When Maryland running back Roman Hemby transferred to Indiana following the 2024 season, the city of Bloomington rejoiced. Over the course of his 4 years at Maryland, Hemby amassed a whopping 2,347 rushing yards, 921 receiving yards, and 27 touchdowns. Hoosier fans in particular will remember Hemby’s breakout game against Indiana last season, where he rushed for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns, which included a monster 75-yard run that swung momentum in favor of the Terps before IU was able to settle down and win the game 42-28.
Cut to fall camp in 2025, and Hemby is once again on the field at Memorial Stadium, although this time as a member of the Hoosiers. As Hemby adjusts to his new team and surroundings, one of the biggest differences is the speed at which Coach Cignetti practices. When asked about how these practices compare to those at Maryland, Hemby said,
“It’s definitely really different. I feel like every coach has their own philosophy, and here we like to get our players to the game. We make sure we get efficient work. We’re out there for the right amount of time to get what we need to get done, hammering it home in the film room and things like that, it helps us to play at our best. We need to play fast in the Big Ten, and I feel like Coach Cig’s philosophy helps us do that.”
While it may be a difficult task to adjust to Coach Cig’s fast and efficient practices, as a veteran player, Hemby is certainly up to the task. Helping guide him along this transition is someone who went through it last year: former Hoosiers RB turned coach Justice Ellison. The Wake Forest transfer had to quickly adjust to Coach Cignetti’s philosophy before the 2024 season, where he quickly became IU’s featured back, amassing 848 yards and 10 touchdowns. Now an assistant running backs coach with the Hoosiers, Ellison looks to help Hemby have a similarly successful transition in 2025. When asked about the importance of Coach Ellison’s mentorship, Hemby said,
“It’s a blessing, honestly. To see somebody so passionate about the game and willing to give back to people who are close in age to him, he’s like a big brother. He’s someone who comes in to work every day, and he’s ready to teach us new things, ready to help us get techniques down, and he’s out there every day. If we need him, he’s in there for extra hours making sure we get everything done so that we can be at our best. He just wants to see us succeed, and it’s somebody that you’d love to have in your corner like that.”
Hemby brings multiple threats to the running back room that may have been missing a year ago. He is a home run threat and can score from anywhere on the field. In addition, he can catch the ball well out of the backfield. Hemby has caught a pass in 26-straight games and 37-of-41 in his career. He has 921 career receiving yards. Having a running back as a receiving threat will make this already hard to defend offense even more difficult to stop.
As a veteran running back who has had previous success in the Big Ten, Hemby enters an extremely talented running back room looking poised to have another great year. With Kaelon Black and Lee Beebe Jr. sharing the carries and pushing him to get better, here’s hoping that Hemby can continue his production in 2025.