I’m working under the assumption that IUFB is probably done in the portal and we’re nearly set with the current roster. I use this space to talk about the depth chart as I see it at this moment in time. Depth charts are extremely fluid, especially when practice starts so these are subject to change but the points I’m making, typically, are still what I believe even if I make a switch because until we get reports from live practices, I’m just guessing.
You can find the working Google Sheet here as well as checking the Hoosier Huddle message board where it is a pinned topic.
It’s updated with current class, weight, height, total scholarship, walk on’s and more. I recommend viewing on a desktop and not on Twitter or any “preview” type browser. It looks much better in almost any browser than the one Twitter has. Also, you can click on the players IU profile which I update as soon as players are given a page on the IU website.
Today I’m going to hit the running back position. IU currently has 37 scholarships on offense and nearly 24% of those scholarships are going to wide receivers (9).
IU’s wide receiver room for the ’26 season is absolutely loaded at the top and I believe they have four sure fire high usage guys, two guys who we haven’t seen a ton of but what we did see was exciting and then some talented young depth guys.
Let’s start with one of the biggest portal gets of the cycle for IU in Nick Marsh.
I have loved Marsh ever since he carved up IU as a true freshman in ’24. I had known about him just from watching other Michigan State games but the catches he made against IU were insane and gave MSU an early 10-0…MSU never scored again but Marsh caught 5 of 7 targets for 78 yards and a TD.
I’m probably more “online” than many reading this but Marsh reminds me of that meme of the Bugatti sitting in the drive way of a mobile home the way he was used at MSU. I was a fan of Jonathan Smith and I have no idea what happened after his really successful stint at Oregon State.
Marsh has all the tools to be elite. I’m giving him a pass last year for playing on sinking ship but he’s got to clean up his drops (10 in 159 career targets or 6% and 6 in ’25). To put that number in perspective, Omar Cooper, Elijah Sarratt and Charlie Becker (who I’ll talk about next) had just 6 drops *combined* in ’25 on 223 targets (2.7%). He also dropped his contested catch rate from ’24 to ’25 from 64% to 27%. It’s a small sample of 22 total (11 per season) but he has to bring those balls in for IU and I think he will.
But, even with the craziness surrounding MSU this year and musical chairs at QB, Marsh still managed 58 catches (on 97 targets or 60% catch rate) for 662 yards and 6 TD’s. He’s got to convert those targets at IU to reach his potential but the physical tools are there for him to do it at 6’3, 203.
Last thing on Marsh: Marsh finished with 28 missed tackles forced in 12 games in ’25, good for 3rd in the nation, one more than Omar Cooper who had his 27 in 16 games. Marsh is a beast with the ball in his hands.
Marsh needs to get back to the basics. He’s an elite, 1st round, level talent with elite after the catch skills but he needs to work on his contested catches and work on his separation skills. I think he and the next guy I’m going to talk about have dual 800+ yard potential.
Charlie Becker was a revelation for IU. He stayed with his IU commitment after Tom Allen was let go and immediately earned time on special teams that burned his redshirt in ’24.
But we saw why IU was willing to burn his redshirt in ’25 when he became arguably the go to WR in a room with multiple day 2 NFL draft prospect pass catchers in the room.
Becker finished IU’s title run catching 34 of 49 targets for 679 yards (20 ypc) and 4 TD’s.
Becker caught 13 of his 17 (77%) contested catch opportunities and finished 5th in the nation in yards per route run (y/rr) at 3.41, just .02 behind the best WR in college football, OSU’s Jeremiah Smith. He also finished 6th in the nation in aDOT (average depth of target) at 18.4 yards.
Becker is the best deep shot guy coming back in college football and, while new IU QB Josh Hoover doesn’t have a howitzer, he is the active career passing leading coming back and knows how to spin it. I think it will be a deadly combo to have Marsh on one side playing the back shoulder Sarratt role and Becker on the other playing the…well, playing the Charlie Becker role.
If everything goes to plan with both Becker and Marsh, this could be the last year we see them at IU.
Tyler Morris is the no doubt starter for me in the slot.
Losing Morris in Spring Practice in ’25 was a huge blow that IU remedied by adding Jonathan Brady. I’d say that worked out very well for both Brady and IU.
But, as good as Brady was in the return and passing game, Morris is much better athletically. That’s not to take away anything from Brady. I loved what he brought to the table but Morris was the 104th rated prospect in ’22 class and showed elite short area moves in his time at Michigan.
In his final season at Michigan, with all their QB turmoil, with 23 catches (on 37 targets – 63% catch rate) for 248 yards (10.8 ypc) and 2 TD’s.
Again, if you remember that Michigan team that IU held on to beat, they had Davis Warren as the starter, who seemed perpetually confused outside of “just get the ball to Colston Loveland“, and Jaylen Denegal who was a defacto RB playing QB. So I’m going to give Morris a pass since it’s almost impossible to carve out legitimate opportunities in that awful Michigan, run heavy offense.
We saw what IU could do with jitterbug type slot guys in ’24 when Ke’Shawn Williams and Myles Price combined for 77 catches for 914 yards (11.9 ypc) and 8 TD’s.
I envision Morris being a slight step up athletically from those two if he’s fully healed (and he was going through practice during the title run, so he seems well on track) and both of those guys are on NFL rosters.
I’m very excited about his prospects this spring and into the season…Just need him to stay healthy.
Shazz Preston is the only other IU WR we have actual previous data to draw from.
I currently have him backing up Charlie Becker but I think Preston will be used much like Omar Cooper was this year, both in the slot and outside.
Much like Morris, Preston was the 120th overall recruit in the ’22 class. He spent two years not playing at Alabama, then two at Tulane where he took off last year.
The 6’0, 199 finished ’25 with 43 catches (on 58 targets – 76% catch rate) for 743 yards (16.8 ypc ) and 4 TD’s. 29 of those 43 catches went for first downs. He’s a true big play receiver and had 4 games with completed passes of 57 yards or more.
I’m excited to see how IU uses him and think he’s only a back up if they’re running 11 personnel like they have in the past but that’s still a question mark given the youth at TE…but that’s for another preview.
I’m lumping Lebron Bond, Davion Chandler and (tentatively) Myles Kendrick into the next tier.
Bond and Chandler both burned redshirts last year and both looked both good and raw at the same time…which is to be expected.
Bond and Chandler also have bright futures and there isn’t really much to glean from their mostly garbage time minutes other than that they’re both super athletic, quick and look like they’re going to be contributors next season…And, to be honest, IU is going to need each of them to step up this spring and fall to make themselves contributors because IU isn’t going through the ’26 season with just 4 WR playing.
Chandler’s screen pass TD against Purdue showed his speed and quicks and seems like a guy who could be used in the slot or outside. Bond had 5 catches and seems like a pure slot type in the mold of Ke’Shawn Williams, Mitchell Paige or Shane Wynn (if you’re looking for IU comps).
Kendrick is a complete unknown because he’s played zero snaps, but ’26 might be a time when he gets a chance given that IU has really four guys who’ve play non garbage time minutes and you’d like to have 6+ who are ready to play. Kendrick is that “+” for now.
We’ve seen a little from Bond and Chandler, and what we saw was very encouraging. But we’ve seen nothing from Kendrick…I’ll be waiting for practice reports to see if it’s just Bond and Chandler in this tier or if Kendrick pushed himself into this tier…I’m hoping he did.
Kortez Rupert and Lavar Keys are both 3* HS prospects. Rupert will be on campus for Spring Practice and will surely have a leg up but Keys is rated higher of the two.
Regardless, I wouldn’t expect a ton from either this season unless there are major injury issues.