Long before they had dreams of playing for a national title, Indiana's and Miami's starters were high school standouts.
Indiana and Miami square off tonight in Hard Rock Stadium to close out the 2025-26 college football season with the national championship on the line.
It was a tale of two seasons for both sides: the Hoosiers went unbeaten, while the Hurricanes secured the final spot in the College Football Playoff despite suffering two losses.
During the year, stars on both sides of the ball emerged that many people may have expected to shine, and for others, came as pleasant surprises to their respective fanbases.
Long before they were stars in the college game, though, these players began their paths to tonight as stars on Friday nights. Some ranked as highly-touted prospects. Others rose from obscurity to where they are now.
Here's how the starters for both teams ranked as high school prospects, according to recruiting site 247Sports.
Indiana Hoosiers
Offense
Quarterback: Fernando Mendoza (2021 No. 134 QB)
Running Back: Roman Hemby (2021 No. 108 RB)
Wide Receiver: Elijah Sarratt (2022 Unranked)
Wide Receiver: Omar Cooper (2022 No. 80 WR)
Wide Receiver: E.J. Williams (2020 No. 81 overall, No. 13 WR)
Tight End: Riley Nowakowski (2020 Unranked)
Left Tackle: Carter Smith (2022 No. 207 overall, No. 19 OT)
Left Guard: Drew Evans (2022 No. 225 IOL)
Center: Pat Coogan (2021 No. 39 IOL)
Right Guard: Bray Lynch (2022 No. 65 OT)
Right Tackle: Kahlil Benson (2020 No. 44 OG)
Defense
Defensive End: Mikail Kamara (2020 Unranked)
Defensive End: Kellan Wyatt (2022 No. 72 LB)
Defensive Tackle: Mario Landino (2024 No. 265 DL)
Defensive Tackle: Hosea Wheeler (2022 Unranked)
Linebacker: Aiden Fisher (2022 Unranked)
Linebacker: Rolijah Hardy (2024 Unranked)
Cornerback: D'Angelo Ponds (2023 No. 142 CB)
Cornerback: Jamari Sharpe (2022 No. 75 CB)
Safety: Louis Moore (2022 Unranked)
Safety: Amare Ferrell (2023 Unranked)
Rover: Devan Boykin (2020 No. 38 CB)
Miami Hurricanes
Offense
Quarterback: Carson Beck (2020 No. 234 overall, No. 5 QB)
Running Back: Mark Fletcher (2023 No. 100 overall, No. 6 RB)
Wide Receiver: Malachi Toney (2025 No. 55 WR)
Wide Receiver: Keelan Marion (2019 No. 407 WR)
Wide Receiver: CJ Daniels (2020 No. 408 WR)
Tight End: Alex Bauman (2022 No. 101 EDGE)
Left Tackle: Markel Bell (2022 Unranked)
Left Guard: Matthew McCoy (2022 No. 109 OT)
Center: James Brockermeyer (2021 No. 17 IOL)
Right Guard: Anez Cooper (2022 No. 154 OT)
Right Tackle: Francis Mauigoa (No. 6 overall, No. 2 OT)
Defense
Defensive End: Rueben Bain (2023 No. 71 overall, No. 10 EDGE)
Defensive End: Akheem Mesidor (2020 No. 69 EDGE)
Defensive Tackle: Justin Scott (2024 No. 11 overall, No. 3 DL)
Defensive Tackle: Ahmad Moten Sr. (2022 No. 138 DL)
Linebacker: Wesley Bissainthe (2022 No. 206 overall, No. 16 LB)
Linebacker: Mohamed Toure (2019 No. 29 ILB)
Cornerback: OJ Frederique Jr. (2024 No. 66 CB)
Cornerback: Ethan O'Conner (2023 No. 47 athlete)
Safety: Zechariah Poyser (2023 Unranked)
Safety: Jakobe Thomas (2021 No. 183 safety)
Rover: Keionte Scott (2020 Unranked)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: Indiana vs Miami: Which team's starters ranked higher as HS recruits?
Category: General Sports
