On Sunday, Indiana offensive lineman Bray Lynch, announced his intention to return to the Hoosiers for the 2026 season. The Austin, Texas native started all 16 games at right guard for the Hoosiers this season.
Lynch announced his return on X, marking another key piece of the offensive line to return for next season. The announcement of his return comes just two days after Indiana left tackle Carter Smith, did the same.
After the departure of center, Pat Coogan, Lynch is a candidate to slide over to fill that void next year. The Hoosiers have added guard Joe Brunner from Wisconsin, who comes to Bloomington with 24 career starts, and has the potential to replace Lynch if this were the case.
In total, Lynch has played in four seasons with the Hoosiers. After redshirting in 2022, Lynch appeared in five games in 2023, before starting all games at right guard for the Hoosiers in 2024 and 2025. The guard was one of the holdovers from the previous regime under Tom Allen.
Lynch’s versatility and durability should bode well for Indiana’s new-look offensive line in 2026, as the Hoosiers look to build off of their recent National Championship. After the offensive line was named a finalist for the Joe Moore award in 2025, they retain another key piece in Lynch for the 2026 season.