Indiana: 25 Student-Athletes to Watch in 2015-16

Yogi Ferrell’s decision to wait on the NBA gives the Hoosiers a chance for a run, he may not be the best basketball player in the state (Alec Peters, Valparaiso) or best athlete on his campus (Nate Sudfeld, 60% of passes completed all three years and 34 TDs to 13 interceptions). IUPUI’s soccer player Krissy Kirkhoff (pictured) also shines as one of the brightest stars in the state.

We ran the Value Add Sports calculations on all returning Indiana athletes and emailed 117 sports writers and other experts in the state to help rank the 25 state players to watch on a list we will update here.

Student-athletes make their biggest improvement between their freshman and sophomore seasons, and Kirkhoff already ranked second in the Summit League in goals as a freshman, while on the men’s side IUPUI’s Uriel Macias played as the soccer new comer of the year. Another IUPUI to make an all-Summit League team was softball player Roni Patterson.

Indiana high school basketball stars joined student-athletes from Bethel College, Butler, Evansville, Indiana Hoosiers, Indiana State, IUPUI, Notre Dame, Purdue, and Valparaiso on the list.

Make no mistake, how Ferrell and two other Hoosiers basketball players do this year will be the top sports news in the state, and Purdue has put together a nice offseason to potentially derail Indiana.

The sky is the limit for Valpo’s Peters, an incredible shooter who stands 6-foot-9,  a description that also describes Larry Bird, the greatest athlete to ever come out of the state according to the December 23, 2012, Bleacher Report.

1. Nate Sudfeld Indiana Football, QB
2. Alec Peters, Valparaiso, Basket, PF
3. Yogi Ferrell, Indiana, Basket, PG
4. Sabrina Flores, Notre Dame, Soccer, Defender
5. Brett Wehmiller, Indiana State, Track/Field, Decathlon
6. Kellen Dunham, Butler, Basket, SF
7. Ariane Nelson, Indiana, Track/Field, Long Jump
8. Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville, Basket, C
9. Krissy Kirkhoff, IUPUI, Soccer,
10. Isaac Humphries, La Porte, INLa Lumiere School, Basketball, F
11. Chidera Obasih, Indiana State, Track/Field, 200m Dash
12. Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame, Basket, SG
13. Roni Patterson, IUPUI, Softball,
14. Jessica Harter, Purdue, Track/Field, Pole Vault
15. Troy Williams, Indiana, Basket, PF
16. Kyle Guy, Indianapolis, INLawrence Central, Basketball, G
17. David Timlin, Indiana State, Track/Field, 1,500m Run
18. Zach Auguste, Notre Dame, Basket, C
19. Uriel Macias, IUPUI, Soccer,
20. Kyle Fiala, NotreDame, Baseball, 3B
21. Ryan Smoyer, NotreDame, Baseball, SP
22. Nolan Narain, La Porte, INLa Lumiere School, Basketball, F
23. Kathryn Larson, BethelCollege, Hockey-Men,
24. James Blackmon, Indiana, Basket, SF
25. Brandon Bielak, NotreDame, Baseball, SP

Others Receiving Votes

A.J. Hammons, Purdue, Basket, C

C.J. Walker, Indianapolis, INArsenal Technical, Basketball, G

Damien Jefferson, East Chicago, INEast Chicago Central, Basketball, F

Eron Gordon, Indianapolis, INIndianapolis Cathedral, Basketball, G

Joey Brunk, Indianapolis, INSouthport, Basketball, C

Sean Guenther, NotreDame, Baseball, RP

Vince Edwards, Purdue, Basket, PF