Coming off winning the National Championship title in 2025, the Indiana Hoosiers' head coach Curt Cignetti is succeeding off the field too. He is winning recruits that other programs thought they had locked up.

Three-star linebacker Cain Brackney from Bixby, Oklahoma, flipped from the UCLA Bruins to Indiana on Monday, June 22. Rivals' analyst Hayes Fawcett broke the news on Instagram after Brackney told him directly.

"Finally I'm home! Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!" Brackney said, per Fawcett's Instagram post.

That reaction says everything. Brackney visited Indiana on June 12 and Michigan Wolverines the following weekend, June 19, before making his call. He had both Big Ten programs pushing hard for him, even though he committed to UCLA on April 24.

Before his Indiana visit, Brackney had already hinted at what was drawing him to Bloomington.

"I'm excited to see how the defending national champions run their program!" Brackney told Rivals' Steve Wiltfong ahead of the visit. "Can't wait to sit down with Coach Haines and talk some ball and what development he sees for me at Indiana!"

Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines has been the lead recruiter on Brackney throughout this process. Haines has run one of the best defensive units in the country for two straight seasons. They ranked fourth in FBS in 2025 and second in 2024. That track record is a selling point for any linebacker prospect right now.

Brackney is 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds out of Bixby High School. As a junior, he racked up 102 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two sacks, two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble, and an interception he returned for a touchdown, per The Daily Hoosier.

Now he is Indiana's 16th commit in the 2027 class, being another key player to the linebacker room.

Indiana’s 2027 linebacker room is becoming strong in the Big Ten

Brackney is not the only linebacker Indiana just landed. The Hoosiers picked up Rivals300 linebacker Jalaythan Mayfield on Friday, June 19. Two linebackers in one stretch. Cignetti is building something real at that position.

That is a serious foundation at the position for a program that just won a national title and runs a physical, defense-first identity.

The Hoosiers are also running the race for 4-star linebacker Roman Igwebuike out of Mount Carmel. Cignetti is competing with the Tennessee Volunteers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, among others.

Do you think Indiana can add another linebacker, keeping the momentum? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Michigan Football Community.

Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar