With Nine Sacks, Indiana’s Tobi Osunsanmi Has Become One of College Football’s Most Disruptive Defenders
A crucial stop against Michigan
With Michigan facing third-and-goal at the 1-yard line, quarterback Tommy Carr kept the ball after a play-action fake. Osunsanmi read the play and brought Carr down, helping force a missed field goal.
Indiana went on to win 13-6 in overtime. Coach Curt Cignetti called the sack one of the afternoon’s defining plays, while Osunsanmi said his assignment was to cover the quarterback.
A rapid rise in Indiana
Eight games into his Indiana career, Osunsanmi has nine sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss, placing him among the national leaders in both categories. He has recorded a sack in seven straight games, including two each against Ohio State and Michigan.
The Wichita, Kansas, native began college at Kansas State as a linebacker before moving to the edge. After recording four sacks in six games during an injury-shortened 2025 season, he transferred to Indiana for his final collegiate campaign.
Production and leadership draw notice
Now healthy and playing in defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ system, Osunsanmi has already exceeded his combined sack total from his previous three seasons at Kansas State. Cignetti has praised both his play and his leadership.
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid recently gave Osunsanmi a late-Day 2 grade, with the possibility of reaching the early-Day 2 conversation if his production continues. At 6-foot-2 and roughly 250 pounds, he is smaller than a prototypical NFL defensive end, but his first step, motor and run defense have made him difficult to contain.
Key points
- Osunsanmi recorded nine sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss through eight Indiana games.
- He has had a sack in seven consecutive games, including two each against Ohio State and Michigan.
- His third-quarter sack helped force a missed field goal in Indiana’s 13-6 overtime win.
- Jordan Reid assigned Osunsanmi a late-Day 2 draft grade, with room to rise.