Couldn't be happier for this young man, will be rooting for him to continue to prove his doubters wrong.
Can't believe he was the third overall RB taken in the draft. It's not a big leap to suggest at the beginning of '25 he was the third head of the Hoosier RB monster behind the portal recruits Beebe and Hemby.
Some Earnings guesses.
1. At JMU he probably maxed at 20 to 30 grand in NIL?
2. At IU, probably earned a hundred thousand his first season and two hundred grand last season?
3. No guess here, from the Google machine. His projected contract.
Kaelon Black, selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 90th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, is projected to sign a 4-year rookie contract worth roughly $6.86million. According to Over the Cap, the deal includes a $1.45million signing bonus.
Saw an interview with SF's GM (I believe) and he said they had Black graded as the #2 overall RB, so they felt like if they didn't grab him, someone else would. Like he said, it only takes 1 other team! I noticed that several teams grabbed multiple IU players and/or free agents. Some of the media and SEC types may have been slow to give IU credit, but looks like NFL types were not!
I said all along, if I were Oakland, I'd grade all the IU skill guys a little higher and would try and add them to give Fernando some immediate familiarity and comfort. Thought it was super smart of them to sign Hemby and Williams and won't be surprised at all if 1 or both make their roster. Good luck Hoosiers!
Probably a bit higher than that at IU, but your point stands. Good for Kaelon, dude works he butt off.
I’m hoping that Turbo is a near replica of Black.
Lawton and Black and Ellison were great in 2024 as a three-headed monster.
Hemby and Black were even better last season.
Love Khobie Martin and with him, Turbo and Beebe, we shouldn’t miss a beat.
Balance, power, vision and a bit of burst. Black will do fine.
I couldn't believe he went third round. Happy for him!
Hemby was good, but by the final third of the season and through the playoffs, I was often hoping we were giving it to Black. Black had pulled ahead in my mind.
Hemby had slightly more ability to juke and a bit more big run potential, but was also less likely to get that extra yard on those runs that we mostly used. Black if he got tripped would launch and still get a bit through the air, heh, where Hemby would go down a bit sooner. Hemby ran hard though too, and fought for yards. Great duo.
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I've only seen Turbo Dick on TV, but I don't think he's nearly as big and powerful as Black.I’m hoping that Turbo is a near replica of Black.
Lawton and Black and Ellison were great in 2024 as a three-headed monster.
Hemby and Black were even better last season.
Love Khobie Martin and with him, Turbo and Beebe, we shouldn’t miss a beat.
I think Turbo has better moves. Similar speed, Turbo a bit more IMO on long runs, although their 40 times are about the same.
Not as big as Black. Black had those big thighs! Solid though, there's some nice blitz pickups in Turbos highights.
Black proved out, for sure! Next man up.
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@hoosier-clarion good blocker too! Supposedly good hands, as they say about Hemby. Thought we’d pass to our backs a little more than we did.
@gros-louis definitely not as big, but Turbo looked solid and hard to tackle in the spring game. Didn’t watch a second of BC otherwise! Hes from a powerhouse Northwestern HS program here in Rock Hill SC where I live and those boys train! Rooting for him for thst reason too!
My opinion is by 4th-5th game Lee Beebe will be hard to deny carries. He blocks and receives also.
Curious, do you believe the redshirt frosh Cuono is slotted to take over last seasons late third and fourth quarter blowout garbage time Martin role?
Martin, 78 carries for 505 yards and 6 TDs in '25.
Up 30+ points in the 4th quarter, I don't know if I see Cig rolling out one of the big 3 backs, and he'd prefer to keep them fresh and their total season carries down for the 16 game run.
That fourth back will get 50 plus carries this season.
It is a tough as a young back, and some other spots, when the Cignetti way is to bring in even more proven production when otherwise it would be your year to finally get your usage greatly increased. Oh, a red shirt sophomore? Cool! Oh btw I just brought in a couple proven red shirt juniors and seniors.
But it makes us the strongest team. And seems like the most talented still break in.
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I also worry about IU bring in all this talent to play over the recruited kids. On the other hand the recruiting classes have not been anywhere close to the level of talent required to compete at the top. I suppose enough of the kids like Hardy and Becker get into the lineup to keep recruiting going and as talent levels improve it will be more of that. Going to be very interesting to watch over the next few years to see how that progresses.It is a tough as a young back, and some other spots, when the Cignetti way is to bring in even more proven production when otherwise it would be your year to finally get your usage greatly increased. Oh, a red shirt sophomore? Cool! Oh btw I just brought in a couple proven red shirt juniors and seniors.
But it makes us the strongest team. And seems like the most talented still break in.
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No, last year Martin was the 3rd back this yr we will have Turbo, Martin, and eventually Beebe. That would make your guy the 4th back