IU football’s depth chart becoming clearer at key positions as fall camp continues

IU football fall camp.

Indiana has a wealth of depth on the 2026 roster at most position groups. While fall camp is about sharpening skills and installing plays, it is also an opportunity to solidify the depth chart.

Curt Cignetti made the depth chart a bit clearer for a few positions throughout fall camp and during his Monday press conference.

Offensive line

The five players to start along the offensive line have been relatively consistent since spring camp: Carter Smith, Drew Evans, Bray Lynch, Joe Brunner and Adedamola Ajani. Where they will be playing along the line has started to get sorted out during fall camp.

Smith was the only solidified piece at left tackle. The others have been tested and moved around.

Ajani, who saw time at right guard and right tackle last year, will likely stick at right guard.

“I think he feels a little bit more comfortable there and he played better at guard than at tackle when he went in the games last year,” Curt Cignetti said.

That bounces Brunner, a former guard at Wisconsin, out to right tackle.

The center position was the other big question mark heading into camp. That question has likely been answered.

“Bray (Lynch) has taken 90 percent of the reps with the ones at center. And (Drew) Evans has played left guard,” Cignetti said during his Monday press conference. “We probably work four or five different guys at the center position because you can’t get a play off if you can’t snap the ball. But Bray’s done a really nice job and Drew’s been playing left guard.”

It may change as camp rolls on, but Smith, Evans, Lynch, Ajani and Brunner have been, and likely will be, the offensive line left to right.

Cignetti also noted Austin Leibfried, Matt Marek, Baylor Wilkin and Sam Simpson as the young depth pieces that are next in line to fill in when needed.

Wide receivers

Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker are the clear No. 1 and No. 2 wideouts for the Hoosiers. Both are expected to be All-Big Ten, if not All-America caliber players. It does not take much thought to consider them the top options. Underneath them in the depth chart, the thinking and evaluation have taken some more time to solidify who is next.

“I think Davion (Chandler) has made good progress here recently. He’s got a lot of talent, can play inside and outside. Tyler Morris certainly had his moments, can play inside and outside. After that, we’ve got to figure it out,” Cignetti said.

Along with Lebron Bond and Jackson Wasserstrom, Shazz Preston has a chance to be a key reserve for the Hoosiers. Cignetti is looking for him to become more consistent and clean up his errors.

“Shazz Preston has talent, but he’s gotta be locked in assignment-wise and do the right thing, play in and play out. He can help us if he can do that,” Cignetti said. “He missed the first three or four practices with a hip and has gotten on the field recently. He’s made some nice plays, but we’ve got to eliminate kind of MA’s (missed assignments) with him.”

Indiana’s wide receiver room is filled with talent. Fall camp has led the coaching staff closer to putting that talent in the right roles to succeed.

Becker, Marsh, Morris and Chandler are the current top-four in Cignetti’s eyes.

Linebackers

Much like the receivers, Indiana has unquestioned starters at its two linebacker spots: Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy.

Indiana has a mixture of young players and veterans that can fill the backup linebacker positions. The veterans, Kaiden Turner and Jeff Utzinger, are the likely candidates for the No. 3 and No. 4 spots.

“(They bring) experience, they know what to do, have played before. They’re good special teams players as well,” Cignetti said. “It’s a competitive situation in terms of the third fourth and fifth linebacker right now. And of course in two tight ends, we’d like to play three linebackers. Kellan Wyatt could figure in that mix as a linebacker against 12 personnel. But that’s speculation as he hasn’t been out there yet in 11-on-11.”

Wyatt played linebacker at Maryland before transferring to Indiana last season. While he did play off the edge a season ago, he is a player to keep an eye on for potential position switches and role changes.

The depth at linebacker is a work in progress. Expect Turner and Utzinger as the top depth pieces. Wyatt and true freshmen Jacob Savage and Henry Ohlinger have also been mentioned as potential fits.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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