For Weston Kramer, Indiana Was the Right Fit

Image: NIU ATHLETICS

Written by Matt Smith (@MattSmith1401)

Indiana is bringing in a new defensive tackle this year in graduate transfer Weston Kramer. Kramer played four years at Northern Illinois University where he racked up 97 tackles (38 solo, 59 assist), 12.5 TFLs (38 yards) 3.5 sacks (21 yards), and two pass breakups in 45 games, 30 of which he started in. The graduate student looks to add depth to the defensive line when the Hoosiers desperately need it.

For Kramer, the decision to transfer to Indiana had a lot to do with the coaching staff and the culture of the football team.

“I thought the coaching staff knew what they were talking about pretty well and they seemed like good coaches,” Kramer told the media Thursday. “After talking to Coach Allen I just thought that this is the right place for me. You know how they described how the team was in the culture and actually one of my good buddies used to be my roommate my freshman year, Connor Schneider he works here. So, talking to him, he kind of told me how the whole program was and I just felt like it was a good fit for me.”

Indiana had a staught defense last season, and that was one of the things that caught Kramer’s eye when he considered using his final year of eligibility at Indiana. 

“I've been hearing about the defense, and I saw how they played last year. Being part of the defense here is going to be pretty exciting,” Kramer said.

Kramer also chose to come to Bloomington because he saw himself an ideal fit with Indiana’s defense.

“I liked how the defense was ran and how they used defensive tackles and moved around a decent amount. I thought that was going to be good for me because I do well in stuff like that,” Kramer said.

One thing about Kramer is certain— he brings to Bloomington a proven work ethic.

“When I was at Northern Illinois, I trained very hard every day. I tried to make myself better in everything that I did. I think it led to me playing well at NIU and the opportunity to come out here,” Kramer said.

With the loss of Jerome Johnson to the NFL draft, the Hoosiers will need Kramer to step up in the run defense that needed a lot of improvement coming from last season.