Branden Sharpe had his four college finalists lined up with official visits set.
Before he made those visits, Sharpe decided the time was right to go ahead and cut that list to one. Brownsburg’s two-time 1,000-yard receiver and two-time state champion announced his decision to commit to Indiana on Monday.
“I just got the feeling the time was right after talking to the coaches,” Sharpe said. “I didn’t really know what else I was looking for. This way, I can start to focus on getting myself and the team ready for this fall.”
IU had long been on Sharpe’s radar. The Hoosiers were the first Power Four program to offer a scholarship nearly a full calendar year ago. Purdue followed a couple weeks later, then a host of others, including Cincinnati and Vanderbilt, the other two programs on his final list.
“The other three gave me a lot of things to think about,” Sharpe said of Cincinnati, Purdue and Vanderbilt. “They were all extremely close.”
Sharpe had 59 receptions for 1,143 yards and 13 TDs as a junior for the Bulldogs, including a big game in a 38-31 win over Westfield in the Class 6A state championship. He caught four passes for 151 yards and a TD and returned a kickoff 99 yards for another score.
That came on the heels of a breakout sophomore season that saw Sharpe make 66 receptions for 1,165 yards and seven TDs.
“I’d say probably the relationship with the coaching staff,” he said of the reason for making his commitment to IU. “They were my first Power Four offer and I just continued building those relationships and seeing how they could use me in their system. They’ve put a crazy number of players in the (NFL) draft. I think I’ll have a chance to make a difference and see the field early if I do the things I need to do.”
Sharpe, who will graduate early and enroll at IU in January, said one of his considerations in the recruiting process was the number of transfers IU had taken in the portal. Indiana’s national championship under coach Curt Cignetti had 36 transfers, including 13 players the coach brought with him from James Madison.
“That’s one of the things I was concerned about at first,” Sharpe said of IU’s reliance on the portal. “But they told me they want to develop their high school players.”
Sharpe is the seventh commitment for IU in the 2027 class and third in-state commitment, joining Noblesville offensive lineman Mason McDermott and Michigan City offensive lineman Jeremiah Jones on board for the Hoosiers.
Who is next?
“I’m definitely trying to get Monshun Sales over here for sure,” Sharpe said of the five-star Larwence North wide receiver. “That’s one of the things on the top of my list. I’m trying to get some guys to commit to IU and get focused on getting ready for my senior year at Brownsburg.”
Brownsburg plays at Lawrence North in Week 1 of the upcoming season. Sales, a top-10 national recruit, has already taken his official visit to IU and has upcoming official visits at Alabama, Ohio State and Texas.
“The vision that has been preached out at IU is that I can be in the slot and he’ll be on the outside,” Sharpe said of Sales.
In addition to his four finalists, Sharpe also had Power Four offers from Boston College, Duke, Houston, Iowa State, Maryland, Northwestern, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: On board for Indiana football. Brownsburg WR Branden Sharpe commits to Hoosiers
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
