Indiana has made a splash in recent days with a wave of high-profile commits in the high school recruiting class of 2027.<\/p>\n
And with their number of verbal commitments now in the double digits<\/a>, it\u2019s time to start periodically monitoring how the Hoosiers are faring relative to their FBS and Big Ten peers in the rising senior class.<\/p>\n As of Thursday afternoon, Indiana\u2019s 11-player class is ranked No. 29 nationally by On3\/Rivals, and No. 30 by 247Sports.\u00a0 Both outlets say IU\u2019s class is just the 11th best in the Big Ten at the moment.<\/p>\n ESPN only has rankings for the top-20 team classes, and Indiana is not included.<\/p>\n IU isn\u2019t far from its best-ever class ranking of 25th in 2022.<\/p>\n Class size does factor into the team rankings, and only four teams ranked above IU currently have less verbal pledges than the Hoosiers.\u00a0 But when the list at On3\/Rivals is sorted for average player rating, Indiana still comes in at No. 29.\u00a0 Indiana has just three composite 4-stars in the class and no 5-stars, while some of the top programs in the rankings have double-digit 4-stars and\/or multiple 5-stars.<\/p>\n Should the defending 16-0 national champs have a better 2027 class?<\/p>\n First and foremost, there is still a long way to go.<\/p>\n But a\u00a0couple factors might keep Indiana from breaking into the top-20 this cycle.<\/p>\n First, a major part of head coach Curt Cignetti\u2019s legend is talent evaluation.\u00a0 He just won the title despite having a team made up almost entirely of 0-stars to 3-stars<\/a>.\u00a0 So while he acknowledges evaluating high school prospects is more challenging than transfers, he won\u2019t be compelled to reach for the stars.<\/p>\n Second, the market rates for high school players has grown exponentially in the last couple years.<\/p>\n How much?<\/p>\n