Indiana Football Beats Out Ohio State for Top Recruit Reinaldo Perez

If for some reason you were led to believe that Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and his staff were still at all afraid of anything to do with Ohio State football, then Wednesday's news should erase that little remaining doubt.

Indiana landed a commitment from four-star (Rivals) defensive lineman Reinaldo Perez on Wednesday, as he chose the Hoosiers over plenty of the Big Ten, including Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State.

BREAKING: Four-Star DL Reinaldo Perez has Committed to Indiana, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’5 265 DL chose the Hoosiers over Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Virginia Tech

“Let’s go Hoosier Nation!🔴⚪️”https://t.co/bwz5boipgX pic.twitter.com/PHRS3KW8IY
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 3, 2026

Indiana Lands Perez from Ohio State's Backyard

While Perez isn't the first player Indiana has ever beaten out Ohio State for, he certainly brings a little added excitement as he hails from Columbus (Columbus Academy), Ohio.

Perez had over 30 scholarship offers to his name, including from the likes of Florida, Louisville, and Notre Dame, in addition to the Big Ten teams he turned down to pick Indiana.

Reinaldo Perez records a pass breakup. Pretty dominating night for the for the OSU target so far. pic.twitter.com/e2tin9XksB
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) October 4, 2025

The 247Sports composite rankings list him as the 11th overall player from Ohio in the 2027 cycle.

Ohio might not be Florida, Texas, or California when it comes to developing football talent, but the 11th best player in Ohio is usually a lot different than the 11th best player from Indiana, generally speaking.

While team recruiting rankings are changing by the hour as commitments are dropping all over nationally so far in June, Indiana did move up into the 30th overall spot on Rivals after the news of his commitment was made.

Perez's commitment comes on the heels of defensive back Brady Scott announcing his commitment earlier in the week.

Perez's Commitment Speaks to Indiana's Insane Rise

Less than a year ago, Perez spoke about his recruitment and Indiana wasn't even mentioned.

“I would say they (Ohio State) are communicating with me a good amount but so are other schools,” Perez said. “USC, Florida, Michigan State, Purdue, Tennessee, Louisville, Syracuse, and now Rutgers, have been also in communication with me as well.”

That's what Perez had to say about his recruitment last July, with plenty of teams getting a mention to be pushing for him, but Indiana clearly not being one of them.

I can't help but think this is an example of proof of concept in recruiting.

Forget the national championship (boy that sounds absurd to say), but go back and watch Indiana's defensive line in the second half of the regular season game at Oregon.

Against what was said to be one of college football's best offensive lines, Indiana's defensive front man-handled it the entire second half, in its home stadium.

Like with any powerhouse football program, the poachers will come as more success comes to Bloomington, but if Indiana keeps playing and producing like it has done the last two years, a certain degree of recruiting will simply handle itself, likes seems to have been at least partially the case with Perez.

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