Indiana football landed a reinforcement on its offensive line, continuing its assembly of a top transfer portal class.
Former Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Brunner signed with the Hoosiers on Wednesday, according On3’s Pete Nakos’ report. Brunner opted to transfer instead of declaring for the NFL draft. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
Brunner’s commitment marks Indiana’s 17th of the 2026 portal cycle and the fifth on offense, joining quarterback Josh Hoover, receivers Nick Marsh Shazz Preston, running back Turbo Richard and tight end Brock Schott.
Brunner spent the past four seasons with the Badgers after he arrived in Madison, Wisconsin, as a four-star recruit ranked the 143rd-best player in the 2022 recruiting class.
Brunner started 24 games, mainly at right guard, over the past two seasons. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2025, as he didn’t allow a sack for the second consecutive season and had just one accepted penalty.
The 6-foot-5, 317-pound Brunner began his Wisconsin career playing under offensive line coach Bob Bostad, who has served in the same role at Indiana since 2023. Brunner played in 15 games over his first two seasons with the Badgers.
The Hoosiers’ offensive line cemented itself as one of the nation’s best in 2025. The Cream and Crimson allowed just 21 sacks while they rushed for over 3,000 yards.
Indiana redshirt junior left tackle Carter Smith could opt to declare for the upcoming NFL draft. Redshirt junior left guard Drew Evans, redshirt junior right guard Bray Lynch and redshirt freshman offensive lineman Adedamola Ajani will all presumably return.
Redshirt senior center Pat Coogan, sixth-year senior offensive lineman Kahlil Benson and redshirt senior offensive lineman Zen Michalski will each exhaust their eligibility at season’s end. Brunner’s arrival in Bloomington gives the Hoosiers a veteran lineman to plug into their starting lineup, helping to protect Hoover — the presumptive starting quarterback.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
