One missing piece is keeping On3’s Indiana quarterback-receiver ranking from fully capturing what the Hoosiers can be in 2026.
Josh Hoover and Nick Marsh landed at No. 7 on J.D. PicKell’s Top-10 QB/WR duos entering the season, and the buzz is understandable even before they’ve played a snap together at Indiana. Hoover brings real volume and production from TCU, while Marsh arrives with a résumé that already says he can be a featured target.
Hoover has logged 36 career games and 31 starts, piling up 9,629 yards and 79 total touchdowns at TCU. That gives him the most production of any returning college quarterback in the country, which is a big reason his name carries so much weight in these rankings.
Marsh, meanwhile, stood out in a rough Michigan State passing attack. Last season, he led the Spartans in catches with 59, receiving yards with 662, and receiving touchdowns with 6. He also showed a knack for creating yards after the catch, and with Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt off to the NFL, he looks set to become a central piece of Indiana’s receiver room.
Still, the ranking leaves out a major part of the story: Charlie Becker.
Becker may not have been the name on PicKell’s list, but he was the one Indiana fans saw operate in a Mike Shanahan-led offense, and the results were loud. He didn’t make his first start of the season until Indiana’s eighth game against UCLA, then quickly turned into one of the nation’s most dangerous receivers. Over Indiana’s final seven games, Becker put up 27 catches for 522 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he delivered key grabs throughout the Hoosiers’ run to a National Championship in the College Football Playoff.
That’s why the idea of Becker and Marsh together is so intriguing. Their games fit cleanly: Becker wins on one-on-one chances and back shoulder throws, while Marsh does damage after the catch. ESPN Research says Marsh forced 36 missed tackles on receptions last season, second in the country behind only Miami’s Malachi Toney, who had 39.
Earlier this offseason, ESPN ranked Becker and Marsh No. 4 and No. 5 among receivers in the country. Indiana was the only team with two players in the top five, and one of just two teams with multiple players in the top 10.
For Hoosier fans, that’s the real headline. Hoover and Marsh may be the duo getting the ranking buzz, but Becker and Marsh could end up being the more dangerous pairing in the offense.
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Mendoza has credited Indianas coaching staff and development plan for helping unlock that rise, along with the family ties that helped shape his thinking before he arrived. What makes the story stand out is how neatly it reflects what Indiana sold him on, because the payoff was never just about getting him on campus. It was about building him into the kind of player who could leave as a Heisman Trophy winner, a national champion, and the No. 1 pick. [Read more 🡒]