Omar Cooper Jr.’s first NFL season has hit a pause button almost immediately.
The Jets rookie receiver, who was one of Indiana’s biggest stars during last year’s National Championship run, is headed to Injured Reserve after suffering a sprained ankle last week, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. That move means Cooper will miss at least four games, with his earliest possible return coming in Week 6 against the Patriots.
Rapoport also reported that Cooper will be designated to return shortly, which points to a short-term absence rather than something more serious. For now, though, his rookie campaign is on hold.
Cooper arrived in the NFL with plenty of buzz after a monster final season at Indiana. He led the Hoosiers with 69 catches, 937 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, forming part of a loaded receiver group alongside Elijah Sarratt and Charlie Becker.
That production helped push him into the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Jets took him 30th overall in April. He and No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza became the first pair of Hoosier teammates ever selected in the first round of the same NFL Draft.
Before the injury, Cooper had already flashed a little of what made him such an intriguing prospect. In his NFL debut, he finished with just one catch, but it went for 30 yards and showed off the speed and wiggle that made him such a dangerous college weapon.
Indiana’s draft class has been making noise all over the league. The program set a record with eight players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, and 18 former Hoosiers ended up on 53-man rosters after training camp. Several of those rookies turned heads right away in Week 1, including Kaelon Black, who ran for 65 yards in the 49ers’ win over the Rams in Australia, and Kahlil Benson, who started at left tackle for Kansas City.
Benson’s start was a notable one on its own. He became the first UDFA to start for the Chiefs in Week 1 during the Andy Reid era since 2013, and he backed it up by not allowing a single pressure on 34 pass-blocking snaps in Kansas City’s 31-10 win over the Broncos.
In Other News...
Indianas Dominant Start Still Wasnt Enough In Latest AP Poll
Indiana kept rolling with a 38-0 win over Western Kentucky, giving the Hoosiers back-to-back shutouts and a 3-0 start to the 2026 season. The defense has been the headline early, and the latest result only added to the sense that Indiana has built real momentum in the opening month.
Still, the AP voters were not moved enough to keep the Hoosiers in place. Indiana slipped one spot to No. 5 after Ole Miss lopsided win over LSU pushed the Rebels ahead, even though the Hoosiers still received four first-place votes and remained No. 4 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. In a sport where perception can move almost as fast as results, Indiana is finding out that a dominant start does not always guarantee the same reward in the rankings. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Just Got Two Big Reasons To Eye Purdue
Indiana is suddenly carrying a little more momentum across the athletic department after a 38-0 football win over Western Kentucky gave the Hoosiers back-to-back shutouts. On top of that, the Big Ten released the 2026-27 mens and womens basketball conference schedules, giving fans another early look at the dates and matchups that will shape the next stretch of league play.
There is also more to watch on the recruiting front, where IU basketball picked up a commitment from 2027 prospect Felix Kiehlneker. Add in a pair of preseason projections that slot Indiana seventh in the Big Ten, and the season ahead already has a built-in edge as the Hoosiers look to prove they belong higher in the league picture. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana's Freshman Class Is Starting To Force Its Way Onto The Field
Indianas first-year class kept moving closer to the center of things in the Western Kentucky game, when three true freshmen-Trevor Gibbs, Blake Smythe and JaDyn Williams-saw their first snaps of the season. Their debut added to a growing pattern for the Hoosiers, who have now used 13 first-year players this fall and are finding more reasons to lean on youth as the season unfolds.
The snap counts and contributions from that group offered another glimpse at how quickly some of those newcomers are earning trust on both sides of the ball. It also left a useful question hanging for Indiana moving forward: which of the other first-year players who have yet to get into a game are the next ones ready to push their way into the rotation? [Read more 🡒]