With the 2026 Indiana football season rapidly approaching, we’re going through the Hoosiers’ roster with position by position previews as the program moves into a post-national title era.
We’ll be previewing the offense first this week with the defense following next week. Follow along!
Defensive line
Tackles
Tyrique Tucker – Sr
Other than Fernando Mendoza and Charlie Becker, perhaps no emergence was as critical to Indiana’s run to the national championship in 2025 as that of Tyrique Tucker.
Tucker came to Indiana as
one of several James Madison players to follow their coaching staff to Bloomington and logged a few starts in his second, and final, season with the Dukes in 2023. He became an extraordinarily valuable depth piece in 2024 before taking over as a starter in 2025. He was already really good in 2024. He became one of the best interior defensive linemen in the sport in 2025.
He totaled 38 tackles with six sacks this past season, playing about as well as he could in Bryant Haines’ manipulation-heavy defense. His return was massive for a defense that figures to be as good if not better than that 2025 unit. His five years give him as much of a wealth of on-field experience as any player could hope for.
He’s not the biggest lineman at 6’0”, 305 lbs, but I don’t think I need to tell you that it does not matter. Tucker, like several other defenders, knows how to play his position and his role within Haines system and, therefore, how to affect the game. He’s incredibly quick for his size and has shown an ability to out-finesse or overpower opposing offensive linemen.
Mario Landino – Jr
Landino, like Tucker, emerged as one of the most effective defensive linemen in the country last season for Indiana after making 12 appearances as a freshman in 2024.
Unlike Tucker, he has a bit more size on the interior at 6’4”, albeit at about 290 lbs. He helped terrorize opposing quarterbacks like Illinois’ Luke Altmyer, Oregon’s Dante Moore and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin as Indiana’s defensive line kept those offenses from getting comfortable.
Landino brings a good bit of power as a rusher, letting him push opposing guards and centers back to shrink the pocket. From there, he has a pretty keen awareness of where the quarterback is or where he could be going, tracking down several on scramble attempts throughout the 2025 season or making split-second plays to get a hand on said quarterback.
He could be even better in 2026 with a year of experience in the system under his belt.
Joe Hjelle – Sr (5)
Hjelle comes to Indiana from Tulsa and provides some necessary experienced depth on the interior.
His collegiate journey has taken him from Iowa Western Community College to Tulsa and onto Indiana. He appeared in 24 games over two seasons with the Golden Hurricane with 46 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2025. He also brings a tad more size to the room at 6’3,“ 305lbs.
Hjelle has seen quite a bit of football at multiple different levels and we’ve seen this staff succeed with that kind of player before. He gives Indiana that valuable experience as the room’s promising underclassmen core continues developing.
Note:
It’s telling to me that Indiana only added Hjelle as an interior defensive line transfer. The staff bolstered that spot to some degree ahead of 2025, but just about all of those guys are out the door. Indiana has emphasized the defensive line in recruiting and has a promising underclass group we’ll be getting to next. Only adding Hjelle tells me there’s a decent amount of faith in that group from the staff.
If the staff has faith in this group, so should you.
Kyler Garcia – S0
Garcia was a consensus 3-star prospect in the class of 2025 who redshirted his initial season in Bloomington, playing just one game in 2025 as a reserve against Indiana State.
He has good size on the interior at 6’4”, 298lbs, putting on significantly more weight than he had at the high school level, and could be in line for a larger role as depth this season. He was pretty hotly pursued as a recruit, with Purdue, Louisville, Wisconsin and Georgia, among others, extending offers his way.
He’ll have plenty of opportunities to prove as much during the non-conference slate when Indiana tends to tinker with those sorts of things.
Jhrevious Hall – So
Hall, like Garcia, redshirted the 2025 season as a freshman. He was a 3-star prospect in the class of 2025 who received interest from Auburn, Duke, Louisville, Ole Miss and Tennessee, among others.
He’s really bulked up in his first year, going from weighing in at 270 lbs at the high school level (per 247Sports) to 306 lbs entering this season, per the IU Athletics website. That’s at 6’2”, so he’s grown into college size during that first redshirt season.
Like Garcia, he’ll have the chance to show what he can do rela
Blake Smythe – Fr
I don’t anticipate much immediate contribution from Indiana’s true freshman class barring a development during the Hoosiers’ non-conference slate. Smythe is here because he was singled out by Landino as a member of the room who’s shown improvement this offseason.
Smythe weighed in at around 278lbs at the high school level, per 247, and the IU site lists him at 300lbs as of now, which is some strong offseason bulk. If he can be a factor, that’d be great, but Indiana’s room ahead of him should be enough to stay strong in 2026.
Moreso, he’s one to watch for the future.
Ends
This room is particularly interesting due to the turnover from 2025. Gone is the stalwart Mikail Kamara and, potentially if not likely, both of Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt. Indiana has a new group of top contributors heading into 2026 but there’s plenty of reason to believe the ends can remain productive.
Tobi Osunsanmi – Sr (5)
Osunsanmi comes to Indiana after spending his previous four seasons with Kansas State.
He was a starter for the Wildcats in 2025 after being a rotational piece in 2024, but missed the final six games of the 2025 season due to a season-ending injury he suffered in October. He was pretty productive in those six games he appeared in last season though, finishing with 2o tackles and four sacks.
He was one of the top defensive transfer options in the portal this past offseason and Indiana managed to land him. He fits the mold of previous Indiana defensive ends at 6’2”, 250lbs, with similar size to Kellan Wyatt from 2026.
He has all the tools to be productive and he’ll be in line to be the Hoosiers’ top pass rusher off the edge this season.
Chiddi Obiazor – Sr
Obiazor, like Osunsanmi, joins Indiana from Kansas State. He spent three seasons with the Wildcats and worked his way up the depth chart in each one, going from a strong rotational lineman in 2024 to a regular starter in 2025, finishing that season with 28 tackles and a pair of sacks.
He brings an imposing frame to the room at 6’5” and 280lbs, bigger than the defensive ends of yesteryear with the slight exception of Stephen Daley. That size should give him some versatility with the potential for some time on the inside, something Haines is no doubt excited to work with.
He probably won’t be Indiana’s No. 1 option off the edge, but gives Haines another piece to throw at and confuse opposing offenses.
Josh Burnham – Sr
Burnham comes to Indiana after spending four seasons at Notre Dame. He saw some pretty heavy usage in that time, being a factor in the Fighting Irish’s rotation along the line since 2023.
His size is more akin to Indiana’s usual defensive end mold at 6’4”, 260lbs. His numbers don’t jump off a stat sheet but make all the sense in the world for an experienced, rotational piece who will be part of the Hoosier attack immediately.
Indiana has worked well with experienced additions like Burnham before and saw what it was like to face him back in 2024. He’ll bring valuable experience and production to the rotation.
Daniel Ndukwe – Jr
Ndukwe made an impact in each of his first two seasons with Indiana, largely on special teams in 2024 before circumstances guided him into a larger role in 2025.
He had a considerably slighter frame than the usual end Indiana deploys, standing at 6’3” and weighing in at 244lbs. Nevertheless, he stepped up when Indiana needed him in 2025 with a pair of sacks against Oregon in the Peach Bowl while still contributing on special teams.
It’ll be interesting to see how he’s deployed in 2026. I fully expect him to remain stout on special teams, but I’m curious to see what Haines can get out of him on defense.
Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt* – Sr (5)
If they can regain their eligibility, Daley and Wyatt would be a huge boost to this group’s depth and turn it into the best line in the country, I believe. That’s a huge if. Daley’s 2025 production spoke for itself, especially in the biggest moments, while Wyatt gives the Hoosier defense some additional flexibility with the potential he brings at linebacker.
If they return, it’ll be huge. For now, it’s worth focusing on the guys who are eligible to play on Saturdays.
The Rest
Indiana’s further depth includes the likes of Quentin Clark, Tyrone Burrus Jr. and Keishaun Calhoun as returners from last season. Each saw scant, if any, time on the field, with the latter two redshirting.
Clark is undersized for what Indiana typically likes at end but could provide valuable snaps on special teams. Burrus Jr. is also a bit undersized and made his collegiate debut in the fourth quarter against Purdue. Calhoun is closer to the typical size the Hoosiers go for at 6’2”, 267lbs and could be in line for a depth role if he performs well early.
Kevontay Hugan, an incoming true freshman had a strange offseason, being removed from the online roster before being re-added this past spring. He was one of the highest rated prospects in Indiana’s 2025 signing class but could need a year in the program before showing out as a contributor.
Ronelle Johnson arrived at Indiana at the size Indiana tends to deploy at defensive end and has added more mass this offseason, standing at 6’2” and weighing in at 265lbs. He could see time on special teams as a freshman but, like Hugan, could need additional time before working his way into Indiana’s rotation on defense.
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- Improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
