As the 2026 college football season approaches, Indiana’s offense is looking a lot different - and a lot more dangerous - than it did a year ago. Curt Cignetti has gone back to the transfer portal to rebuild after Fernando Mendoza, Omar Cooper Jr, Elijah Sarratt, Kaelon Black, Roman Hemby, and Riley Nowakowski moved on to the NFL, but the Hoosiers are hardly starting from scratch.
They’re bringing back important pieces, too, and that combination of fresh talent and familiar faces is why Indiana’s offense feels built to matter. Even so, the Hoosiers are still getting treated like a second-tier group in the national conversation.
On Tuesday, On3 released its rankings of the best offenses in college football for 2026, and Indiana landed at No. 9.
That also made the Hoosiers the fourth-best offense in the Big Ten, behind Oregon, Ohio State, and USC. For a team coming off a national title, that feels light.
The top of the list is hard to quibble with. Miami (FL), Oregon, Ohio State, and Texas make up a strong No. 1 through No. 4, and each has the kind of offensive firepower and coaching that can pile up points in a hurry.
But the group from No. 4 through No. 8 leaves more room for debate. USC, Ole Miss, LSU, and Notre Dame all have obvious talent, but they also come with real uncertainty.
Lincoln Riley’s USC teams have not consistently lived up to expectations. Ole Miss is heading into its first full season without Lane Kiffin since he arrived in Oxford in 2020.
Kiffin is now in Baton Rouge, where LSU’s offense is dealing with a major roster overhaul. And in South Bend, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price combined for more than 2,000 rushing yards last season, production Notre Dame now has to replace.
Indiana, meanwhile, has spent the offseason loading up.
Cignetti brought in quarterback Josh Hoover from TCU and receiver Nick Marsh, two of the most sought-after players in the portal. Hoover was one of the most coveted quarterbacks available, while Marsh was one of the most coveted wideouts to enter the market. Both should be major additions.
The portal class also includes receiver Shazz Preston from Tulane, running back Turbo Richard from Boston College, and interior offensive lineman Joe Brunner from Wisconsin. Preston could end up being one of the sneakiest names in the group if he starts drawing more attention alongside Becker and Marsh.
Richard adds a versatile threat who can impact the game as a runner and as a receiver. Brunner arrived with a strong reputation, as On3 ranked him the No. 2 interior offensive lineman in the portal.
Then there’s the return group, which gives Indiana real stability up front. Carter Smith, Drew Evans, Bray Lynch, and Adedamola Ajani are all back on the offensive line, and that continuity matters in a sport where rosters can turn over fast.
At receiver, Charlier Becker is already getting first-round NFL Draft buzz, which only adds to the sense that this unit has multiple ways to hurt defenses. Put all of that together in a Mike Shanahan-led system, and the ceiling gets loud in a hurry. Shanahan has become the best offensive coordinator in the country, and his work helped turn Fernando Mendoza into a Heisman Trophy winner.
That’s why Indiana’s No. 9 ranking feels too low. The Hoosiers have the talent, the continuity, and the coaching to be much more than a fringe top-10 offense.
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What makes that group stand out is how each one helped shift the ceiling of the program under different coaching regimes. Some became foundational pieces on offense, some turned into professional prospects, and some left behind records that still shape how Indiana measures success. The broader takeaway is clear enough, even if one part of the story is still unfolding: the Hoosiers have found more than a few recruiting hits that changed the conversation around what this program can be. [Read more 🡒]
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Sales is weighing a field of heavy hitters that includes Ohio State, Alabama, Texas and LSU, but Indianas presence in the race has already turned heads around the program. For a team still trying to change the way elite prospects view Bloomington, the possibility of landing a player of this caliber would mark a major step forward, and the final answer could say a lot about how far Cignettis recruiting reach has already come. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Just Reached A New Level Of National Spotlight
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The appearance is another sign of how far Cignettis profile has climbed in a short time, with his success drawing attention from outside the usual college football circles. He has already done other media and promotional work tied to the achievement, and this latest project adds another layer to a story that keeps expanding as Indianas title season continues to resonate. [Read more 🡒]