Projecting Indiana’s 2026-27 Starting Lineup After Aiden Sherrell’s Commitment

In the 2025-26 season, Indiana didn’t have many luxuries. Pure bucket-getters – and two of them in Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries – were perhaps the only ones the Hoosiers had.

But there was a lack of size, athleticism, and, put plainly, an insurmountable overall talent disparity most nights Darian DeVries’ club stepped foot on the floor for a Big Ten game.

Indiana just didn’t have enough firepower. Wilkerson and DeVries could only carry the Hoosiers so far – and not even to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

What Indiana’s 2026-27 Starting Five Looks Like After Adding Aiden Sherrell

Although it’s too early to say Indiana should be a lock for the Big Dance next year, it’s safe to say DeVries certainly won’t have a talent problem on his hands.

Perhaps his biggest problem – and it’s a quite welcome one – will be finding the perfect combination of players and the ideal rotation. We’ll take our best crack at it here, after the Hoosiers landed another massive piece in Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell.

Projecting Indiana’s 2025-26 lineup after Aiden Sherrell addition

NEWS: Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell, one of the top bigs in the portal, has committed to Indiana, a source told @On3.

The 6-10 sophomore averaged 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game this season. Former McDonald’s All-American.https://t.co/egOWxcwhnh https://t.co/TNdCLmC3Bb pic.twitter.com/f2X8mXKaQn
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 15, 2026

Point guard: Markus Burton

This one is a flat-out no-brainer. Markus Burton, a Notre Dame transfer who led the ACC in scoring back in 2024-25, will be Indiana’s go-to creator and serve as the driving force for the Hoosiers.

Shooting guard: Jaeden Mustaf

Another transfer in the backcourt, Jaeden Mustaf provides slashing ability, along with athleticism and size (6-foot-6), the latter combination of which pays dividends on the boards and speaks to defensive upside.

Small forward: Darren Harris

Although Darren Harris never entirely carved out his niche at Duke, he made one thing abundantly clear: he can shoot the ball wherever he plays. Harris would provide the Hoosiers a much-needed floor-spacer, fitting well alongside the downhill-oriented duo of Burton and Mustaf.

Power forward: Aiden Sherrell

Another surefire starter, Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell is going to be Indiana’s premier presence on the interior. He can be a play-finisher or knock down triples while he’s a defensive menace.

Center: Samet Yigitoglu

To finish out our all-transfer starting five, Samet Yigitoglu, who comes to Bloomington by way of SMU, claims the five spot. At 7-foot-2, he’s a glass-cleaner, solid shot-blocker and a post-up threat.

With five transfer portal finds thus far, each of whom happens to play a unique position, it appears as though DeVries has hand-picked his starting lineup out of the portal.

But there is a notable caveat: both incoming freshmen Vaughan Karvala and Trevor Manhertz are capable of competing for the starting small forward role.

Neither screams immediate Big Ten starter – both are more lauded for their upside – but it’s possible one of the two puts together a spectacular summer and fall to claim a starting role.

As for Burton, Mustaf, Sherrell and Yigitoglu, all four were high-major starters this past season, and Burton and Yigitoglu have combined to start all but one game in their careers. Proven products in power conferences, each of those four will almost certainly start for the Hoosiers next year.

In line for the sixth-man role is soon-to-be sophomore forward Trent Sisley, who averaged 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds as a freshman.

The numbers didn’t quite reflect it, but Sisley is a high-level shooter with an all-around versatile game on both ends, and he figures to likely be the first Hoosier off the bench on most nights next year.

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