Countdown to 2026 Indiana Football 28 Days – Khobie Martin

We slowly inch closer to Indiana kicking off against North Texas in the Hoosiers’ season opener on September 5th. As we run our countdown each day at Hoosier Huddle, we now line up at day 28, where we highlight Khobie Martin.

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 204 lbs

Hometown: Fishers, Indiana

High School: Fishers

Class: Redshirt Sophomore

Position: Running Back

Khobie Martin is, without hyperbole, my personal favorite player on this Hoosiers squad and has – I believe – one of the highest ceilings on the team in general. He enters year three in Bloomington after redshirting in 2024 and making a strong impact in 2025, accounting for 505 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on 6.5 yards per carry.

Martin now enters the 2026 season vying for starting snaps in a crowded and talented running back room with Martin, Lee Beebe Jr., and Turbo Richard leading the way for the Hoosiers behind an incredible offensive line. All three running backs should feast and all three will likely split carries in some way, but I personally believe Martin will win out as the top dog of the running back room.

Martin is incredibly talented, but was somehow under-recruited coming out of high school. He was rated as a three-star recruit per 247 Sports Composite Rankings and received offers from Indiana, Miami (OH), Ball State, Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, and Illinois State. Martin, of course, decided to enroll at the soon to be National Champion Indiana University and I am sure he isn’t regretting his decision one bit.

As Indiana strives to repeat as National Champions, Martin will play a huge role in the offense. Now with another year under his belt, I can easily envision a breakout season for the hometown Indiana running back. I predict him exceeding his 505 rushing yards from last season and hitting four-figure yardage with 8+ touchdowns. Martin is a tank and could easily be one of the best running backs of the Cignetti era when it’s all said and done. Be on the lookout for #28 all season long; it could be a big one, folks.

Also, check out this video of Martin taking some reps earlier this year:

Thanks to iuhoosiers.com for the biographical and accolade information used in this article.

Stay locked in with Hoosier Huddle as we continue to march on with the Countdown to Kickoff for Indiana Football each day!