Whether it’s the Sesame Street song or the Wells Fargo fake account scandal, we’ve all heard of Eight is Great.
That seems to be the mantra regarding Indiana men’s soccer. Eight national championships, and now eight straight MLS SuperDrafts where an Indiana Hoosier is taken in the top 10, extending the longest active streak in the NCAA after defender Jansen Miller was picked eighth overall by Sporting Kansas City.
Miller spent the last three years at Indiana after spending his first two at Xavier, and he was taken by a team that recently drafted former Hoosiers Spencer Glass (2021) and Maouloune Goumballe (2023). Miller appeared in 50 matches as a Hoosier and had arguably his most memorable moment in his 49th game, scoring the game-winner against Akron in overtime of the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
It was Miller’s second goal as a Hoosier, but his stature at 6 feet 2 inches makes him a difficult threat to get past on the other end of the pitch, as Miller helped IU to 13 clean sheets during his time as a Hoosier.
The man who crossed the game-winning ball to Miller 27 days ago — sophomore forward Collins Oduro — also was drafted, just a round later. Oduro was the first Hoosier taken by Orlando City SC with the 57th overall pick. Oduro still has two years of eligibility left at Indiana, but his blazing speed, eight goals and seven assists as a Hoosier clearly drew attention from scouts.
Sandwiched between the two of them was senior forward Sam Sarver, taken 41st overall by FC Dallas, the same team that drafted Herbert Endeley in 2023. Sarver had a remarkable career with the Cream and Crimson, tallying 24 goals and 22 assists in four seasons. Sarver became the first Hoosier since Will Bruin (2008-10) to record 70 career points.
Should Oduro leave for the next level, Indiana would be losing its top four point-getters from a season ago. Although the Hoosiers did land Butler transfer forward Palmer Ault, per his Instagram, there would be a ton of talent to replenish up top. Ault, the unanimous 2022 Big East Freshman of the Year, recorded 21 goals and 12 assists in three seasons with the Bulldogs, who could pair up with rising sophomores Charlie Heuer and Michael Nesci as IU’s attackers.
Ironically, Ault was taken with the fifth pick of the second round of last year’s SuperDraft but has decided to stay a few more years at the collegiate level.
Head coach Todd Yeagley is unmatched when it comes to breeding players who play at the next level. Twelve of the 28 players taken in the draft since Yeagley took the helm have been in the first round, and eight more have signed homegrown contracts.
The MLS SuperDraft is always forgotten about due to it being held immediately after the conclusion of the college soccer season, but it should not be forgotten that Indiana always has the talent to make it to the professional ranks, regardless of how the previous season ends.
