Latest news with #RonelleJohnson
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Indiana stuns 2 SEC powers by landing 4-star
The post Indiana stuns 2 SEC powers by landing 4-star appeared first on ClutchPoints. Indiana football pulled a new stunner after the Fourth of July following its surprise postseason run. The College Football Playoff team of last year not only reeled in a rare four-star recruit. But stunned two Southeastern Conference powers by winning over this prospect over them. Advertisement EDGE Ronelle Johnson is heading to Bloomington. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound defender made his choice Saturday. He adds a new relentless pass rushing option for head coach Curt Cignetti. Which SEC schools came after Johnson? Missouri and Ole Miss landed in the final running according to Hayes Fawcett of On3/Rivals. Even Big 12 power Kansas State showed up on Johnson's short list of remaining options. But IU lands a top 100 recruit for the 2026 class. And secures a rare huge recruiting win — as Cignetti built his first Hoosiers team with predominantly college football transfer portal talent. How Indiana has measured up recruiting wise Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times Johnson's pledge makes up for one big loss on Indiana's side. Advertisement Florida State coaxed four-star cornerback Jay Timmons to join its 2026 class. Timmons dipped out of his IU commitment to join the Seminoles. His father Lawrence starred for FSU as a linebacker during the early 2000s. Johnson, however, immediately eases the loss of Timmons. Indiana rose as the lone Big Ten program he became invested in. He held his other offers from conference rivals Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue, even Big Ten champion Oregon. But he took a June 6 visit to the IU campus according to on 247Sports. That trip clearly won him over as the Hoosiers made Johnson a massive priority for the '26 class. Johnson garnered strong praise during his recruitment. He's the state of Missouri's No. 3 overall prospect for '26 by 247Sports. He's also the 22nd verbal commitment for this current class. Advertisement Indiana sits now at No. 25 across the nation for team recruiting rankings. The '25 class settled for 39th overall. Indiana even ranked 46th in recruiting back for the 2024 class. Cignetti is now building a top 25 class in Bloomington. Related: Insider reveals NIL move that won over Texas Tech's 5-star commit Related: 5-star WR shockingly picks Syracuse over Michigan football
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nation's No. 1 Recruit Has Fiery Reaction to 4-Star EDGE Committing to Indiana
Nation's No. 1 Recruit Has Fiery Reaction to 4-Star EDGE Committing to Indiana originally appeared on Athlon Sports. In one of the more surprising developments, the Indiana Hoosiers went from historically irrelevant to a College Football Playoff team this past season. Advertisement Led by new head coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers posted an 11-2 record, securing more wins in his first season than the program had in the previous three seasons combined (9). Unsurprisingly, a historic season and trip to the College Football Playoff bodes quite well in recruiting. When it comes to their 2026 class, the Hoosiers have the No. 26 class in the country, and on Saturday, landed their fourth four-star commitment from EDGE, Ronelle Johnson. The Missouri native ranks as the No. 296 player in the country, according to On3, and chose Indiana over programs such as Missouri, Kansas State and Arkansas. While plenty of Hoosiers fans were thrilled, Johnson also got a shoutout from fellow Missourian and the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, Jackson Cantwell. Advertisement The five-star Miami offensive tackle commit took to the comment section to show his support. "🔥 🔥🔥," wrote Cantwell. Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Cantwell headlines a Miami class that ranks as the No. 10 class in the country, and is reportedly making $2 million per year. While Missouri isn't known for being a talent hotbed for recruiting, there are six recruits that hail from the "Show-Me State" who are ranked as four or five-star recruits in this class. Of those six, only one is committed to Missouri, which shows just how hard programs from around the country are coming for recruits like Cantwell or Johnson. Needless to say, the Hoosiers got a good one. Advertisement Related: Son of Texas Legend Throws Longhorns Hat on Ground Before Committing to Notre Dame This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Indianapolis Star
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
4-star defensive lineman becomes Indiana football's second highest-rated recruit in 2026 class
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football landed a verbal commitment from 4-star defensive end Ronelle Johnson on Saturday afternoon. Johnson picked IU from a top four that included Missouri, Kansas State and Mississippi. The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder out of Blue Springs High School in Missouri had a total of 13 scholarship offers, all from Power Four schools. He had 60 tackles with 14 for a loss, 4.5 sacks and three forced fumbles last season as a junior. According to On3's industry rankings, he's the No. 296 ranked player in the 2026 signing class — he's the Hoosiers second-highest ranked recruit behind defensive lineman Gabe Hill this cycle — and the third-highest ranked player in Missouri. Indiana football is up to 22 verbal commitments for 2026 with a class that's ranked No. 26 nationally and eighth in the Big Ten. Johnson is the sixth player among that group that's ranked among the top 500 recruits. The Hoosiers have made recruiting defensive linemen a priority for a second straight year. Last year, they signed five defensive lineman (three edge rushers and two interior linemen) and seven commitments up front for 2026. Buy IndyStar's book remembering IU's historic CFP season Indiana has five defensive linemen including standout defensive end Mikail Kamara entering their final year of eligibility.
