IU football 2026 preseason position previews: Wide Receivers

Photos from IU football's 27-21 win against Miami (FL) in the CFP national championship game.

Welcome to “IU football 2026 preseason position previews,” a series that will break down the depth chart and production potential of Indiana’s roster ahead of the 2026 season.

Next up: Wide Receivers

Previously: Specialists, Cornerbacks, Safeties, Linebackers, Defensive Tackles, Defensive Ends, Offensive Tackles, Interior Offensive Linemen, Tight Ends, Running Backs

Personnel

Returners: Charlie Becker, Tyler Morris, Lebron Bond, Davion Chandler, Cade Kaiser, Jackson Wasserstrom, Myles Kendrick, Bruno Massel IV, Hunter Stroud

Departures via transfer portal: Makai Jackson (Liberty), Ace Ciongoli (Florida)

Departures via graduation/NFL Draft/Out of eligibility: Omar Cooper Jr., Elijah Sarratt, EJ Williams Jr., Jonathan Brady

Arrivals via transfer portal: Nick Marsh (Michigan State), Shazz Preston (Tulane)

Incoming freshmen: Kortez Rupert, Lavar Keys

What is different in 2026?

Indiana lost four wideouts from the 2025 squad that were either drafted by an NFL team or signed as an undrafted free agent.

Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. became one of the best wide receiver duos in college football last season. Both earned All-America honors and combined for 134 catches for 1767 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Cooper Jr. was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the New York Jets. Sarratt was drafted in the fifth round by the Baltimore Ravens.

EJ Williams made 36 catches for 438 yards and six touchdowns and Jonathan Brady added 14 receptions for 133 yards and four touchdowns. Both signed undrafted free agent deals with the Raiders and joined Fernando Mendoza in Las Vegas.

Indiana needs to replace the majority of its production in 2026. It will be hard to replace one of the best wide receiver rooms in the country, but the Hoosiers have the potential to do so with up-and-coming returners and a strong portal class.

The starting candidates

Charlie Becker (Junior, 6-foot-4, 207 pounds)

In 2025, Becker went from a bench piece who few people knew about to becoming one of the best receivers in college football.

In the first nine games of the season, Becker only made nine catches. Then, Sarratt went down with a hamstring injury. In Becker’s first start, he made seven catches for 118 yards against Penn State to help Indiana pull off a thrilling victory.

He never slowed down.

Becker started every game the rest of the season, finishing with a tally of 34 catches for 679 yards and four touchdown passes. Without him, Indiana would not have made the postseason run it did in 2025.

Expectations are high, deservedly so, for Becker ahead of the 2026 season. With Sarratt and Cooper Jr. out the door, more pressure will be on him to produce. He will be a starter, a focal point of the offense and a fan favorite.

Nick Marsh (Junior, 6-foot-3, 213 pounds)

It is rare to find players like Marsh available in the portal. Indiana made sure to take advantage.

Marsh produced right away at Michigan State. He appeared in 11 games with eight starts as a true freshman in 2024 and racked up 41 catches for 649 yards and three touchdowns.

He started all 12 games for the Spartans in 2025 and had multiple receptions in every game. He made 59 catches for 662 yards and six touchdowns in his sophomore season. It was enough to earn an All-Big Ten honorable mention nod.

In two career games against Indiana, Marsh has made 12 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Marsh was ranked No. 14 overall in the transfer portal and No. 5 at wide receiver. He is expected to start and star with the Hoosiers in 2026.

Shazz Preston (Redshirt senior, 6-feet, 205 pounds)

Indiana will be the third school for Preston after choosing the Hoosiers in the transfer portal. He began his career at Alabama, appearing in only 10 games across two seasons before transferring to Tulane. He saw action in 21 games over two seasons with the Green Wave, with 2025 being the most productive year of his career.

Preston appeared in all 14 games for Tulane in 2025, starting in 13. He had a catch in every game and at least two catches in the final 12 games of the season. He finished the season with 43 catches for 723 yards and four touchdowns. His best performance came in the College Football Playoff against Ole Miss, where he made five catches for 125 yards. It was the first 100-yard game of his college career.

Preston has everything Cignetti likes in a player. He has production and experience at the highest level. Indiana will look to get that consistently out of him in 2026.

Tyler Morris (Redshirt senior, 5-foot-11, 186 pounds)

While it may not seem like it, Morris enters his second season with the Hoosiers in 2026. He missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL, but did begin practicing during Indiana’s playoff run.

He appeared in 34 games with 14 starts over three seasons at Michigan with 39 career receptions for 470 yards and three touchdowns. He has also returned 15 punts in his college career and will be Indiana’s likely punt returner for 2026.

In the spring game, Morris produced an unofficial line of four receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown was a 75-yarder from Grant Wilson. The general expectation is for Morris to start in the slot role for 2026.

He will have to earn the spot in camp, but he appears to be headed in that direction.

Depth pieces

Davion Chandler (Sophomore, 5-foot-11, 181 pounds)

Chandler follows in the footsteps of Lawrence North High School receivers who played at Indiana. He only had one catch in 2025 – a 65-yard catch-and-run touchdown to cap off Indiana’s blowout at Purdue. Chandler appeared in seven games and has earned the coaching staff’s admiration. As a speedy, versatile weapon who can play both inside and outside, Chandler poses a threat to step in at any given time and produce.

Lebron Bond (Sophomore, 5-foot-9, 175 pounds)

Bond appeared in 13 games in 2025 and made five receptions for 49 yards. Three of his five catches came in the nonconference slate during the first three weeks of the season. While his role may have decreased, he still saw playing time as a true freshman. That is hard to come by for wideouts playing in a Cignetti system. He will be a guy to keep an eye on as a top depth piece in 2026.

Myles Kendrick (Redshirt freshman, 6-feet, 190 pounds)

Kendrick was a three-star recruit in the 2025 class from Riverside High School in Jacksonville, Florida. He was a standout in the 2025 spring game, but missed time with an injury shortly after. He redshirted the season in 2025 and did not play.

Jackson Wasserstrom (Redshirt senior, 5-foot-11, 177 pounds)

Wasserstrom, a Westfield, Indiana native, joined the program as a walk-on in 2022 and has built a nice career for himself at Indiana. In 2025, he appeared in seven games and caught two passes. He appeared in one game in each of the prior two seasons. As a gradual, but continual riser in the depth chart, Wasserstrom is potentially in line to see more time on the field in blowouts and on special teams.

The incoming freshmen

Lavar Keys (Freshman, 5-foot-9, 165 pounds)

Keys was not always going to be a Hoosier. He had originally committed to Penn State, but flipped his commitment after James Franklin was fired in Happy Valley. He was a three-star recruit in the 2026 class from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Kortez Rupert (Freshman, 5-foot-11, 163 pounds)

Rupert was a consensus three-star recruit in the 2026 class from East St. Louis High School in Illinois. He earned Illinois High School Football Coaches Association first-team All-State in Class 6A in 2025 with 30 receptions for 679 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.

The walk-on’s

Cade Kaiser (Redshirt freshman, 6-foot-5, 214)

Kaiser walked on to the program and did not see action in 2025 after redshirting. An injury forced him to miss his senior season at Batesville High School in Batesville, Indiana.

Bruno Massel IV (Redshirt freshman, 5-foot-11, 196 pounds)

Massel IV, a former high school quarterback, joined the program as a walk-on in 2025. He redshirted the 2025 season and did not see action.

Hunter Stroud (Redshirt freshman, 6-feet, 183 pounds)

Stroud joined the program as a walk-on in 2025 and did not see action after redshirting. He owns the career receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns records at Martinsville High School, 30 minutes from campus.