3 Indiana Football Transfers Who Could Be X-Factors on Defense in 2026

The best part about winning a national championship: it makes it easier to do it a second time.

Resources come piling in, and recruiting – which has historically been an uphill battle for the Indiana program – is suddenly a walk in the park. The recruiting pitch for the Hoosiers is fairly simple: play for Curt Cignetti and compete for a national title.

As a result, Indiana finished with the No. 8 transfer class in the entire country – which included a handful of defensive standouts, many of whom project as Day 1 starters. Here are three transfers to know on the defense entering the 2026 campaign.

3 transfers to know on Indiana football's defense

Preston Zachman, Safety

An experienced Big Ten mainstay, Preston Zachman spent six seasons – a few of which were cut shut due to injury – at Wisconsin before transferring to Indiana this past offseason. He started in 20 games and appeared in 35 total contests over that stretch.

In his career, Zachman has registered 130 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and seven interceptions. Recruited out of high school as an outside linebacker, Zachman brings power and explosion to Indiana’s secondary.

Interception alert 🚨

Preston Zachman gives @BadgerFootball the ball back ‼️#B1GFootball on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/TAhDiSWbUJ
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 28, 2024

He projects as the likely starter at strong safety for the Hoosiers. And with his wealth of knowledge, Zachman’s ability to offer leadership for the third level of Indiana’s defense may pay dividends throughout the year.

Tobi Osunsanmi, Edge

The Hoosiers’ top-rated defensive pickup this offseason, Tobi Osunsanmi was a highly-coveted player in the portal (No. 5 edge in the 2026 transfer class). He is extremely explosive with tremendous speed at 6-foot-2, 251 pounds.

Osunsanmi was recruited as a linebacker out of high school, and even played safety at times before his college days. But at Kansas State, where he spent the past four seasons, Osunsanmi moved to edge rusher. He registered 6.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks in just six games in 2026.

In 39 total career games, he has 12.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery to his name. With his combination of speed and brute force, along with his endless pursuit of the football, Osunsanmi will slot into the “stud” position seamlessly for defensive coordinator Bryant Haines.

A.J. Harris, Cornerback

Speaking of a proven high-level contributor, transfer A.J. Harris, who has spent time at Georgia and Penn State, fits that bill to a tee. He has 26 starts under his belt (has appeared in 34 total games) and has accounted for 89 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, one interception and a fumble recovery in that time period.

Harris has earned All-Big Ten honors twice (Third Team in 2024 and Honorable Mention in 2025), behind his stinginess in man-to-man coverage, understanding of zone concepts and physicality in the run game.

Meet @Aj_harris04, a DB from Phenix City, AL. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/bGVZ1JpZ37
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) July 23, 2026

He’ll slide into Indiana’s secondary without a hitch, and Harris’ overall skill set should be a dream fit in Haines’ aggressive, yet disciplined defensive approach.

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