Indiana football is among the finalists for Messiah Mickens, a 4-star running back in the class of 2026 out of Harrisburg High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who was previously committed to Penn State.
Mickens will decide between Indiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett. He reopened his recruitment after the Nittany Lions parted ways with longtime head coach James Franklin following a disappointing start to the season and only officially decommitted when announcing his top three.
Virginia Tech, Franklin’s new program as of this week, is not listed among his three finalists.
He’s ranked as the 17th highest-rated running back and 228th highest-rated prospect overall in the class, per On3’s Rivals Industry Ranking. He has the build and playstyle Indiana typically looks for in the position under Curt Cignetti and running backs coach John Miller. The Hoosiers will have room in the backfield in the near future and Mickens would be a factor relatively quickly.
He is set to announce his decision on December 3.
