Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

After a second straight disappointing season, most observers anticipated the months of December and January would be quite busy for the Indiana Hoosiers. People hoping for a lot of roster churn will have come away very satisfied and by most reasonable expectations, this has been a very successful period for Tom Allen and his coaching staff as they try to build a roster that can get back to the postseason in 2023.

Indiana has used this offseason to bring in players at nearly every level on both sides of the ball.

Quarterback

Tayven Jackson – Redshirt Freshman – Greenwood, IN (transfer from Tennessee)

After the late-season injury to Dexter Williams and the transfers of Jack Tuttle and Connor Bazelak, bringing in at least one quarterback was a necessity. IU zeroed in on Tayven Jackson, a former four-star recruit originally from Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Indiana. He led Center Grove to back-to-back unbeaten seasons in the largest class in Indiana high school football and threw for a school-record 4,813 yards. This is a player Hoosier fans were very aware of and it stung to lose the younger player of IU basketball star Trayce Jackson-Davis to the SEC as a recruit. After spending a year behind Hendon Hooker, Tayven Jackson hit the portal and quickly decided to “come home”. Jackson played in three games last season for the Volunteers and he gives Indiana another talented young signal-caller. While not a true “dual-threat” quarterback, Jackson is very capable of hurting teams with his legs and he instantly becomes the best passer on IU’s roster. He’ll enter spring practice in a three-way battle with Brendan Sorsby and true freshman Broc Lowry.

Running Back

Christian Turner – Redshirt Senior+ - Buford, GA (transfer from Wake Forest)

Turner was originally in the 2018 recruiting class and he played in three games as a freshman at Michigan in 2018. He had 171 yards and a touchdown plus four catches in 2019 and then only played in one game in 2020. That led him to transfer and he landed with Dave Clawson in Winston Salem. As a Demon Deacon, he appeared in all 26 games and had a total of 1,026 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns. Turner is a well-built back that should factor in right away, splitting carries with Josh Henderson in the backfield.

Wide Receiver

E.J. Williams – Senior – Phenix City, AL (transfer from Clemson)

Williams is one of the highest-rated high school prospects to ever commit to the Indiana Hoosiers. He was a top-100 recruit according to both Rivals and 247Sports in the 2019 class. His career at Clemson got off to a very promising start as he played in all 12 games as a freshman and actually caught five passes for 45 yards in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Ohio State in 2020. Things have regressed since then. He appeared in 20 more games but was unable to produce at a high-level and was passed on the depth chart by younger players. Williams has great length and made some highlight-reel catches in high school and at Clemson. He has the talent to do great things and the hope is that a change of scenery will unlock that potential.

Dequece Carter – Senior + - Louisa, VA (transfer from Fordham)

Carter was a highly-coveted transfer that chose Indiana over several other suitors. He is top four in Fordham history in both touchdown receptions (31) and receiving yardage (3,035) and he was first-team All-Patriot League in three straight seasons. In short, Carter was dominant for multiple seasons at a lower-level and he wants a chance at Indiana to show he can play in the Big Ten. Looking back at his performances against FBS opponents, Carter had 70 yards and a score against the Ohio Bobcats and five catches for 47 yards against Ball State as a true freshman. He is a big and physical wideout that was known for having great hands during his time in the FCS.

IU also added true freshmen Derrick Bohler and Orlando Greenlow to the wide receiver room so this position was significantly revamped.

Offensive Line

Max Longman – Redshirt Senior – Portage, MI (transfer from UMass)

The biggest offensive line addition was new position coach Bob Bostad but this article only focuses on transfers and Max Longman is the lone transfer addition to the OL room. He was a three-year starter at UMass and played right guard, right tackle and left tackle. During the 2022 season, Longman started at left tackle. Longman graded out well on Pro Football Focus and figures to be a valuable depth addition because of his versatility.

IU also added true freshmen William Larkins, Tyler Jeffries and Austin Barrett.

Offensive Needs

The biggest remaining need on offense is very clearly a veteran quarterback. If IU does not add another QB, they will enter the season with a pair of redshirt freshmen and a true freshman as the only healthy scholarship players at the position. Indiana has pursued Oregon State transfer Chance Nolan and it will be interesting to see if they end up landing him as a bridge guy to help the young players progress without being thrown into the fire. IU could use another tight end but it’s unclear if they are interested in any of the players available.

Defensive Line

Andre Carter – Redshirt Senior + - Detroit, MI (transfer from Western Michigan)

IU added a lot of transfers but very few have the chance to be as impactful this coming season as Western Michigan transfer Andre Carter. The former Bronco started all 12 games in 2022 and earned second-team All-Mid American Conference honors thanks to 13.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks with 68 tackles. He was terrific all season but his performances against Pitt and Michigan State (18 tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss combined) standout. Carter was valued and pursued by a lot of high-majors and he will immediately be a part of the rotation, if not start, on the defensive line for Indiana.

Philip Blidi – Senior – Portales, New Mexico (transfer from Texas Tech)

Defensive line coach Paul Randolph was busy and he picked up a former player of his from the Texas Tech Red Raiders as Philip Blidi committed to Indiana. He appeared in 35 games for Tech and had 40 tackles across the four seasons. Blidi is a big-body that should help IU on the interior of the line.

Lanell Carr – Senior – St. Louis, MO (transfer from West Virginia)

IU was one of Carr’s finalists out of high school but he ultimately ended up at West Virginia. After three seasons in Morgantown with 27 games in the Big 12, Carr has made his way to Bloomington to finish his collegiate career. IU continues to look for difference-making pass rushers and Carr should primarily line up at defensive end with the potential to slide back to outside linebacker depending on the situation.

Marcus Burris – Redshirt Sophomore – Texarkana, Texas (transfer from Texas A&M)

Burris was a highly-coveted high school recruit in the 2020 class, rated a four-star prospect and a top 200 recruit. He committed to Texas A&M but missed the 2021 season due to an Achilles injury. Burris bounced back to appear in eight games for a talented Aggies squad in 2022 but hit the transfer portal and found the situation he wanted in Bloomington. Burris is very talented and big-bodied and will provide multiple seasons of play.

Indiana also added talented incoming freshman Ta’Derius Collins from Shreveport.

Linebacker

Joshua Rudolph – Junior – Montgomery, AL (transfer from Austin Peay)

IU’s second talented and productive FCS transfer is Joshua Rudolph. He appeared in seven games as a true freshman in 2021 and started all 11 games in 2022 as a sophomore. He finished second on the team in tackles in 2022 and third in tackles for loss. He made five tackles against Alabama and seven tackles against Western Kentucky along with one tackle for loss. Rudolph still has multiple years of eligibility left and is another player with a lot to prove about his ability to excel at the FBS level.

Darryl Minor – Senior – Corinth, Texas (transfer from UTEP)

Minor played two seasons at Tyler Junior College in Texas and appeared in 20 games. He transferred to the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) for the 2022 season, appearing in three games with no stats. Minor adds depth to a position that really needed it.

Jacob Mangum-Farrar – Redshirt Senior + - Sugar Land, Texas (transfer from Stanford)

The third linebacker transfer was a bit unexpected but extremely exciting as Stanford starter Jacob Mangum-Farrar moved to Bloomington. He started in 11 games for Cardinal and appeared in several more but lost part of two seasons to injury. Mangum-Farrar was sixth on the team in tackles and he’ll have a shot to start at linebacker next to the returning Aaron Casey.

Defensive Back

The list of changes in the defensive backfield is too long to go into detail with each one as the Hoosiers lost several guys to graduation and transfer and brought in several exciting additions as freshmen and through the transfer portal.

Nicolas Toomer – Redshirt Junior – Tyrone, GA (transfer from Stanford)

IU recruited Toomer in high school and the relationship helped land him as a transfer. He started in a handful of games for Stanford and can play corner or safety.

Kobee Minor – Redshirt Junior – Corinth, Texas (transfer from Texas Tech)

Another Red Raider turned Hoosier, Minor is the brother of fellow transfer Darryl Minor and he played in 23 games for Texas Tech as a safety.

Jamison Kelly – Senior – Columbia, MS (transfer from Jones Community College)

Kelly started all ten games in 2022 after transferring to Jones Community College after appearing in 17 games for Louisiana Tech in 2020 and 2021. He was second on the team in tackles and performed well against a good Mississippi JUCO schedule.

Jamier Johnson – Junior – Pasadena, California (transfer from Texas)

Johnson was a four-star recruit in high school and appeared in 17 games as a member of the Texas Longhorns. He is a corner with great size and length and it would not be a surprise to see Johnson line up as one of IU’s starting corners when the season kicks off.

Tyrik McDaniel – Redshirt Junior – Irmo, South Carolina (transfer from Independence CC)

After two seasons at Old Dominion, McDaniel transferred to Independence and excelled as a safety. He was rated the number one JUCO safety in 247Sports and despite missing four games to injury, he earned second-team all-conference honors. McDaniel should be a good addition that could have an early role.

Indiana also added Jordan Shaw (who might start at corner right away) and Amare Ferrell from high school.

Defensive Needs

Indiana had a long list of needs on the defensive side of the ball entering the offseason. They have crossed most of those needs off the list but they could still use a proven pass rusher. Unfortunately, nearly every team in college football is looking for the exact same thing so it’s likely unrealistic to expect a game-changer at this stage. IU did remarkably well in the transfer portal and they’ll look to plug any additional holes in the third and final offseason phase.

The Huddle

Productive Phase Two of Indiana's Recruiting Class Complete