BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football’s roster for 2026 has a greater recruiting profile than it did last year, but it hasn’t really closed the gap with Ohio State.
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The No. 4 Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) will host the No. 5 Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday in one of the most anticipated matchups of the season.
In the rematch of last year’s Big Ten title game, Indiana will have more 4-stars on the field (four) along with more top 100 recruits (two) and fewer unranked players (three down from eight) than last year, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
CategoryIndiana (2025)Ohio State (2025)Indiana (2026)Ohio State (2026)5-stars03064-stars216414Top 100 recruits1102112-stars or below9130
Despite those gains, there still is a huge disparity between IU’s roster and Ohio State’s. For every 5-star player the Buckeyes lost from last season, two popped up in their place. They lost 12 starters from last season (nine on defense) but replaced them with blue-chip prospects across the board.
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Ohio State only has one starter who ranked outside the top 1,000 overall recruits coming out of their respective high school class — Indiana has six — versus 15 starters who ranked inside the top 200, while IU has just two.
Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the recruiting rankings:
PositionIndiana (Year)Rating (National rank)Ohio State (Year)Rating (National rank)CornerbackJaylen Bell (2023)3-starts (No. 1,039)Jermaine Mathews Jr. (2023)4-stars (No. 47)CornerbackJamari Sharpe (2022)3-stars (No. 826)Devin Sanchez (2025)5-stars (No. 8)SafetyPreston Zachman (2020)3-stars (1,310)Earl Little Jr. (2022)4-stars (No. 106)SafetyAmare Ferrell (2022)3-stars (No. 578)Jay Timmons (2026)5-stars (No. 25)SafetyByron Baldwin Jr. (2025)4-stars (No. 258)Jaylen McClain (2024)4-stars (No. 375)
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.