Countdown to 2026 Indiana Football- 85 Days Andrew Barker

The memories of IU’s unprecedented and historic unbeaten run to the National Championship are still fresh in our minds, but the work is just beginning for the 2026-2027 Indiana Hoosiers. As Curt Cignetti and his staff gear up for year number three in Bloomington and embark on a quest to become repeat champs, Hoosier Huddle’s Countdown to Kickoff rolls on!

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 250 pounds

Hometown: Kokomo, IN (Kokomo High School)

Class/Position: Redshirt Freshman/Tight End

No one really knew what to expect from the offense in Curt Cignetti’s first season in Bloomington but things went better than even the most optimistic fan could have anticipated and tight end Zach Horton emerged as a fan favorite for his timely receptions and exceptional blocking. Horton exhausted his eligibility and the tight end position appeared to be a gigantic question mark as the Hoosiers brought in a former linebacker from Wisconsin, plus a backup from Tennessee.

The latter was a solid addition, but the former was a revelation as Riley Nowakowski emerged with 32 receptions for 387 yards while blowing up defenders consistently. Both veterans are now gone and IU is left with five extremely young players at the position. Each has plenty of talent but precious little experience and this coaching staff seems unlikely to change course and begin playing more than one or two players for the bulk of snaps at this position. The competition will be fierce as freshmen and redshirt freshmen battle it out: Parker Elmore, Trevor Gibbs, Blake Thiry, Brock Schott and the focus of today’s profile piece, Andrew Barker.

Andrew Barker is a 250-pound redshirt freshman from Kokomo. He starred as a tight end at Kokomo High School and was a consensus three-star recruit. Barker made his collegiate debut against Kennesaw State but did not record any statistics and that proved to be his lone appearance during the 16-0 season. With a number of the other tight ends on the roster banged up during the spring, Barker appeared to surge to the top of the depth chart.

At least, that was the case during the Spring Game as he was running with the first team offense. Miami transfer Brock Schott is probably still the favorite to ultimately land the starting role but Barker is expected to get snaps and have a chance to prove himself worthy of targets from new quarterback Josh Hoover.

The countdown continues each day on Hoosier Huddle until IU kicks off the 2026 season against the North Texas Mean Green!