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ESPN tabs Mario Landino as Indiana's 'under-the-radar' player for 2026

headshotby: Alec Lasley04/30/26allasley

Indiana has had one of the top defenses in the nation across the past two seasons and will once again bring another talented and deep group to the field in 2026.

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While there were numerous key players who won’t be returning due to graduation or the NFL Draft, there are still a few key returners who will look to elevate their game once again this upcoming season.

One of those players is defensive end Mario Landino. Landino, a rising junior, is coming off of a season in which he was part of a key group of edge rushers that included Mikail Kamara, Stephen Daley, Kellan Wyatt and Daniel Ndukwe. He finished the season with 32 tackles, six tackles for loss, five sacks and 17 addition quarterback hurries.

With the departure of Kamara, Daley and Wyatt, Indiana brought in transfers Josh Burnham from Notre Dame and Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor from Kansas State, while looking at Ndukwe and Landino as key returners.

This week, Landino was tabbed as ESPN’s ‘under-the-radar’ player for the Hoosiers in 2026.

“Landino was overlooked on a decorated defensive line but made key contributions during the team’s national title run,” ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg wrote. “A first-year starter alongside Tyrique Tucker, Landino had five sacks for the season, recovered two fumbles in the semifinal win against Oregon and recorded three pass breakups. The 6-foot-4, 284-pound Landino recorded sacks against both Ohio State and Oregon and two sacks against Illinois. He enters his true junior season as a core member of returning defenders — Tucker, linebackers Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones, safety Amare Ferrell — charged with stabilizing an elite unit after a wave of key departures.”

While Landino was a critical piece to the defensive line a season ago, his play and importance went to a different level after IU lost Stephen Daley to a freak injury after the Big Ten Championship.

Indiana’s defense finished the season ranked 4th nationally in total defense which included 2nd in tackles for loss, 2nd in rushing defense, 2nd in scoring defense, 2nd in opposing completion percentage, 3rd in turnovers forced, 6th in sacks and 8th in red zone defense.

Indiana allowed just three opponents to score over 20 points this season, leading to an average of just 11.1 points per game allowed. It held Ohio State to 10 points, Illinois to 10 points, Oregon to just one offensive touchdown in the first matchup during the regular season and Alabama to three points in the Rose Bowl. 

In seven of Indiana’s 16 games, opponents were held to 10 points or less. 

“We have to get better – always,” Landino said this spring. “It’s like Coach Cig says, ‘you either get better or worse’. We’ll get better this spring and summer and continue into fall camp.”

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