much comes from reputation. Even with the high placement, the real test is still ahead, and the Hoosiers now have to prove the number beside their name is more than a nod to what they did before. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Turned Indianas Win Into A Warning Before Rutgers
Indianas narrow win over Northwestern left Curt Cignetti with more concern than satisfaction, even with another result in the standings column. The Hoosiers survived a game filled with critical mistakes and defensive lapses, and Cignetti made it clear afterward that the performance did not meet the standard he wants his team to carry forward.
Rutgers now looms as a tougher test, and the timing gives Indiana little room to linger on the shortcomings from last weekend. With a strong offense and a home crowd waiting, the Scarlet Knights figure to challenge the Hoosiers in ways Northwestern was able to expose, which is why Cignettis warning felt less like postgame frustration and more like an early message for the week ahead. [Read more 🡒]