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.
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), according to 247Sports composite rankings.
| Category | Indiana (2025) | Ohio State (2025) | Indiana (2026) | Ohio State (2026) |
| 5-stars | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 4-stars | 2 | 16 | 4 | 14 |
| Top 100 recruits | 1 | 10 | 2 | 11 |
| 2-stars or below | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Despite those gains, there still remains a huge disparity between IU's roster when compared to Ohio State. For every 5-star player the Buckeyes lost from last season, two popped in their place. They lost 12 starters from last season (nine on defense), but replaced them with blue-chip prospects across the board.
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:
Indiana football's quarterbacks vs. Ohio State
| Position | Indiana (Year) | Rating (National rank) | Ohio State (Year) | Rating (National rank) |
| Quarterback | Josh Hoover (2022) | 3-stars (No. 709) | Julian Sayin (2024) | 5-stars (No. 6) |
Indiana football's skill positions vs. Ohio State
| Position | Indiana (Year) | Rating (National rank) | Ohio State (Year) | Rating (National rank) |
| Wide receiver | Charlie Becker (2024) | 3-stars (No. 977) | Devin McCuin (2023) | 3-stars (No. 922) |
| Wide receiver | Nick Marsh (2024) | 4-stars (No. 176) | Jeremiah Smith (2024) | 5-stars (No. 1) |
| Wide receiver | Shazz Preston (2022) | 4-stars (No. 56) | Brandon Inniss (2023) | 4-stars (No. 38) |
| Running back | Turbo Richard (2024) | 3-stars (No. 1,421) | Bo Jackson (2025) | 4-stars (No. 161) |
| Tight end | Trevor Gibbs (2026) | 3-stars (No. 586) | Nate Robers (2025) | 4-stars (No. 203) |
Indiana football's offensive line vs Ohio State
| Position | Indiana (Year) | Rating (National rank) | Ohio State (Year) | Rating (National rank) |
| Left tackle | 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) |
| Center | Bray Lynch (2022) | 3-stars (No. 1,033) | Carson Hinzman (2022) | 4-stars (No. 177) |
| Right guard | Joe Brunner (2022) | 4-stars (No. 85) | Gabe VanSickle (2024) | 4-stars (No. 283) |
| Right tackle | Ajani Adedamola (2024) | 3-stars (No. 947) | Austin Siereveld (2023) | 4-stars (No. 302) |
Indiana football's defensive line vs. Ohio State
| Position | Indiana (Year) | Rating (National rank) | Ohio State (Year) | Rating (National rank) |
| Defensive tackle | Mario Landino (2024) | 3-stars (No. 2,398) | Eddrick Houston (2024) | 5-stars (No. 26) |
| Defensive tackle | Tyrique Tucker (2022) | 0-stars (N/A) | John Walker (2023) | 4-stars (No. 96) |
| Defensive end | Tobi Osunsanmi (2022) | 3-stars (No. 872) | Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (2022) | 4-stars (No. 60) |
| Defensive end | Stephen Daley (2022) | 3-stars (No. 1,987) | Qua Russaw (2023) | 5-stars (No. 35) |
Indiana football's linebackers vs. Ohio State
| Position | Indiana (Year) | Rating (National rank) | Ohio State (Year) | Rating (National 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 football's secondary vs. Ohio State
| Position | Indiana (Year) | Rating (National rank) | Ohio State (Year) | Rating (National 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) |
| Safety | Preston Zachman (2020) | 3-stars (1,310) | Earl Little Jr. (2022) | 4-stars (No. 106) |
| Safety | Amare Ferrell (2022) | 3-stars (No. 578) | Jay Timmons (2026) | 5-stars (No. 25) |
| Safety | 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-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: How IU football's 2026 starters stack up vs Ohio State? What the star rankings say