Indiana men’s basketball landed its fourth commitment out of the transfer portal and first in the frontcourt on Tuesday afternoon when former SMU center Samet Yigitoglu pledged to join the Hoosiers for the 2026-27 season, per reporting from Jonathon Givony.
Yigitoglu has spent the first two seasons of his college career with the Mustangs, starting every single game he’s been available for, 66 out of 66. He’s originally from Istanbul in Turkey and spent time playing in Turkish league and representing
the country in international competition.
Yigitoglu averaged 10.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 62.8% from the field in 28.9 minutes per game for SMU in 2025-26. His eFG% and TS% both increased against higher level competition while his block percentage of 5.5 boosted to 5.6% in ACC play, ranking 9th in the conference.
Standing at 7’2” and weighing in at 270 lbs, Yigitolu gives Indiana the kind of size and physicality it was sorely lacking last season as Darian DeVries prioritizes it in the portal.
