Expect an on-rush of football commitments over the coming weeks as college programs look to get a handle on the 2026 class.
A few recent commitments from Central Indiana players in the rising senior class:
∎ Kaiden Bower, Carmel: The 6-3, 250-pound defensive end committed to Charlotte over offers from Air Force, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio) Toledo and Troy. Bower finished last season with 55 tackles (24 solo), 4 ½ sacks, 6 ½ tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hurries. Bower, a three-star prospect, is one of 10 commits in Charlotte’s current class for new coach Tim Albin. The 49ers were 5-7 last season.
“Finding the right program and school is so important,” Bower said. “I visited a lot of schools so I could make the best-informed decision. From the moment I walked onto Charlotte’s campus it really felt like home. The coaches and the recruiting staff were fantastic. The practice I watched was very fast paced and aggressive. The coaches pushed the players on each rep and were focused on player development, which is very important to me. You can tell Coach Albin has a clear vision and is building a strong program. The strength coach was really energetic and was pushing development in the weight room too. You could tell that there is a very high standard being set. The campus is really amazing, and the university has a great business school. Charlotte has all the resources that I need to succeed on the football field, in the classroom and at life.”
∎ C.J Scifres, Center Grove: Scifres committed to IU and posted his decision on social media after taking an official visit over the weekend. The 6-6, 325-pound offensive lineman is a three-star recruit, per 247Sports, and not rated by On3. Scifres was named to the IFCA’s Top 50 All-State team as a junior as he did not allow a sack all season for a team that threw for more than 3,000 yards and won a Class 6A regional.
∎ Job Mavrick, Westfield: The 6-2, 280-pound offensive lineman, who transferred from Culver Academy to Westfield prior to his junior year, committed to Ohio over offers from Cornell, Mercyhurst and Western Illinois. Ohio won at least 10 games and played in a bowl game each of the past three seasons under Albin.
∎ Avin Robinson, Brownsburg: The 6-foot, 180-pound wide receiver committed to Central Michigan over and offer from Kent State. Robinson caught 41 passes for 933 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior on Brownsburg’s Class 6A state championship team.
∎ William Johnson III, Avon: The 6-4, 270-pound Williams committed to Kent State over offers from Akron, Central Michigan, Fordham, Illinois State, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan and UMass.
Also, Bloomington South receiver Jalen Williams committed to South Florida. The 6-5 Williams caught 21 passes for 370 yards and six TDs as a junior at Bloomington North.
2026 football recruitments to watch
∎ Heritage Hills duo: Two of the state’s top recruits play for Heritage Hills, the defending Class 3A state champion (will play in 4A the next two-year cycle). Tight end Tyler Ruxer, rated as the No. 1 prospect in the state by On3sports, plans to make his announcement on July 7 at the Heritage Hills Auditorium. His teammate, quarterback/athlete Jett Goldsberry, also a top 10 in-state prospect, will also make his announcement on July 7. Ruxer has taken official visits to Duke, Northwestern and Oklahoma with Minnesota planned for this weekend. He also has Purdue and West Virginia in the mix.
Goldsberry, likely one of the favorites for Mr. Football going into the season, has an official visit scheduled for Ole Miss this weekend. He also has taken official visits to Purdue and Rutgers and is visiting North Carolina (official visit June 21-22), Wake Forest (official visit June 19-20) and West Virginia (official visit June 17-18).
∎ Jerimy Finch Jr.: Warren Central defensive end Jerimy Finch Jr. is closing in on a decision. Finch has taken official visits to Purdue, Alabama and Michigan. He has an official visit scheduled to Tennessee this weekend and Miami (Fla.) the weekend of June 20.
∎ Dominick Barry: Center Grove tight end Dominick Barry has an official visit set to Wake Forest the weekend of June 20. Barry caught 31 passes for 237 yards and five touchdowns as a junior.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Getting caught up on Central Indiana high school football commitments, recruitments to watch
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
