Linebacker Jayden McDonald Enters Transfer Portal After Short Indiana Stint

Linebacker Jayden McDonald is back in the transfer portal after a brief run at Indiana.

McDonald transferred from Troy to Indiana in January. He went through spring practice with coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers, but then he re-entered the transfer portal on Wednesday with one year of remaining eligibility.

McDonald, a 6-foot, 227-pound linebacker, played all 13 games at Troy in 2023. He led the team with 75 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss and ranked 320th in the nation with a 67.4 defensive grade by Pro Football Focus. 

McDonald's junior season in 2022 was limited to 13 tackles due to injury, though he was a starter before being sidelined. He also suffered an injury during the 2021 season, but still finished ninth on the team with 36 tackles. In his first year at Troy in 2020, McDonald played all 11 games and finished second on the team with 67 tackles.

Prior to Troy, McDonald originally committed to Iowa as a three-star recruit, ranked No. 779 overall in the class of 2018 out of North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Ga. He was named Georgia High School Defensive Player of the Year by Georgia High School Coaches Association as a senior.

McDonald spent one season at Iowa in 2018, but used a redshirt and did not play. Due to NCAA rules at the time, he had to sit out the 2019 season at Troy as a transfer.

With McDonald leaving, Indiana's linebacker room includes James Madison transfers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker, as well as returning Hoosiers Kaiden Turner, Joshua Rudolph, Isaiah Jones, Jeff Utzinger and Clayton Allen.