A Peek at the IUFB 2026 Roster

2026 is set to be an awkward year, as Indiana prepares to wind down its portal hauls and begin leaning on its grassroots evaluation and development.

Every year in mid- to late-July, the roster for the following season begins to come into focus a bit, and, according to the current scholarship chart, Indiana will be walking a tightrope when constructing its 2026 roster — inching closer to a day when it can wind down its portal hauls and begin leaning on its grassroots evaluation and development.

I recommend having the Scholarship Chart open (see the tabs for years at the bottom) as you read this edition of BSB.

One of my primary concerns with Indiana’s 2025 roster is its depth, which I’ll expand on in a later newsletter, but that concern, as it stands, becomes even greater when considering the 2026 roster.

On expiring eligibility alone, the Hoosiers are expected to lose 26 scholarship players – 28 with Fernando Mendoza and D’Angelo Ponds appearing in early 2026 NFL mock drafts. The four Phil Steele Preseason All-Americans (Aiden Fisher, Mikail Kamara, D’Angelo Ponds, and Elijah Sarratt) most likely won’t be back for 2026. Only two expected 2025 starters on the offensive line are expected back in 2026 too.

Currently, according to those expectations outlined above and the expiration of COVID eligibility, Indiana will have just 20 returning players who aren’t freshmen in 2025. Going into the 2024 season, Indiana was expecting 26 non-freshmen to return for this 2025 season – and, like I noted, has some depth concerns in various areas.

Additionally, by my estimation, Indiana will return just 7 starters in 2026 – 6 if we exclude kicker Nico Radicic.

Below is the 2026 scholarship chart before the 2026 class is fully finished and assuming all current true freshmen redshirt:

These are not alarmist points, by any means. They’re just meant to show three things: 1.) how Indiana’s new staff has approached finding longevity with its roster, 2.) one of the final consequences of the “roster crisis” Curt Cignetti inherited, and 3.) how Indiana might approach the 2026 offseason.

Let’s break down those ideas…