Indiana broke SEC hearts last season, destroying Alabama in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals and becoming the third straight Big Ten team to win the national championship.
That alone was enough to make SEC fans’ blood boil. But now, in the middle of July, there’s this — Indiana has secured its first-ever 5-star commitment, and the Hoosiers did it at the expense of some heavy SEC powers. On Friday afternoon, the powerhouse that Curt Cignetti has built in Bloomington got a commitment from wide receiver phenom Monshun Sales, who has decided to stay in-state and spurn the lure of the SEC.
Sales, who currently stars at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, chose to head down the road to Indiana for the 2027 season. His list of finalists included Alabama and LSU, with Texas also barely missing out on Sales. The Hoosiers also won the battle for Sales over Big Ten rival Ohio State, so this was a recruiting victory of historical proportions for the new-age football behemoth that Cignetti is building.
According to 247Sports, Sales is the program’s first 5-star commit, which means he’s also the highest-rated recruit in the history of Indiana football. Sales is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound potential monster on the outside for Indiana, which is trying to create some staying power atop college football after its 16-0 run to the national championship last season.
Sales is currently rated as the 8th-best overall prospect in the Class of 2027, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s also the 2nd-ranked wide receiver in the class and the top-rated player from the state of Indiana, according to those 247Sports Composite rankings.
Indiana won out for Sales after he took his first official visit to Bloomington in late April, choosing to make his visit to Indiana before visiting the other schools in his final four.
Sales led Lawrence North in receiving during his junior season last fall, catching 37 passes for 794 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also showed a great ability to stretch the field, averaging 21.5 yards per catch.
Indiana won’t have Sales in the mix until the 2027 season, but the Hoosiers are loaded and ready for another national title run in 2026. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about Indiana’s chances to repeat as national champions in January:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
