Several Former Indiana Football Players Sign Contracts With NFL Teams

• James Carpenter: The 6-foot-2, 288-pound defensive tackle signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Carpenter was a one-year Hoosier, but he made his impact felt. Teamed with San Francisco 49ers fourth round draft pick CJ West on the interior of the defensive line, Carpenter had 38 tackles and six sacks.

Carpenter was also integral to Indiana’s suffocating run defense. The Hoosiers only allowed 81.2 rushing yards per game in 2024, best in all of FBS.

Carpenter came to Indiana with coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison. Cignetti was the only coach who seriously recruited Carpenter out of high school in Virginia.

• Zach Horton: Another player who came with Cignetti from JMU, Horton signed a deal with the Detroit Lions. Horton, a 6-foot-4 tight end, had 21 catches for 189 yards and four touchdowns.

Horton’s impact was equally felt in Indiana’s running game where he helped Justice Ellison (848 rushing yards) and Ty Son Lawton (668 yards) lead a running attack that averaged 4.7 yards per carry.

• Myles Price: A favorite target of Rourke, Price signed a deal with the Minnesota Vikings. A transfer from Texas Tech, Price had 38 catches for 466 yards and three touchdowns.

In a career that included four seasons with the Red Raiders, Price, who is 5-9 and 183 pounds, had 199 catches, 2,217 yards and 13 touchdown catches in his college career.

• Jailin Walker: Yet another former JMU player who came to Indiana with Cignetti, Walker signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Walker teamed with fellow linebacker Aiden Fisher to form a stout unit inside the middle of Indiana’s defense. Walker was second to Fisher on the Hoosiers with 82 tackles. Ten of those tackles were for a loss, and Walker had two sacks. Walker also had two interceptions and was integral to Indiana’s top rushing defense.

• Trey Wedig: A transfer from Wisconsin, Wedig signed a deal with the Los Angeles Rams. Wedig, a 6-foot-7, 319 tackle, started at right tackle for the Hoosiers in 2024.

Wedig was graded as the second-best tackle in the Big Ten by Pro Football Focus. Wedig was part of an Indiana offense that set records for touchdowns (70), points (537) and rushing touchdowns (37).

• Ke’Shawn Willams: A transfer from Wake Forest, Williams signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Williams, a 5-9, 189-pound wide receiver, was the Hoosiers’ second-leading receiver with 39 catches. He was fourth in receiving yards at 448 and he had five touchdown catches.


In his five-year career, Williams had 146 catches for 1,833 yards and 10 touchdowns.