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Who has more 5-star recruits? Indiana football or Miami? Take a look

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Who has more 5-star recruits? Indiana football or Miami? Take a look


BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football’s roster is on more equal footing with Miami, even though the star rankings have meant little to the final results in this year’s CFP.

The No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) beat Alabama and Oregon by a combined score of 94-25 despite having no former 5-star players in the starting lineup and just one former top 100 recruit.

The No. 10 Hurricanes (13-2) will have a pair of former 5-star recruits in their starting lineup but are only starting a total of three former top-100 prospects. It’s a sharp drop off in top talent from the likes of Alabama (14), Ohio State (10) and Oregon (eight).

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Category Indiana Miami Oregon Ohio State Alabama
5-stars 0 2 2 3 9
4-stars 2 7 11 16 9
Top 100 recruits 1 3 8 10 14
2-stars or below 9 4 2 1 2

Indiana’s starting lineup still leads the way in overlooked recruits — it will start nine players that ranked 2-stars or below, including starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza — but Miami almost has more (four) than IU’s past three opponents combined (five).

The Hurricanes also has a more of a transfer laden starting lineup (11) than any of Indiana’s postseason opponents.

Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the recruiting rankings for this year’s participants in the CFP championship game:

Re-live IU’s 2025 season

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Indiana football’s quarterbacks vs. Miami

Position Indiana (Year) Rating (National rank) Miami (Year) Rating (National rank)
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza (2022) 2-stars (No. 2,149) Carson Beck (2020) 4-stars (No. 254)

Indiana football’s skill positions vs. Miami

Position Indiana (Year) Rating (National rank) Miami (Year) Rating (National rank)
Wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (2022) 0-stars (N/A) Malachi Toney (2025) 4-stars (No. 359)
Wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (2022) 4-stars (No. 299) Keelan Marion 2-stars (No. 3,390)
Wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. (2020) 4-stars (No. 69) CJ Daniels (2020) 3-stars (No. 2,450)
Running back Roman Hemby (2021) 3-stars (No. 1,767) Mark Fletcher Jr. (2023) 4-stars (No. 149)
Tight end Riley Nowakowski (2020) 0-stars (N/A) Alex Bauman (2022) 3-stars (No. 1,770)

Indiana football’s offensive line vs Miami

Position Indiana (Year) Rating (National rank) Miami (Year) Rating (National rank)
Left tackle Carter Smith (2022) 3-stars (No. 730) Markel Bell (2022) N/A
Left guard Drew Evans (2022) 0-stars (N/A) Matthew McCoy (2022) 3-stars (No. 735)
Center Pat Coogan (2021) 3-stars (No. 613) James Brockermeyer (2021) 4-stars (No. 194)
Right guard Bray Lynch (2022) 3-stars (No. 1,033) Anez Cooper (2022) 3-stars (No. 1,149)
Right tackle Kahlil Benson (2020) 3-stars (No. 714) Francis Mauigoa (2023) 5-stars (No. 9)

Indiana football’s defensive line vs. Miami

Position Indiana (Year) Rating (National rank) Miami (Year) Rating (National rank)
Defensive tackle Mario Landino (2024) 3-stars (No. 2,398) Ahmad Moten Sr. (2022) 3-stars (No. 558)
Defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker (2022) 0-stars (N/A) Justin Scott (2024) 5-stars (No. 10)
Defensive end Mikail Kamara (2020) 0-stars (N/A) Rueben Bain (2023) 4-stars (No. 62)
Defensive end Stephen Daley (2022) 3-stars (No. 1,987) Akheem Mesidor (2020) 3-stars (No. 636)

Indiana football’s linebackers vs. Miami

Position Indiana (Year) Rating (National rank) Miami (Year) Rating (National rank)
Linebacker Aiden Fisher (2022) 0-stars (N/A) Wesley Bissainthe (2022) 4-stars (188)
Linebacker Rolijah Hardy (2023) 0-stars (N/A) Mohamed Toure (2019) 3-stars (No. 1,024)

Indiana football’s secondary vs. Miami

Position Indiana (Year) Rating (National rank) Miami (Year) Rating (National rank)
Cornerback D’Angelo Ponds (2023) 3-stars (No. 1,966) OJ Frederique Jr. (2024) 3-stars (No. 784)
Cornerback Jamari Sharpe (2022) 3-stars (No. 826) Ethan O’Conner (2023) 3-stars (No. 673)
Safety Louis Moore (2020) 0-stars (N/A) Zechariah Poyser (2023) N/A
Safety Amare Ferrell (2022) 3-stars (No. 578) Jakobe Thomas (2021) 3-stars (No. 2,048)
Rover Devan Boykin (2020) 3-stars (No. 833) Keionte Scott (2020) N/A

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.





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Indiana

Attempted murder suspect arrested in Indianapolis for Bloomington shooting

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Attempted murder suspect arrested in Indianapolis for Bloomington shooting


BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — A Bloomington man was arrested Wednesday in Indianapolis on an attempted murder charge after police say he fired seven to eight rounds into a white GMC SUV occupied by three adults and four children last month in Bloomington before fleeing the area.

A news release issued Thursday from the Bloomington Police Department said members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s special weapons and tactics team took Kafern P. Johnson, 32, into custody near the intersection of West 84th Street and Allison Avenue in Indianapolis without incident.

The arrest came more than two weeks after the June 23 shooting in the 1000 block of North Summit Street. That’s in a residential area next to Crestmont Park in Bloomington.

Monroe County Central Emergency Dispatch received 911 calls at 7:41 p.m. June 23 reporting gunfire in the area.

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Responding patrol officers and detectives determined Johnson had fired into the SUV following a verbal fight with the vehicle’s driver. Police said the dispute stemmed from an argument over a relationship.

No injuries were reported despite the number of people inside the vehicle.

Following his arrest, Johnson was taken to an IMPD facility for questioning and later booked into the Marion County jail. On Thursday morning, he was booked into the Monroe County jail.

The release said Johnson could face felony charges of attempted murder, criminal recklessness with a firearm, and pointing a firearm. No formal charges have yet been filed, according to online court records.

Bloomington police asked anyone with additional information to call 812-349-3324.

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This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.



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FAIRFIELD NATIVE AND HIS WIFE FOUND DEAD IN THEIR NEWBURGH, INDIANA HOME

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FAIRFIELD NATIVE AND HIS WIFE FOUND DEAD IN THEIR NEWBURGH, INDIANA HOME


Fairfield native, David K. Wells, 69, and his wife Aileen, were found dead inside their home in Newburgh, Indiana, Monday night. Warrick County Sheriff Michael Wilder said that deputies responded to the residence just before 8:00 p.m. after dispatch received a call around 7:40 p.m. from a friend of the family requesting a welfare check. When officers didn’t get an answer at the door, they entered through the back of the home and found the couple deceased. Officers cleared the home and waited for detectives to arrive. Investigators also obtained a search warrant to do a further examination of the residence. Authorities were able to notify family members and conduct interviews to gather additional information. Sheriff Wilder said investigators believe the couple had been dead for less than 24 hours before they were found. He also said there is no indication of any forced entry or an intruder. Sheriff Wilder has not made a formal determination as to what happened. Autopsies for the couple were scheduled for yesterday morning to help determine a cause. David Wells grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1975. He had a long career in television commercial production in Evansville and had more recently operated the Cigar! Cigar! tobacco store in Evansville.



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Indiana sees significant drop in number of homeless veterans

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Indiana sees significant drop in number of homeless veterans


INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Indiana saw a significant decline in veteran homelessness last year, despite the total number of homelessness rising across the state.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annual estimation of the homeless population, known as the Point in Time (PIT) count, Indiana saw an 18.7% decline in veteran homelessness in 2025 compared to the year before.

That marked the second-largest decline of any state by percentage.

Helping Veterans and Families (HVAF) of Indiana specializes in assistance for veterans facing homelessness. CEO Emmy Hildebrand told News 8 the formula that’s finding success is the same that works with any at-risk group: housing and wrap-around services.

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Hildebrand said that the formula needs support from the state.

“There is no state funding supporting homeless services in our state,” Hildebrand said. “And very little local funding outside Indianapolis.”

Safety net programs have faced budget cuts, with lawmakers eliminating funding for the Housing First program in 2025. It supported organizations helping people secure stable housing.

And housing advocates have criticized Indiana’s public camping ban as essentially making it illegal to be homeless.

HVAF client Terri Massey, a 34-year-old Navy veteran, said the stigma of being homeless was the most difficult challenge to overcome.

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“I’m still trying to provide for my kids,” Massey said “I’m (not) out here being lazy or not trying to do better.”

Massey was working, supporting her children, but found herself sleeping in cars and hotel rooms because she didn’t have stable housing. “Going to that work, working 10 hours, leaving, going to sleep in my car.”

HVAF helped place Massey in a permanent apartment. HVAF also placed Massey in a different kind of “bootcamp” years after her time in the military, learning job skills. She’s looking for a job, but thankful to do it from a place she can call home.

“I am beyond grateful and thankful. I literally pray and thank God every day,” Massey said. “Because for the longest I felt like I was alone. And I had to figure everything out by myself. I didn’t.”

It’s estimated that seven percent of Indiana’s homeless are veterans. Hildebrand said there are federal funds for organizations working with veterans, which support HVAF’s programs.

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Still, finding permanent housing is a struggle.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for every 100 extremely low-income households in Indiana, just 34 rental homes are affordable and available.

“There are so many people on the bubble that are just one emergency away from living in their car, staying with friends and family, or living on the streets because we don’t have the appropriate system here in Indiana,” Hildebrand said.

Hildebrand said lawmakers assured her they would work to support homeless services, but she hasn’t seen any drafted legislation that might be introduced in the next legislative session.

Across the country, about one in 25 people experiencing homelessness previously served active duty in the armed forces, according to numbers from HUD. Veteran homelessness declined 56% between 2009 and 2025.

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