Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State chase Fishers guard Jason Gardner Jr.

Jason Gardner Jr. has not given Indiana or Purdue an edge yet, and that is the most important thing about this recruitment. The Fishers guard remains deep in the evaluation stage, with both in-state powers trying to keep a top-50 point guard from leaving Indiana while UCLA and Florida keep the race national.

That matters because Gardner is not just another regional target. He is the son of Jason Gardner Sr., the 1999 Indiana Mr. Basketball from North Central in Indianapolis and an Arizona All-American, which gives this pursuit a built-in basketball pedigree that few recruits can match. Indiana first offered him in October 2024 after he attended Hoosier Hysteria, when On3 had him ranked No. 17 overall and No. 2 among point guards in the 2027 class. Even then, the message was clear: this was a high-end guard with a national profile, not a local name to file away.

Gardner’s production has only strengthened that case. As a freshman in 2023-24, he averaged 7.2 points, 2.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds while helping Fishers win the IHSAA Class 4A state championship. As a sophomore, he took a bigger load and delivered 14.5 points per game, set Fishers’ single-season assists record with 162, posted a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio and shot 39% from 3-point range. That is the profile college staffs chase: a lead guard who creates for others, protects the ball and can stretch a defense.

Fishers’ team success adds another layer. The Tigers reached the 2025 Class 4A state final and finished 30-1 before falling 67-66 in overtime to Jeffersonville at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, ending a 43-game winning streak. In a state where point guards often define title teams, Gardner has already been central to one of Indiana’s most consistent programs.

The recruiting list has kept growing. Indiana, Purdue and Ohio State were among the earliest big names, and UCLA joined after Gardner visited Westwood for the Bruins’ win over No. 4 Purdue in January 2026. Florida, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Iowa, Texas, Arizona, Auburn and Oklahoma State have also surfaced across recruiting pages and timelines, a reminder that this is no longer a simple in-state tug-of-war.

For Indiana and Purdue, the stakes go beyond one player. Both programs are trying to shape their future backcourts, and landing Gardner would be a statement about who can still win the best guards inside the state line. For now, the recruiting battle is still open, but the fact that Gardner is drawing this kind of attention says plenty about his ceiling and about how much the Indiana pecking order is still up for grabs.