He made the announcement with a post on the social media platform X.
Ratcliff spent the past three seasons at Texas State after redshirting as a true freshman at Louisiana. He was a three-star prospect in the 2020 signing class with 14 scholarship offers coming out of Conroe High School in Texas.
During his most recent stint in the portal, he received offers from the likes of TCU, SMU, Houston and Virginia Tech.
Insider: Even in CFP, IU still looks like a team with point to prove. Notre Dame provides the chance.
Indiana basically crosses defensive tackle off the list of portal needs by landing Ratcliff, assuming no one enters the portal after the College Football Playoff. Ratcliff, along with Hosea Wheeler, gives the Hoosiers a solid two-deep alongside expected returning defensive tackles Marcus Burris Jr. and Tyrique Tucker.
The signings of Ratcliff and Wheeler should also give IU defensive tackles coach Pat Kuntz time to develop the two true freshmen (Jhrevious Hall and Kyler Garcia) who recently signed.
He didn't start any games in 2024, but split the workload at the position fairly evenly with Terry Webb. Webb, who started all 12 games for Texas State, played 375 snaps and Ratcliff 318.
Ratcliff, who earned All-Sun Belt honorable mention last season, finished the season with 22 tackles (nine solo) with 3.5 for a loss, two sacks and five quarterback hurries.
He combined for 33 quarterback pressures over the past two seasons and his run defense earned high marks (85) from Pro Football Focus in 2024. He was credited with 19 stops -- tackles that constitute a failure for the offense -- with multiple stops in seven of his team's 12 games.
Coach Curt Cignetti's production-over-potential mantra looms large over every player IU has landed in this cycle, with the staff looking mostly to replace starters. Ratcliff has played in 38 career games and spent the past two years on Texas State's two-deep.
He's got good size at 6-3, 295 pounds, and tackles who can rush the passer are a hot commodity.
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Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana football transfer portal news: IU adds DT Dominique Ratcliff