2024 Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 88 Days (Sam West)

Written By Evan Alvarez

Welcome back to the 2024 Hoosier Huddle Countdown! From now until Indiana’s opening day against the FIU Golden Panthers, the Hoosier Huddle staff will feature every player on the Hoosiers football roster for 2024. Today, the featured player as we are 88 days out is Sam West.

#88 – Sam West

Height: 6’ 4”

Weight: 237 pounds

Hometown: Greensburg, IN

High School: Greensburg Community High School

Class/Position: Redshirt Freshman / Tight End

Sam West enters 2024 coming off a redshirt 2023 season where he saw action in two games. West, listed as a tight end, has one of the more unique histories around as he played both quarterback and wide receiver in high school. West also played defense and returned kicks in high school – talk about versatility! Per maxpreps.com, West amassed 4,030 total yards in high school (118.5 yards per game) and had 40 combined touchdowns (18 passing, 18 rushing, and 4 receiving). He also made 73 tackles in his high school career, including 2 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. To top it all off, West also played baseball in high school.

Despite seeing success at seemingly every position in high school, West entered college as a tight end and certainly has the body, experience, and knowledge of the game to succeed there. West’s versatility and strong play on the field no doubt led the charge to him being ranked highly by recruiters around the country. 247 Sports Composite Rankings graded West as a 3 star prospect and a top 800 overall recruit in the country. In the same rankings, West was graded as the 35th best tight end in the country and the 11th best recruit overall in Indiana. 

West received offers from big programs like Iowa State, Purdue, Rutgers, Tennessee, and Toledo, but ultimately decided to pursue his college career in Bloomington. West likely sits behind Zach Horton, James Bomba, and Trey Walker right now on the depth chart, as all three players ahead of him sport many years of valuable football experience. However, Sam West does bring high-ceiling ability to this tight end room and could easily find time on the field with IU’s projected-to-be high flying passing offense. Look for West to make some flashes this year before really exploding on the scene in 2025.

The Hoosier Huddle countdown to kickoff continues with day 87 tomorrow.