Indiana Football WR Omar Cooper Jr. Declares for 2026 NFL Draft: What It Means

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football has officially lost its leading receiver to the next level.

Redshirt junior wideout Omar Cooper Jr. is foregoing his final year of eligibility and entering the 2026 NFL Draft, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Cooper is Indiana’s third underclassmen to declare for the draft, joining quarterback Fernando Mendoza and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds.

Across 16 games, Cooper led the Hoosiers with 69 catches for 937 yards to go along with 13 touchdown receptions, tied for the third-most in the FBS.

An Indianapolis native who attended Lawrence North High School, Cooper ended his time in Bloomington with 115 receptions for 1,798 yards and 22 receiving scores in 42 appearances. He also notched a pair of rushing touchdowns, including a 75-yard scamper in 2025.

Cooper is expected to be a Day 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which spans April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.

The 6-foot, 204-pound Cooper made one of the greatest catches in Indiana history — an acrobatic, leaping grab in the back of the end-zone to give the Hoosiers a 27-24 win over Penn State on Nov. 8 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti touted Cooper’s development earlier this season.

“I think Cooper, with another year of maturity, has just become more consistent,” Cignetti said Nov. 3. “There's still improvements to be made, like everybody else on the team. But he's an explosive player. He's good after the catch, hard to tackle. He just keeps getting better and better.

“I think it's all in front of him. I really do. I've seen a lot of growth in Omar, and I've always been really impressed with his upside since the first spring after I got to watch him a few times and saw his explosion and suddenness.”

Now, Cooper has the NFL in front of him.

What Cooper’s departure means for Indiana football

The Hoosiers will lose their top two receivers in Sarratt and Cooper, along with E.J. Williams Jr., but they should have plenty of weapons on the perimeter.

Charlie Becker, who rose to stardom during Indiana's run to the College Football Playoff National Championship, still has two years of eligibility remaining. Becker pairs with Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh to give the Hoosiers one of the best receiving duos in the nation.

Indiana will need to fill Cooper's void in the slot.

Becker played inside sparingly, but there are several other capable options, spearheaded by Tyler Morris, who transferred from Michigan to Indiana last offseason but suffered a torn ACL in late March and missed the entire season. Morris practiced during the Hoosiers' postseason push.

Morris aside, Indiana has Tulane transfer Shazz Preston and rising sophomores LeBron Bond and Davion Chandler as candidates to replace Cooper inside.