If you want to know why the Indiana Hoosiers are two wins away from completing one of college football\u2019s most improbable stories, ask their best player and the current face of the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongrats to all my teammates, my brothers. This is our trophy,\u201d Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza said through an ear-to-ear smile, moments after winning the award last month. \u201cI love you guys, more than you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mendoza and head coach Curt Cignetti get most of the public praise for steering the magic carpet Indiana\u2019s football team is riding. Rightly so, too. Mendoza\u2019s performance this season was absolutely Heisman-worthy<\/a>, and Cignetti\u2019s work in Bloomington has been among the best coaching jobs college football has seen in at least 50 years.<\/p>\n But the Hoosiers, maybe more than any other program right now, are a team. The depth of talent Cignetti and his coaching staff assembled this year was outstanding and ranged beyond its QB. We\u2019ll see that play out on NFL Draft weekend, too.<\/p>\n With that in mind, let\u2019s look at the most intriguing Indiana NFL prospects aside from Mendoza.<\/p>\n Carter Smith, OT<\/p>\n Mendoza won the Heisman, but those subsequent comments about it being a team award were both gracious and accurate, as the efficiency of Indiana\u2019s offensive line (both in the run game and protection) is really what makes Cignetti\u2019s attack soar. And Smith, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound fourth-year junior who signed with Indiana out of high school, is the most talented of the bunch.<\/p>\n A three-year starter (with another year of eligibility, if he wants it), Smith is a very smooth all-around athlete with quick hands, quick feet and enough explosion to be a force. A former high school volleyball player, Smith weighed around 280 pounds prior to college and still moves like a man that size. His anchor is a bit of a question mark, and his technique in the run game needs more consistency, but Smith has top-50 talent right now. We\u2019ll see if Indiana convinces him to stay.<\/p>\n Smith ranked No. 50, exactly, on Dane Brugler\u2019s midseason draft board<\/a>.<\/p>\n Omar Cooper Jr., WR<\/p>\n Another fourth-year junior, Cooper \u2014 like Carter Smith \u2014 was already on the roster when Cignetti took the job. He has exploded as a big-play weapon over the past two seasons.<\/p>\n Cooper is a bit small for his position, at 6 feet and 205 pounds, but he plays much bigger in the air, with ball-tracking skills that are hard to rattle. He can get to throws most guys his size can\u2019t, and he\u2019s even more dangerous in the open field.<\/p>\n Cooper has averaged better than 7 yards after catch over the past two seasons and forced a whopping 24 missed tackles this year, the fourth-highest number nationally. Indiana\u2019s receiver crew is extremely dynamic, but Cooper is my favorite prospect there. He has another year of eligibility, but he\u2019s pretty firmly a top-100 player on my board for this draft cycle.<\/p>\n D\u2019Angelo Ponds, CB<\/p>\n A third-year junior who followed Cignetti to Indiana from James Madison, the diminutive Ponds (5-9, 173) is one of the toughest pound-for-pound corners in America. He forced 15 incomplete passes over the last two seasons as a starting outside corner, with 13 pass breakups and four interceptions.<\/p>\n Ponds is an effortless mover with outstanding speed, but his mindset and competitiveness are probably his biggest assets in man coverage. He\u2019s limited physically and will not be a dynamic run fitter in the NFL, but he\u2019s going to give you all he has and won\u2019t miss many tackles. Ponds has slot skills, can hang outside and probably could even manage to give a defense some reps at safety. He reminds me of current Washington Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil and also could flirt with the top 100.<\/p>\n Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds has some similarities to Mike Sainristil \u2013 undersized at a position where size matters, but just a dang good player who will be a good pro.<\/p>\n Smart, tough, athletic.<\/p>\n \u2014 Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) December 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Aiden Fisher, LB<\/p>\n A fourth-year linebacker, Fisher also followed Cignetti from James Madison. He is a former high school running back with terrific speed and burst in coverage and an improved ability to run fit from the box. Twitchy enough to line up off the edge or run with a tight end in the slot, Fisher (6-1, 231) is a bit small but brings enough thump to be the type of linebacker who never has to leave the field.<\/p>\n Missed tackles have been a problem for him, as he has 48 for his career, but that number has decreased every year \u2014 he has 12 this season, a personal single-season low. Fisher also is known inside the Hoosiers program for his terrific attitude and the example he sets for others. He\u2019s perhaps a fringe Day 2, or high Day 3, prospect.<\/p>\n Elijah Sarratt, WR<\/p>\n Yet another James Madison transfer, Sarratt is not an overwhelming athlete and probably won\u2019t blow anyone away with testing numbers, but his ball skills and athletic balance in the air are as good as anyone in the class. Sarratt (6-2, 209) has made 51 contested catches as a college player.<\/p>\n He lacks ideal speed, but he is a twitchy player with plenty of explosion and power. Like Cooper, Sarratt is fearless over the middle and has been extremely dependable in basically any situation, both for Mendoza this year and Kurtis Rourke in 2024. Athletically, many will slot Sarratt as a Day 3 prospect, but his unique skill set could push him into Day 2. It only takes one team to fall in love, and Sarratt has some of the QB-friendly stuff teams often find hard to ignore.<\/p>\n Why Elijah Sarratt could be a top 100 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft@dpbrugler<\/a> | @davehelman_<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/zIOBAQM4gE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Athletic Football Show (@TA_FootballShow) October 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Pat Coogan, IOL<\/p>\n The Most Valuable Player of the Rose Bowl, and one of the most underrated transfer pickups for the 2025 season, Coogan has been worth his weight in gold at center for the Hoosiers. A Notre Dame transfer, Coogan started at left guard (2023) and center (2024) for the Irish, but he\u2019s currently enjoying the best season of his career.<\/p>\n A good-sized center interior lineman, Coogan (6-5, 311) isn\u2019t an elite athlete, but he plays with enough burst and power to make an impact in the run game. His football IQ sets him apart, though \u2014 Coogan\u2019s ability to keep the Hoosiers in the right play and proper protection has been a hallmark of the Indiana offense this season. Coogan probably was a UDFA (undrafted free agent) on most boards when the year began, but he\u2019s played like a high Day 3 prospect.<\/p>\n Roman Hemby, RB<\/p>\n A fifth-year senior who transferred in from Maryland ahead of the season, Hemby has had a career year as an explosive and decisive runner with good hands. He made only 14 catches for 160 yards this year, but has 127 career receptions for 1,101 yards.<\/p>\n Hemby is powerful enough between the tackles to be seen as a capable gap runner, and he\u2019s fast enough to the edge to be considered a serious option as a zone runner. The 6-foot, 208-pounder mostly translates as a No. 2 back in an NFL rotation, but he\u2019d be a potentially valuable one for a team that runs the ball a lot. Another Day 3 prospect.<\/p>\n 82 yards to the house for Roman Hemby \ud83d\ude24 @IndianaFootball<\/a> <\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa: NBC pic.twitter.com\/yzYqfTLCcl<\/a><\/p>\n