IU football 2026 preseason position previews: Interior Offensive Linemen

IU offensive lineman Drew Evans.

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: Interior Offensive Linemen

Previously: Specialists, Cornerbacks, Safeties, Linebackers, Defensive Tackles, Defensive Ends, Offensive Tackles

Personnel

Returners: Bray Lynch, Drew Evans, Evan Parker, Matt Marek, Austin Leibfried, Chance Johnson

Departures via transfer portal: None

Departures via graduation/NFL Draft/Out of eligibility: Pat Coogan, Jack Greer

Arrivals via transfer portal: Joe Brunner (Wisconsin)

Incoming freshmen: Sam Simpson, CJ Scifres

What is different in 2026?

Indiana’s roster movement on the interior offensive line is unlike most other positions in 2026. One major loss has forced a shift, rather than a direct replacement.

The Hoosiers’ 2025 center, Pat Coogan, is off to the NFL after being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round.

He started all 16 games and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors by the conference media panel and third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches. He also earned Rose Bowl Game offensive MVP honors as captain of the offensive line.

When Indiana was at its healthiest, Drew Evans and Bray Lynch lined up next to him. Evans held down the left guard spot and Lynch starred as the right guard.

Evans and Lynch both return, but are joined by incoming transfer Joe Brunner from Wisconsin. Three guards are in the room. One will have to play center. That is the issue Indiana needs to figure out.

Three projected starters, no solidified positions

Drew Evans (Redshirt senior, 6-foot-4, 307 pounds)

Evans enters his fourth season with the Hoosiers after transferring from Wisconsin all the way back in 2023.

He did not see any game action in his first season with the Hoosiers under Tom Allen. That changed in 2024. Evans started nine games at either guard spot before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 11 of the 2024 campaign. In 2025, he started 12 games, missing Weeks 10, 11, 12 and 14 with an injury.

When healthy, Evans is one of the best guards in college football. PFF ranks him the No. 9 returning guard nationally. The left guard spot is his to lose.

Bray Lynch (Redshirt senior, 6-foot-5, 298 pounds)

Lynch has played in 38 games with 29 starts, all at Indiana. He was recruited as an offensive tackle by Tom Allen, but has shifted to the inside. As part of that transition, Lynch has occasionally practiced at center. He may be the leading candidate to fill Coogan’s role.

When Coogan’s helmet came off in the Peach Bowl and he had to miss a snap, Lynch filled in at center. It is not a sure-fire giveaway that he is the replacement, but it is an indication that he is a strong contender.

If Lynch is not the center, he will likely go back to his right guard spot, where he started all 16 games in 2025.

Joe Brunner (Redshirt senior, 6-foot-7, 313 pounds)

Brunner is the lone transfer into the room in 2026. He started 12 games in each of the last two seasons at left guard for Wisconsin. In 2025, he posted PFF pass blocking grades above 80 in four-straight games against Ohio State, Oregon, Washington and Indiana.

He has made 39 total appearances in his college career and comes to Indiana as one of the more highly-touted and experienced guards in the transfer portal. He was rated the No. 86 overall transfer and the No. 3 interior offensive line transfer in the 2026 portal class by 247Sports.

Brunner is an unlikely candidate to play center for the Hoosiers, but do not count him out.

The depth

Austin Leibfried (Redshirt sophomore, 6-foot-6, 300 pounds)

Leibfried has appeared in 13 games across the last two seasons for Indiana. He has the flexibility to play inside and at tackle along the line. He appeared in nine games last season and was one of the top depth options along the line.

While he may not have a starting role waiting for him, Leibfried can be a solid plug-and-play sub for Indiana.

Matt Marek (Redshirt freshman, 6-foot-3, 300 pounds)

Marek was a three-star recruit in the 2025 class from Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Illinois. He played in four games last season, the maximum to preserve his redshirt.

Evan Parker (Redshirt freshman, 6-foot-4, 299 pounds)

Parker was a three-star recruit in the 2025 class from Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana. He has not appeared in game action.

Sam Simpson (Freshman, 6-foot-3, 304 pounds)

Simpson was a three-star recruit in the 2026 class from River Falls High School in River Falls, Wisconsin. He was the No. 4-rated recruit in the state of Wisconsin and a top-70 offensive lineman by 247Sports and Rivals/On3.

CJ Scifres (Freshman, 6-foot-5, 312 pounds)

Scifres was a three-star recruit in the 2026 class out of Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Indiana. He was rated the No. 18 prospect in Indiana by 247Sports.

Chance Johnson (Redshirt freshman, 6-foot-5, 307 pounds)

Johnson joined the program as a walk-on in 2025 after playing his high school ball at Jeffersonville High School in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Predicted depth chart

Left guard

• Drew Evans
• Austin Leibfried
• Sam Simpson

Center

• Bray Lynch
• Matt Marek

Right Guard

• Joe Brunner
• Evan Parker
• CJ Scifres

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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