Curt Cignetti may be closing in on another major win for Indiana’s 2027 class, and the one that matters most could arrive Friday night.
Four-star running back Elijah Kimble is set to announce his commitment on Friday, July 3 at 6:30 p.m. ET, with Indiana among the four schools still in the mix. The Hoosiers are battling Syracuse, Ohio State and North Carolina for one of the country’s top tailback prospects, and a decision from Kimble would carry real weight for a class that already entered July ranked No. 29 nationally by Rivals.
Kimble, a Buffalo, N.Y., native, is listed by Rivals as the No. 1 player in New York and the No. 23 running back in the country. At 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, he’s taken official visits this spring to every school still in contention, and the race appears tight enough that recruiting services haven’t settled on a clear favorite.
The Rivals Industry Consensus currently gives Ohio State the best odds at 22.8 percent, with Indiana right behind at 19.9 percent. Syracuse sits at 13.5 percent and North Carolina at 8.8 percent, which only adds to the anticipation heading into the weekend.
Indiana’s pitch is obvious: Cignetti has already shown he can identify talent and put it in position to succeed. That was part of the formula behind Indiana’s National Championship-winning season last year, built around a roster loaded with overlooked recruits. Now, that success is giving the Hoosiers a stronger seat at the table with blue-chip prospects like Kimble.
The 2027 class already includes 16 commits, and six of them are blue-chip names. Rivals lists EDGE Myles Smith, linebacker Jalaythan Mayfield, offensive tackle Mason McDermott and defensive lineman Reinaldo Lopez as four-star prospects. ESPN recently bumped safety Brady Scott to a fourth star, while 247Sports did the same for wide receiver Branden Sharpe.
Running back remains a position of need in the class, with Indiana currently holding just one commit there in three-star Da’Jon Talley-Rhodes. That makes Kimble’s decision even more important for the Hoosiers as they try to keep the momentum rolling.
For Indiana fans, the wait ends Friday night. And if Kimble chooses the Hoosiers, it would be the kind of addition that changes the feel of the entire class.
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