James Carpenter Joins Indiana Football Coaching Staff

Carpenter was one of 13 transfers from James Madison who followed Cignetti to Indiana going into the 2024 season.

Part of the reason for Indiana's immediate success under Cignetti was that group's understanding of the system, culture and standards set by the head coach. They helped teach returning Hoosiers and transfers from other schools the playbook, what was demanded of them, and how their success at James Madison could translate to the Big Ten.

Carpenter was integral to that process, as he immediately stepped up as a team leader. Cignetti doesn't name captains, but Carpenter was always one of the players to meet at midfield for the pregame coin toss.

Carpenter made a big impact in his lone season at Indiana, ranking second among Hoosiers with 11.5 tackles for loss and six sack, only behind fellow James Madison transfer Mikail Kamara. Carpenter also added 38 total tackles, five quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and a blocked kick.

Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines spoke about Carpenter's growth from an unranked recruit to a starting defensive lineman on a College Football Playoff team.

"When I recruited him as a walk-on, I just thought this guy could maybe be a pretty good football player at JMU. I didn't necessarily think this is going to be my starting three technique in the Big Ten. But credit to him, he's another one of these guys that doesn't say a lot, but man, he never stops working. He wants to get better. He wants to get pushed. He wants to get coached."

"It's one of the reasons he came from JMU. He liked the scheme. He loves Coach Kuntz, they have a great relationship, and he just wants to constantly push himself. I'm proud of him and how far along he's come. I could have never seen this five years ago in 2019 when I recruited him out of Roanoke Catholic High School. I'm proud of his journey. Same for a lot of these guys."