Countdown to 2026 Indiana Football: 18 Days – Parker Elmore

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 18, where we highlight Parker Elmore.

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 239 lbs

Hometown: Columbus, Indiana

High School: Columbus North

Class: Freshman

Position: Tight End

Parker Elmore arrives in Bloomington in 2026 as a true freshman and joins a similarly youthful – but extremely talented – tight end room. Coming out of high school, the Indiana native was rated as a four-star recruit per 247 Sports Composite Rankings and was ranked 295th overall in his class. He received offers from the Hoosiers, Tennessee, Kent State, and Illinois State.

Now, something isn’t adding up. Why does Elmore rank strongly on recruiting websites, possess a prototypical frame for a tight end, and yet only receive four offers with only two of them being from power four schools? Well, Elmore sat out for two years of high school. His sophomore season was due to a knee injury, while his junior season was due to transfer rules. As such, schools had very little tape to work with when it came to Elmore.

However, that didn’t stop the Indiana coaching staff from keeping tabs with Elmore. Sure enough, Elmore blossomed during his senior season, logging 58 receptions for 927 yards and 13 touchdowns, vaulting him up recruiting rankings and general awareness across the country in the process. As fellow Hoosier Huddle contributor Jamie Jordan outlined in his 2026 tight end preview, Tennessee came in late trying to flip Elmore, but he held true to Hoosier Nation.

For the 2026 season, Elmore slots in outside of the top three on the Indiana tight end depth chart. It’s a deep and talented room projected to be led by (in order) Brock Schott, Andrew Barker, and Blake Thiry. After those three second year players, the next spots are completely up for grabs among the incoming freshmen – Elmore included. Elmore brings skill, size, talent, and athleticism to the all-important tight end position – especially in a Shanahan offense – and will look to make his mark likely in 2027.

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!