Indiana football has a pair of familiar names popping up on preseason award watch lists, with center candidate Bray Lynch in the mix for the Rimington Trophy and kicker Nico Radicic on the Lou Groza Award list.
Lynch, who is projected to be IU’s starting center in 2026, was included among the 40 centers on the preseason watch list for the award that goes to the nation’s top center. It’s a notable nod for a player who has not regularly played the position in college outside of occasional spot duty.
Still, Lynch brings two seasons of starting experience at right guard, and that stretch has come on a team that went 27-2 over those two years. He is also expected to become IU’s third straight starting center to only begin playing the position during his college career.
Radicic’s place on the Groza watch list makes plenty of sense after his 2025 season. The kicker made 18 of 19 field goals during Indiana’s national championship run and shared the national lead with a 94.7% success rate.
For his college career, he has connected on 29 of 31 field goals, a .935 clip, and he has not missed an extra point. He is one of 35 kickers on the preseason list.
Indiana also picked up more recognition from Sporting News, which is one of the five official selectors for All-American honors. The outlet named linebacker Rolijah Hardy and offensive tackle Carter Smith preseason First Team All-Americans, while wide receiver Charlie Becker landed on the second team.
Sporting News also placed Fernando Mendoza on its 2020s All-Decade Team.
One interesting wrinkle: Sporting News was the only selector that did not make Mendoza a First Team All-American in 2025. Instead, it gave that spot to Diego Pavia.
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 🡒]
Indiana Just Got A Late Roster Boost Fans Will Want To See
A court ruling on NCAA eligibility has given Indiana a late jolt of roster clarity, and it comes at a useful time with fall camp opening for football and the rest of the athletic calendar already moving full speed ahead. The ripple effect reaches both major programs, with IU basketball also adding transfers Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu as the Hoosiers continue to reshape the look of the roster.
For football, the ruling matters because it gives the program another layer of long-term stability heading into the upcoming season and beyond. With IU volleyball also making the rounds at Big Ten media day, it has been a busy stretch across the department, but this latest development is the one that could pay off most down the line if the added eligibility turns into real continuity for a team still sorting out its future pieces. [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 🡒]