BLOOMINGTON — s roster for 2026 has a better recruiting profile than it did final yr, but it surely hasn't actually closed the hole with Ohio State.
The No. 4 Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Huge Ten) will host the No. 5 Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0 Huge Ten) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday in one of the vital anticipated matchups of the season.
Within the rematch of final yr's Huge Ten title recreation, a may have extra 4-stars on the sector (4) together with extra high 100 recruits (two) and fewer unranked gamers (three down from eight) than final yr, in response to 247Sports composite rankings.
| Class | Indiana (2025) | Ohio State (2025) | Indiana (2026) | Ohio State (2026) |
| 5-stars | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 4-stars | 2 | 16 | 4 | 14 |
| High 100 recruits | 1 | 10 | 2 | 11 |
| 2-stars or beneath | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Regardless of these positive aspects, there nonetheless is a large disparity between IU's roster and Ohio State's. For each 5-star participant the Buckeyes misplaced from final season, two popped up of their place. They misplaced 12 starters from final season (9 on protection) however changed them with blue-chip prospects throughout the board.
Ohio State solely has one starter who ranked exterior the highest 1,000 total recruits popping out of their respective highschool class — Indiana has six — versus 15 starters who ranked inside the highest 200, whereas IU has simply two.
Right here's a position-by-position breakdown of the recruiting rankings:
Indiana soccer's quarterbacks vs. Ohio State
| Place | Indiana (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) | Ohio State (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) |
| Quarterback | Josh Hoover (2022) | 3-stars (No. 709) | Julian Sayin (2024) | 5-stars (No. 6) |
Indiana soccer's ability positions vs. Ohio State
| Place | Indiana (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) | Ohio State (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) |
| Vast receiver | Charlie Becker (2024) | 3-stars (No. 977) | Devin McCuin (2023) | 3-stars (No. 922) |
| Vast receiver | Nick Marsh (2024) | 4-stars (No. 176) | Jeremiah Smith (2024) | 5-stars (No. 1) |
| Vast receiver | Shazz Preston (2022) | 4-stars (No. 56) | Brandon Inniss (2023) | 4-stars (No. 38) |
| Working again | Turbo Richard (2024) | 3-stars (No. 1,421) | Bo Jackson (2025) | 4-stars (No. 161) |
| Tight finish | Trevor Gibbs (2026) | 3-stars (No. 586) | Nate Robers (2025) | 4-stars (No. 203) |
Indiana soccer's offensive line vs Ohio State
| Place | Indiana (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) | Ohio State (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) |
| Left sort out | Carter Smith (2022) | 3-stars (No. 730) | Ian Moore (2024) | 4-stars (No. 168) |
| Left guard | Drew Evans (2022) | 0-stars (N/A) | Luke Montgomery (2023) | 4-stars (No. 92) |
| Heart | Bray Lynch (2022) | 3-stars (No. 1,033) | Carson Hinzman (2022) | 4-stars (No. 177) |
| Proper guard | Joe Brunner (2022) | 4-stars (No. 85) | Gabe VanSickle (2024) | 4-stars (No. 283) |
| Proper sort out | Ajani Adedamola (2024) | 3-stars (No. 947) | Austin Siereveld (2023) | 4-stars (No. 302) |
Indiana soccer's line of defense vs. Ohio State
| Place | Indiana (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) | Ohio State (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) |
| Defensive sort out | Mario Landino (2024) | 3-stars (No. 2,398) | Eddrick Houston (2024) | 5-stars (No. 26) |
| Defensive sort out | Tyrique Tucker (2022) | 0-stars (N/A) | John Walker (2023) | 4-stars (No. 96) |
| Defensive finish | Tobi Osunsanmi (2022) | 3-stars (No. 872) | Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (2022) | 4-stars (No. 60) |
| Defensive finish | Stephen Daley (2022) | 3-stars (No. 1,987) | Qua Russaw (2023) | 5-stars (No. 35) |
Indiana soccer's linebackers vs. Ohio State
| Place | Indiana (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) | Ohio State (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) |
| Linebacker | Isaiah Jones (2022) | 3-stars (No. 997) | Payton Pierce (2024) | 4-stars (No. 204) |
| Linebacker | Rolijah Hardy (2023) | 0-stars (N/A) | Christian Alliegro (2023) | 3-stars (No. 1,271) |
Indiana soccer's secondary vs. Ohio State
| Place | Indiana (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) | Ohio State (Yr) | Score (Nationwide rank) |
| Cornerback | Jaylen Bell (2023) | 3-starts (No. 1,039) | Jermaine Mathews Jr. (2023) | 4-stars (No. 47) |
| Cornerback | Jamari Sharpe (2022) | 3-stars (No. 826) | Devin Sanchez (2025) | 5-stars (No. 8) |
| Security | Preston Zachman (2020) | 3-stars (1,310) | Earl Little Jr. (2022) | 4-stars (No. 106) |
| Security | Amare Ferrell (2022) | 3-stars (No. 578) | Jay Timmons (2026) | 5-stars (No. 25) |
| Security | Byron 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-Instances. You may comply with him on X ok and skim all his coveragee.
This text initially appeared on Indianapolis Star: h