Indiana Football Losses Leading Wide Receiver for 2024 Season; Hoosiers’ Offensive Weapon Entering Transfer Portal

McCulley joins fellow wideouts TJ Sheffield (Purdue), Eric McAlister (Boise State), and Winston Wright (Florida State), among others, as the top-producing wide receivers in the transfer portal. 

Donaven McCulley: Career with Indiana Football

Donaven McCulley joined the Indiana Hoosiers in 2021 as a four-star quarterback from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He received substantial playing time as a freshman, completing 42.7% of his passes for 475 yards and two touchdowns against two picks. However, he switched to the wide receiver position the following season, with Indiana turning to Missouri transfer Connor Bazelak to bark out the signals. McCulley had 16 receptions for 169 yards and a touchdown while rushing four times for five yards and a touchdown.

McCulley took off during the 2023 campaign, leading the team with 48 receptions, 644 receiving yards, and six scores. He was the team leader in scrimmage yards gained by over 100. However, Indiana football struggled again under then-head coach Tom Allen, going 3-9 and finishing last in the Big Ten East.

Indiana Football: Turning Page on 2023; Enduring Transfer Portal Departures

The Indiana football program looks to remedy their losing ways, including three straight losing seasons. They fired head coach Tom Allen, their frontman since 2017, and are now in line to pay him a $15.5 million buyout. The situation will only worsen before it gets better, with eight players, not including Donaven McCulley, entering the transfer portal after Allen’s firing on Sunday, per On3 Sports. Starting offensive lineman Zach Carpenter and rotational linebacker Myles Jackson are among the impact Hoosiers to join McCulley with the transfer portal.