Mario Landino
Indiana#153 overallScouting Report
Mario Landino's production has outrun his recruiting billing from the day he arrived. A lightly recruited three-star out of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, he committed to James Madison before flipping to Indiana when Curt Cignetti took the job, and he showed up with no fanfare. He earned snaps as a true freshman in 2024 with nine tackles and a forced fumble, then grew into a rotational interior rusher on a national title team. In 2025 he posted five sacks, 30 pressures and 20 run stops across 16 games with 21 tackles and two fumble recoveries, both of which came in the Peach Bowl rout of Oregon. His loudest afternoon came in a top-10 showdown with Illinois, and that kind of disruption on a College Football Playoff defense is hard to ignore from a player recruited with so little hype. He wins with quickness and leverage that offset a lighter frame, and he cleans up tackles dependably with only two misses charged. The frame is the limiter. At 275 pounds he is light to anchor against power on early downs, he gives ground when reduced inside and asked to two-gap, and his run defense sits a step behind his pass rush. He wins on quickness more than a developed counter plan, and his pressure dipped against UCLA when guards got hands into his chest. He projects as a sub-package interior rusher who has to add sand to his base for early-down work.
NFL Comparison
Of his 20 closest coming out: 1 star, 6 starters, 8 backups, 5 didn't stick.
Neville Gallimore quickness-first interior penetrator; Byron Cowart sub-package attacker; Jordan Phillips undersized one-gap disruptor
Draft Movement
Down 43 spots since Jun 8
Strengths
- Disruptive one-gap interior rusher with five sacks and 30 pressures in 2025
- quickness and leverage that offset a lighter frame
- 20 run stops despite playing at 275 pounds
- cleans up tackles dependably, charged with only two misses all year
- two fumble recoveries in the Peach Bowl rout of Oregon
- his loudest game came in a top-10 showdown with Illinois
- production came on a College Football Playoff defense against real competition
- motor and playoff experience are on tape
Weaknesses
- Plays at 275 pounds, light to anchor against power on early downs
- needs more sand in the base to hold up when reduced inside
- gives ground when asked to two-gap
- wins on quickness more than a developed hand-counter plan
- run defense trails the pass rush
- pressure total dipped against UCLA once guards got hands into his chest
- every-down role is capped by the frame unless he adds mass without losing quickness
College Stats
2024 (Fr, Indiana): 9 tackles, 1 FF; 2025 (So): 16 G, 21 tackles, 5 sacks, 30 pressures, 20 run stops, 2 fumble recoveries (both in the Peach Bowl vs Oregon); multi-sack game vs Illinois
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $810K on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Indiana's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
Every P4 player priced, math public: College players & NIL · Roster spend
Measurables
Awards & Honors
Member of Indiana's 2025 national championship team; two fumble recoveries in the Peach Bowl against Oregon; flipped from James Madison as a three-star and became a playoff-defense contributor