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How many 5-star recruits do Rose Bowl opponents Indiana, Alabama have?
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- How many 5-star recruits do Rose Bowl opponents Indiana, Alabama have?
BLOOMINGTON — There will be nine former 5-star recruits starting in this year's Rose Bowl.
All of them play for Alabama .
Indiana football faces the same kind of challenge in the CFP quarterfinals as it did in the Big Ten title game against Ohio State . The Crimson Tide have more former top-100 recruits in their starting lineup (14) than the Buckeyes had (10), according to 247 Sports composite rankings.
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The No. 1 Hoosiers (13-0) only have one.
That group of former five-stars starting for Alabama is nearly the double the amount that OSU had in the starting lineup (four).
The Crimson Tide have three starters who ranked in the top 10 in their respective signing class — wide receiver Ryan Williams was the No. 4 recruit in 2024, left tackle Kayden Proctor was the No. 10 recruit in 2023 and cornerback Domani Jackson was the No. 5 ranked recruit in 2022.
Indiana hasn't signed a five-star player straight out of high school in program history . The Hoosiers have only two former four-stars in the starting lineup — receivers E.J. Williams and Omar Cooper Jr. — while all but four of Alabama 's starters had a four-star ranking or higher.
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This year's Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza was part of the same 2022 signing class as Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson . Mendoza was a two-star recruit and ranked No. 2,149 (No. 140 quarterback) while Simpson was ranked 26th overall and No. 4 quarterback in the class.
Here's a position-by-position breakdown of the recruiting rankings for this year's Rose Bowl participants:
Indiana football's quarterbacks vs. Alabama
| Position |
Indiana (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
Alabama (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback |
Fernando Mendoza (2022) |
2-stars (No. 2,149) |
Ty Simpson (2022) |
5-stars (No. 26) |
Indiana's Riley Nowakowski (37) runs ffor a touchdown during the Indiana versus Wisconsin football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025.
Indiana football's skill positions vs. Alabama
| Position |
Indiana (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
Alabama (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receiver |
Elijah Sarratt (2022) |
0-stars (N/A) |
Germie Bernard (2022) |
4-stars (No. 237) |
| Wide receiver |
Omar Cooper Jr. (2022) |
4-stars (No. 299) |
Ryan Williams (2024) |
5-stars (No. 4) |
| Wide receiver |
E.J. Williams Jr. (2020) |
4-stars (No. 69) |
Isaiah Horton (2022) |
4-stars (No. 372) |
| Running back |
Roman Hemby (2021) |
3-stars (No. 1,767) |
Jamarion Miller (2022) |
4-stars (No. 87) |
| Tight end |
Riley Nowakowski (2020) |
0-stars (N/A) |
Josh Cuevas (2021) |
0-stars (N/A) |
Indiana's Drew Evans (62) before the Indiana versus Ohio State Big Ten Championship football game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.
Indiana football's offensive line vs Alabama
| Position |
Indiana (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
Alabama (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left tackle |
Carter Smith (2022) |
3-stars (No. 730) |
Kayden Proctor (2023) |
5-stars (No. 10) |
| Left guard |
Drew Evans (2022) |
0-stars (N/A) |
Kam Dewberry (2022) |
4-stars (No. 64) |
| Center |
Pat Coogan (2021) |
3-stars (No. 613) |
Parker Brailsford (2022) |
3-stars (No. 522) |
| Right guard |
Bray Lynch (2022) |
3-stars (No. 1,033) |
William Formby (2023) |
4-stars (No. 88) |
| Right tackle |
Kahlil Benson (2020) |
3-stars (No. 714) |
Michael Carroll (2025) |
5-stars (No. 17) |
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 8: Mikail Kamara #6 of the Indiana Hoosiers battles Olaivavega Ioane #71 of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium on November 8, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
Indiana football's defensive line vs. Alabama
| Position |
Indiana (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
Alabama (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive tackle |
Mario Landino (2024) |
3-stars (No. 2,398) |
James Smith (2023) |
5-stars (No. 28) |
| Defensive tackle |
Tyrique Tucker (2022) |
0-stars (N/A) |
Tim Keenan III (2021) |
4-stars (No. 367) |
| Defensive end |
Mikail Kamara (2020) |
0-stars (N/A) |
Yhonzae Pierre (2023) |
5-stars (No. 25) |
| Defensive end |
Stephen Daley (2022) |
3-stars (No. 1,987) |
LT Overton (2022) |
5-stars (No. 14) |
Indiana's Rolijah Hardy (21) celebrates his sack of Ohio State's Julian Sayin (10) during the Indiana versus Ohio State Big Ten Championship football game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.
Indiana football's linebackers vs. Alabama
| Position |
Indiana (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
Alabama (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linebacker |
Aiden Fisher (2022) |
0-stars (N/A) |
Deontae Lawton (2021) |
4-stars (No. 52) |
| Linebacker |
Rolijah Hardy (2023) |
0-stars (N/A) |
Justin Jefferson (2021) |
0-stars (N/A) |
Indiana's Louis Moore (7) celebrates with Aiden Fisher (4) and Isaiah Jones (46) after his interception during the Indiana versus Ohio State Big Ten Championship football game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.
Indiana football's secondary vs. Alabama
| Position |
Indiana (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
Alabama (Year) |
Rating (National rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornerback |
D'Angelo Ponds (2023) |
3-stars (No. 1,966) |
Zabien Brown (2022) |
5-stars (No. 30) |
| Cornerback |
Jamari Sharpe (2022) |
3-stars (No. 826) |
Domani Jackson (2022) |
5-stars (No. 5) |
| Safety |
Louis Moore (2020) |
0-stars (N/A) |
Bray Hubbard (2023) |
4-stars (No. 317) |
| Safety |
Amare Ferrell (2022) |
3-stars (No. 578) |
Keon Sabb (2022) |
4-stars (No. 84) |
| Rover |
Devan Boykin (2020) |
3-stars (No. 833) |
Dashawn Jones (2021) |
3-stars (No. 1,551) |
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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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How many 5-star recruits does Indiana have vs Alabama's total?
