Hoosiers Win Recruiting Battle for RB Dajon Talley-Rhodes

The Indiana Hoosiers beat out Boston College, Penn State and Washington for the three-star running back out of Washington, D.C.

May 24, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers football head coach Curt Cignetti waves before the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Indiana Hoosiers are catching fire on the recruiting trail as Curt Cignetti's squad received its second commitment of Wednesday when three-star running back Dajon Talley-Rhodes pulled the trigger for the Hoosiers.

Rhodes, out of St. John's College HS in Washington, D.C., is rated as the number one prospect in the area by 247Sports Composite rankings and held offers from 21 total schools. Talley-Rhodes took an official visit to Bloomington last weekend (May 31) and had one lined up with Wisconsin for June 5th.

BREAKING: Four-Star RB Da’Jon Talley-Rhodes has Committed to Indiana, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’1 205 RB chose the Hoosiers over Penn State and Boston College

“I’M HOME BABY!!!”https://t.co/6yJFgVW4e4 pic.twitter.com/kxORaW8ddm

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 3, 2026

Indiana beat out Penn State, Washington and Wisconsin for Talley-Rhodes, who moved up his original official visit date with the Hoosiers ahead of his commitment date.

What Rhodes Brings to the Running Back Room

Rhodes has prototypical size for a running back at 5'10.5" and 210 pounds. He is a powerful runner who can bowl over defenders. He also has the footwork, agility and speed to bounce runs to the outside for big gains.

Indiana's running back room is getting crowded. All five scholarship players could return in 2027 if Lee Bebee Jr. gets a medical hardship waiver. If nobody leaves for the NFL or enters the transfer portal, it would likely mean that this is the only running back IU will take in the 2027 class.

With the bottleneck at the position, the path to playing time will likely include a redshirt year as the Hoosiers try to balance out the roster. Beebe is a redshirt senior, but could potentially receive a year of eligibility back with a waiver. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard is just a junior, while Khobe Martin is a redshirt sophomore.

Indiana brought in one running back in each of the last two recruiting cycles with Sean Cuono (RS freshman) and Jayreon Campbell (true freshman).

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Where Does Indiana's 2027 High School Recruiting Class Stand?

The Hoosiers' current class stands at 11 members with the addition of Talley-Rhodes. It rates 35th nationally according to 247Sports team composite rankings as of publishing.

Meanwhile, Rivals puts the Indiana recruiting class at 29th in its team rankings for this cycle.

Indiana is expected to have a high school class with 18 members and still have irons in the fire with several high-level prospects, such as five-star Monshun Sales and Jalen Brewster.