Even before making headlines as the 2026 national football champions, former Indiana University athletes across all sports have made their way to professional leagues throughout the years.
OG Anunoby, who played forward for Indiana men’s basketball from 2015-17, won the 2026 NBA Finals with the New York Knicks in June, while former Hoosier swimmer Lilly King is a six-time Olympic medalist for the United States.
The most recent crop of Indiana athletes has begun making their way to the professional leagues in their respective sports. Here are where some of the recent former Hoosiers have ended up:
Football
Eight former Indiana football players were drafted into the National Football League during the 2026 NFL Draft in April.
Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza headlined the Hoosier draft picks after going No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. Mendoza signed his rookie contract with the Raiders on July 23.
Other former Hoosiers drafted to the NFL were wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds. Both were selected by the New York Jets; Cooper was selected with the No. 30 overall pick, while Ponds was drafted with the No. 50 pick.
Basketball
While no former Indiana men’s basketball players were selected in the 2026 NBA Draft, two played in the Summer League.
Former guard Lamar Wilkerson and forward Tucker DeVries both played one season in Bloomington before signing Exhibit 10 contracts with their respective NBA teams. Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year, minimum-salary deals that give teams the option to bring players to Summer League and training camp, while retaining the players' NBA G League rights if they are cut.
Wilkerson, who led Indiana in scoring with an average of 20.9 points per game in 2026, signed his Exhibit 10 contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Wilkerson averaged 2.3 points, on rebound and two assists per game throughout four NBA Summer League contests.
DeVries, who signed his Exhibit 10 contract with the Boston Celtics, had a better showing than Wilkerson throughout his four Summer League games. DeVries averaged 8.8 points, one rebound and 2.5 assists per game with Boston.
Former Indiana women’s basketball guard Shay Ciezki went undrafted during the 2026 WNBA Draft but signed a free agent contract with the Phoenix Mercury the next day. Ciezki appeared in eight games for the Mercury this season, averaging 8.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. She produced a 22-point performance against the Portland Fire on Sept. 17.
Other sports
Former volleyball outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles played one season in the Major League Volleyball with the Grand Rapids Rise before signing with VfB Suhl LOTTO Thüringen, which is a team in the German Women’s Volleyball League.
Former men’s soccer forward Palmer Ault, who had 16 goals and 10 assists last season for the Hoosiers, signed with Major League Soccer’s St. Louis CITY SC on July 15 after spending the first part of the season on the CITY2 team.
Indiana baseball continued its streak of MLB draftees after the 2026 season, as right-handed pitcher Jackson Bergman was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 18th round with the No. 525 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. He signed a contract with the Arizona Complex League White Sox — the rookie-level minor league affiliate of the White Sox — on July 16 before being placed on the full-season injured list a week later.
This story was originally published in the Indiana Daily Student's Fall/Winter 2026 Source Campus Visitor's Guide.
