Indiana football lands 3-star offensive lineman from Big Ten rival's backyard

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti hinted the his team’s 2026 recruiting class would be getting a bit bigger in the coming weeks during an appearance at a recent booster event.

The Hoosiers' latest verbal commitment fits that description in multiple ways. 

They landed a pledge from Eau Claire North High School offensive tackle Kenton Mondeau on Monday night. He’s the 10th member of the signing class and is listed at 6 foot 7, 315 pounds on his Hudl profile.

Mondeau has eight scholarship offers, including ones from Wake Forest, Iowa State and Air Force. He's rated three stars and No. 1,226 nationally, per On3's industry rankings. He's the No. 92 offensive tackle and fifth-best prospect in Wisconsin. 

Bob Bostad, IU’s offensive line coach, is plenty familiar with the recruiting landscape in the state having spent 12 years as an assistant coach for the Badgers over two separate stints with the program. He also landed a verbal commitment from River Falls offensive lineman Samuel Simpson back in February. Simpson is the No. 1 ranked recruit in Wisconsin, per On3's industry rankings. 

Indiana will need to replace at least three scholarship offensive linemen who are in their final year of eligibility after the 2026 season, and starting left tackle Carter Smith could leave early for the NFL. 

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The Hoosiers head into fall camp with a ton of experience up front, but will have plenty of competition as starting left guard Drew Evans looks to return from an injured Achilles while Kahlil Benson and Zen Michalski battle it out at right tackle. 

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Kenton Mondeau commits to IU football recruiting, 3-star offensive lineman