BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Even while preparing for the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship game, Indiana continues to get good news for next season, as well.
Indiana safety Amare Ferrell, who has started for the Hoosiers for the past two years, is coming back for the 2026 season, according to a report by ESPN’s Max Olson on X through Ferrell’s agent.
it's big news, because the Hoosiers safeties Louis Moore and Devan Boykin are out of eligibility after next Monday’s national championship game against Miami. Keeping Ferrell for one more year should help provide some stability in the IU secondary.
The Hoosiers added veteran Wisconsin safety Preston Zachman via the transfer portal two weeks ago to join Ferrell and others. He has played in 40 games over the last three years and has been a full-time starter throughout the last two seasons.
Ferrell is 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds from Lake City, Fla. He has 106 tackles, eight interceptions and 15 pass breakups over his three-year career. He has 7.0 career tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
According to Pro Football Focus data, Ferrell had the fourth-highest overall defensive grade among starting safeties in 2025, playing 769 snaps. He played 743 snaps in 2024, and 105 as a freshman under Tom Allen in 2023.
Ferrell was originally recruited to Indiana by Allen and chose to stay with the Hoosiers after Curt Cignetti was hired.
The Hoosiers are 15-0 this season and have allowed just 11.07 points per game, second in the country. They play for their first football national title on Monday night against No. 10 seed Miami. The game is at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.