Indiana Basketball’s Stellar Portal Haul Has the Hoosiers Built to Win Now

After a disappointing first season in Bloomington for head coach Darian DeVries and with only one returning player and three incoming freshmen recruits to build around, the honeymoon period for IU's new head coach was officially over and pressure had begun to mount.

A little more than a week later, no one has had a better offseason than DeVries, and now the Indiana Hoosiers are well-positioned to push for a preseason top 25 ranking.

With one big push, the Hoosiers have a roster currently filled with players who all have multiple years of eligibility remaining. By nearly any measure, DeVries and new general manager Ryan Carr have done exceptional work.

Breaking Down Indiana’s Transfer Portal Additions and the 2026-27 Outlook

Proven High Major Additions

-Aiden Sherrell - 6'11"/255 pounds - PF from Alabama - 2 years left

-Bryce Lindsay - 6'3"/194 pounds - Combo Guard from Villanova - 2 years left

-Samet Yigitoglu - 7'2"/265 pounds - Center from SMU - 2 years left

-Markus Burton - 5'11"/166 pounds - Point Guard from Notre Dame - 2 years left

-Jaeden Mustaf - 6'5"/210 pounds - Wing from Georgia Tech - 2 years left

-Darren Harris - 6'6"/203 pounds - Wing from Duke - 2 years left

Hoosiers have money and a general manager in Ryan Carr. A good combo that has helped put together a team that should be able to take a major step forward.
Jeff Goodman of Field of 68

The Hoosiers have added five players who averaged double-figures in high-major conferences a season ago. The only exception to that rule is Darren Harris, a guard who played limited minutes as he sat behind multiple future NBA players at Duke.

Harris is a former four-star recruit who was a high-end perimeter shooter in high school, and the coaching staff is hoping he can rediscover that touch with increased playing time.

After loading up on mid-major transfers a season ago and often ending up overwhelmed against good teams, DeVries has nearly exclusively targeted major conference players, and Indiana will undoubtedly be more prepared this season to handle the rigors of Big Ten play.

In addition to pursuing players from high major programs, Darian DeVries made it clear that the Hoosiers needed to be bigger in the frontcourt.

That item on the shopping list has been emphatically checked off with the addition of massive 7'2" center Samet Yigitoglu and 6'11" forward/center Aiden Sherrell.

Sherrell was one of the top players in the portal, regardless of position, and both big men significantly increase the physicality, rim protection, and rebounding for IU's roster.

Finishing the Job

There are still three scholarship spots remaining, and Indiana still has a few needs to address. While Bryce Lindsay is very capable of giving Indiana some minutes at point guard, they do not have a second true point guard on the roster.

Unless they trust true freshman Prince Alexander-Moody to handle the backup point duties, IU will probably add an additional guard who can be a primary ball handler. Players like Budd Clark (Seton Hall) and Del Jones (Radford) have been linked with the Hoosiers in recent days.

One of the only concerns with the play of center Samet Yigitoglu is his propensity to get in foul trouble. The "Turkish Tower" was called for 4.5 fouls per 40 minutes.

Aiden Sherrell will almost certainly spend some time operating as a center, but the bulk of his minutes will come at power forward. That means the Hoosiers could use another big body, ideally a player who is capable of playing as a power forward or a center.

Finally, IU could use an infusion of athleticism at the wing position, and finding a defensively versatile forward that can push players like Trent Sisley, Jaeden Mustaf, and Darren Harris for minutes would be useful.

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