Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 52-16vs North Texas | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 55-0vs Howard | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#1
Amare Ferrell
Amare Ferrell started every game and picked off four passes on one of the best defenses in the country. He forwent the draft to keep it that way -- the continuity piece that keeps Indiana's secondary elite.
6′2″ · 205 lb · Lake City, FL · Columbia
CFB Index 84 · #27 of 364 cornersLow confidenceReturning to Indiana for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
3★
S recruit
No. 579 nationally · Signed with Indiana
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Amare Ferrell started every game and picked off four passes on one of the best defenses in the country. He forwent the draft to keep it that way -- the continuity piece that keeps Indiana's secondary elite.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Indiana in 2023.
Amare Ferrell started every game and picked off four passes on one of the best defenses in the country. He forwent the draft to keep it that way — the continuity piece that keeps Indiana's secondary elite.
Ferrell was a steadying ball-producer on Indiana's top-ranked defense in 2025: every-game starter, 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, four interceptions and six pass breakups, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention and, now, an Athlon 2026 preseason All-America nod. At 6-2, 200 with eight career interceptions, he's a long coverage safety who takes the ball away. He forwent the draft to return. The forward stakes are continuity: elite defenses are hard to keep together, and Ferrell coming back is exactly the kind of veteran retention that keeps Indiana's secondary among the nation's best. He's the dependable, ball-hawking presence on the back end that lets the rest of a great defense play fast.
How he plays
Ferrell is a long, ball-producing coverage safety. The interceptions are the through-line — four in 2025, eight for his career — the production of a player with the range to patrol the deep middle and the instincts to read the quarterback and break on throws. At 6-2, 200 he has the length to contest at the catch point and the experience (an every-game starter) to communicate and align a secondary. He's not primarily a downhill box thumper; his value is in coverage, takeaways, and steadiness on the back end. On a defense that ranked among the country's best, he's the reliable last line that keeps it that way.
The story
Ferrell was a steadying ball-producer on Indiana's top-ranked defense in 2025: every-game starter, 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, four interceptions and six pass breakups, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention and, now, an Athlon 2026 preseason All-America nod. At 6-2, 200 with eight career interceptions, he's a long coverage safety who takes the ball away. He forwent the draft to return. The forward stakes are continuity: elite defenses are hard to keep together, and Ferrell coming back is exactly the kind of veteran retention that keeps Indiana's secondary among the nation's best. He's the dependable, ball-hawking presence on the back end that lets the rest of a great defense play fast.
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
Ferrell is a long, ball-producing coverage safety. The interceptions are the through-line -- four in 2025, eight for his career -- the production of a player with the range to patrol the deep middle and the instincts to read the quarterback and break on throws. At 6-2, 200 he has the length to contest at the catch point and the experience (an every-game starter) to communicate and align a secondary. He's not primarily a downhill box thumper; his value is in coverage, takeaways, and steadiness on the back end. On a defense that ranked among the country's best, he's the reliable last line that keeps it that way.
Written by our staff.
2023
- Signed with Indiana3-star out of Columbia
202516 games
The role got bigger.
- All-Big Tensecond
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Indiana
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-BIG TEN · 2ND TEAM
All-Big Ten 2nd team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023
Indiana
Coaching transition mid-career: Tom Allen → Curt Cignetti. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Indiana3-9HC: Tom Allen · Run-leaning
2024Indiana11-2HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-leaning
2025Indiana16-0HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-heavy
2026Indiana2-0HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 3.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Curt Cignetti
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
In the mix to repeat All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #6 of 77 Big Ten DBs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 55–0
vs Howard
1 TOT · 1 SOLO
Dominant 55-point win at home against Howard.
With J. Hoover — 145 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 75.5 · 18 rush yds (6 car) · T. Richard — 108 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Ferrell is a long, ball-producing coverage safety. The interceptions are the through-line -- four in 2025, eight for his career -- the production of a player with the range to patrol the deep middle and the instincts to read the quarterback and break on throws. At 6-2, 200 he has the length to contest at the catch point and the experience (an every-game starter) to communicate and align a secondary. He's not primarily a downhill box thumper; his value is in coverage, takeaways, and steadiness on the back end. On a defense that ranked among the country's best, he's the reliable last line that keeps it that way.
Our classifier reads him the same way: hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
2026 Outlook
Indiana
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Indiana
Returning around him
- 8 Indiana players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +0 net (17 in / 17 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Indiana · Last season: 16-0 (AP #1) · Talent rank #38 · 2026 recruiting class #29
DNA match
Player DNA
Rover
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jaise Oliver’s 2023 season.
91%match
Matches Jaise on
Weight
Interceptions
PD rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Mychal Yharbrough's junior season at Miami (OH) (2025).
81%match
Matches Mychal on
Class year
Weight
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Amare Ferrell
Background
Career Notes & Records Appeared in 41 career games with 28 starts ... Only IU true freshman to not redshirt in 2023 and played all 12 games ... Posted first career multi-interception game at Michigan State (11/2) with a pair of second-quarter picks in 2024. Career: Ranks tied for No. 16 on career...
The secondary · Indiana
- #22Jamari Sharpe49 tackles · 2025
- #1Amare Ferrell48 tackles · 2025
- #13Jiquan Sanks45 tackles · 2025
- #4A.J. Harris33 tackles · 2025
- #10Ryland Gandy11 tackles · 2025
14 more on the roster · Indiana team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology