The Transfer Portal after a Head Coach Departure
There are a ton of players going to the transfer portal after Tom Allen's firing. What do we make of this?
The transfer portal was always going to be a concern for Indiana this offseason, as it is for all teams at this time of the year – but particularly for teams that underachieved and for teams going through coaching transitions. After the firing of Tom Allen following a 3-9 season, Indiana qualifies as both, meaning just about every player on the roster is currently considering his options as I write this.
There are already 17 in the portal (which will be outdated by the time you read this, I’m sure). But the time to panic is not now.
View Indiana’s 2024 scholarship chart here
Players come to programs for many reasons – development (with the promise of future playing time and looks from NFL scouts), playing time, relationships to coaches, proximity to home, NIL (sure) – and with the erasure of an entire system, each of those ideas is upended. Only once a head coach is hired and his ideas communicated can players know for sure where they fit.
Players will enter the portal, which has real shock value, but it doesn’t guarantee their departures. Some will return and others won’t, which is why this coaching search is expected to move quickly. The transfer portal is open from Dec. 4 until Jan. 2 (and then again for 15 days in May).
There will be high-priority players who will make an immediate impact on the 2024 team, such as Carter Smith, Matthew Bedford, Brendan Sorsby, Donaven McCulley, and Trent Howland. The next regime will likely push hard to get those guys back, and one of the easiest times to recruit is when there’s a new vision to pitch to players.
The following are current Hoosiers the staff needs to return. Some of these guys are not yet in the portal, but I personally consider nearly everyone on roster to be in some sort of uncertain status, given the current state of the program.
1. Carter Smith
This guy, this guy, this guy. He’s the No. 1 guy to get back, and it’s not even close. It took less than 10 minutes after Smith’s portal announcement for Ohio State media to reach out to me with questions about him. Sights are set on Smith, and there are no replacements for Indiana to bring in. The portal is never and will never be filled with Big Ten OL starters for Indiana to add; that’s not how offensive line construction and development works. Offensive line prospects enter a program with a very specific plan ahead for their development and trajectory, and for a stable program – whether it’s a top program or not – it’s one of the most protected position rooms, in terms of the portal, because of this understanding. Indiana needs to develop their best offensive linemen.
That’s what they’ve done so far with Smith. Of the 83 offensive linemen in the 2026 draft class to play 500+ snaps this season, Smith graded 20th (2nd in the Big Ten). Of the 33 tackles, he graded 11th (2nd in the Big Ten). He’s the cornerstone of Indiana’s future if he returns, as Indiana fans have seen the toll a poor offensive line can take on an offense and the raised floor a quality offensive line can offer.
Without Smith, Indiana would have either Josh Sales or Kahlil Benson (if he returns from the portal). Austin Barrett had some good buzz in the spring, though, too. I wouldn’t anticipate any of them filling the shoes Smith’s potential would leave behind.
2. Matthew Bedford
Again, back to the offensive line. Bedford was a massive recruiting win when Indiana added him, and he’s a recruiting chip that the Hoosiers have actually developed into a solid contributor. He was second to Smith, in terms of PFF grades, along the IU line this season and was one of just two OLs to finish in the top-half of the Big Ten. His experience is crucial, and his best football is likely ahead of him with a full, healthy offseason.
Also, there was little buzz about the guards behind him and Katic last offseason. Max Longman spotted him decently as he got healthy in the beginning of the season, but there hasn’t been much talk about Vinny Fiacable, TCU transfer Noah Bolticoff, or heralded Fort Wayne signee DJ Moore.
3. Trent Howland
Now we’re starting to get into positions that are a bit more available than offensive line, but regardless, Howland must be maintained in Bloomington. Josh Henderson leaves behind a decent hole (9th among Big Ten RBs during the final 6 weeks), and Howland proved fit to carry some of the load, as he finished graded 17th among Big Ten RBs in the final 6 weeks. He has a good combination of size and speed that translates well in the Big Ten, and he was 5th in the conference in yards after contact per carry during the final 6 weeks.
Largely, though, the only two RBs left on roster are Jaylin Lucas – who graded last among Big Ten RBs and 363rd of 372 RBs with 30+ carries in 2023 – and David Holloman (33 career snaps). There are also currently no commitments at the position in the Class of 2024. Indiana has shown that a stable of RBs can be found in the portal, but maintaining grassroots players is important, and Howland will need to, at the very least, be part of a committee in 2024.
4. Brendan Sorsby
I wrote about Sorsby early and often in 2023. I’m a big fan of his and admire how he handled this season of chaos to finish graded 7th among Big Ten QBs by PFF and 6th in QBR. He’s also the best rushing QB in the conference, and that skillset is what made me believe he would eventually take over as QB1 (if not Dexter Williams) during the initial QB battle. His development has been astounding, and he will be good wherever he is.
The reason he’s lower on this list than my heart wants him to be is because Indiana has Tayven Jackson on the roster. There’s certainly a chance Jackson goes too, given how things like the QB jostling can harm trust. Jackson certainly saw his struggles, but his 299-yard, 71% completion percentage game against Louisville looked promising, and he seemed to have a good feel for the pocket. Rod Carey’s system (or Walt Bell’s, to be honest) just didn’t suit Jackson.
It’s difficult for most programs to hang onto two starter-worthy QBs, and it might have taken some resources to get Jackson on the roster in the first place. Depending on the new coach, there might also be a QB added who will compete for the job, and there will be a lot of QBs out there this offseason. I would personally hate to see Sorsby go, but this is one that, at the moment, seems like a blow Indiana could absorb.
5. Donaven McCulley
Similar to Sorsby, McCulley was the most enjoyable aspect of this season for many Indiana fans. He finished graded 9th among Big Ten WRs by PFF and 14th (just behind EJ Williams and Dequece Carter) during the final 6 weeks. What made McCulley so impressive this season was his strength, as he finished 2nd in the conference with a 66.7% contested catch ratio (10 catches on 15 contested targets). He was amazing, and he was also a crucial member of the locker room, as he has been since he arrived in Bloomington.
But this position is a strength for Indiana. The Hoosiers could see Cam Camper, EJ Williams, and Omar Cooper return for 2024. McCulley was certainly the best among the group in 2023 and would leave a leadership gap to be filled, but like with Sorsby, it’s a blow that Indiana could absorb. For example, Cooper caught 6 of 9 contested targets to tie McCulley with a 66.7% contested catch percentage, and Camper caught 5 of 10 (50%) to sit directly behind them (and, well, he’s Cam Camper).
This all assumes Indiana can keep those guys healthy, though. McCulley ended his year with 48 catches on 75 targets for 644 yards. Camper was on pace to catch 29 of 50 targets for 489 yards. Cooper was on a modest pace to catch 24 of 43 targets for 356 yards. And Williams was on pace to catch 35 of 59 targets for 422 yards. There was a lot of production taken off the field both by Indiana’s stressing the run game and injuries to the three latter WRs. That’s a lot to work with.
6. Phillip Dunnam (and Louis Moore)
There’s an argument to be made that these two could be No. 4 on this list.
These two were the bright spots of the secondary all season, and while Moore isn’t in the portal as I write this, he must also be kept in town. Because of the 4-2-5 scheme, Dunnam was under as much pressure to hold the defense together as anyone (including the LBs), and once Noah Pierre was injured on the other side of the defense, Dunnam’s job became far more difficult. His grades, like Aaron Casey’s, suffered because offenses knew how to get them in conflict and break the defense.
Dunnam and Moore finished the season graded 22nd and 12th, respectively, among Big Ten safeties in their first years starting. There’s a lot of promise there, and with Josh Sanguinetti and Jordan Grier potentially behind them, that pairing is a step down from Dunnam and Moore at a crucial position in Big Ten football.
Others who Indiana needs to bring back:
7. Zach Carpenter
8. Philip Blidi and Marcus Burris (neither in the portal as I write this)
9. Josh Rudolph (not in portal)
10. Jaylin Lucas (not in portal)
11. Omar Cooper/EJ Williams/Cam Camper (not in portal)
12. Anthony Jones (not in portal)
13. Kahlil Benson
Additional Note (Re: James Monds)
Then there are the players like James Monds, the redshirt freshman DB who played just 9 snaps this season and was best known in 2023 for his expression during the snapping singalong celebration in the locker room after the Akron near-loss.
He announced his entrance into the transfer portal, and while he hadn’t seen the field yet, it’s a shame that he will (most likely) be headed somewhere else.
When the Indiana staff approached Monds in high school, he was a massively touted 2022 safety in Florida. He ended his recruitment just outside the top-600, but his offers from programs like Michigan, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Penn State, Miami (FL), Tennessee, Cincinnati, and others were serious, especially when Indiana committed to taking a big swing on him in 2019. So Indiana was at a significant disadvantage from the jump. The only reason the Hoosier staff received reciprocated interest in 2019 was because Kasey Teegardin had known Monds since he was a child. The staff dedicated significant time and resources toward Monds (and had some luck go its way) in the following years during Monds’ recruitment. It also helped that Indiana had a developed relationship with Monds before COVID and had gained momentum as a program. His signing was seen as a major win, and it’s difficult to overstate how included he was in the staff’s vision for the future of the defense. He just needed to develop into a field-ready Big Ten DB (more on that in a second).
Monds was a last shred of the recruiting strategy that landed Indiana some of its Tom Allen Era Florida greats – Mike Penix, Micah McFadden, Whop Philyor, Jamar Johnson, Devon Matthews, Noah Pierre, Tiawan Mullen – many who were from the 17 Florida signings in the foundational 2017 and 2018 classes. This was part of the unique way Indiana’s staff was constructed, as it was able to split the state into several zones and send assistants with significant connections to each area of Florida. Teegardin was working his zone with Monds all the way back in 2019. Now, 9 of the 16 Florida signings since the Class of 2019 are on the 2023 roster, and 3 (Monds, Dunnam, and Nick James) are currently in the transfer portal.
Given the lack of development in several high-rated signings at Indiana (especially after the departures of strength coaches David Ballou and Matt Rhea), it’s difficult to trust Monds could develop toward his full potential at Indiana, and given that none of the higher-profile programs could find a spot for him on their rosters, there is question about his potential in Power 5 football, especially if he only saw the field for 9 snaps in this secondary. Perhaps his (possible) departure would eventually illuminate the disparity between the resources spent on what the staff perceived as talent and what the actual potential of that talent was, something I don’t believe will ever be fully clear to the public.
However, whether Monds is bound for success or not elsewhere (I think he is), it’s a symbolic end to what made Indiana great during the Tom Allen Era, particularly in recruiting. And to not reap the benefits of a years-long pursuit of what was seen as a high-end talent is a shame, particularly for Indiana.