By Mark Pszonak
With the official firing of head coach Tom Allen, Indiana players are immediately eligible to enter the transfer portal. Numerous players will be contacted by other schools with the hope that they make themselves available, but here are the five who will be the busiest in the coming weeks:
ATH Jaylin Lucas
The skinny: Lucas will not wow anyone with his size (5-foot-7, 190-pounds) but his athleticism is enough to change games. An All-American kick returner in 2022, the sophomore has also rushed for 546 yards and four touchdowns while grabbing 50 receptions for 329 yards and two touchdowns during his two seasons. A creative offensive coordinator can have a lot of fun with Lucas on his roster.
Schools to watch: Louisville, Tulane, LSU, Maryland, Houston, Arkansas
QB Brendan Sorsby
The skinny: This one is cheating a bit since Sorsby has already announced that he plans to enter the transfer portal. After earning the starting job during the second half of the season, Sorsby showed plenty of potential despite only completing 57% of his passes. Overall, he passed for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, while also rushing for four touchdowns. The redshirt freshman also had some big performances, like when he passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns at Penn State and 289 yards and three touchdowns at Illinois.
Schools to watch: Illinois, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Boston College
More Sports News
OL Carter Smith
The skinny: The redshirt freshman experienced some expected ups-and-downs this season as a first-year starter at left tackle but had enough impressive performances that would have college coaches very excited about his potential. If you want proof of his potential just check out his play against Wisconsin when he played a huge part in helping the Hoosiers pull off the upset.
Schools to watch: Tennessee, Virgnia, Northwestern, West Virginia, Louisville, Kentucky
WR Donaven McCulley
The skinny: McCulley arrived at Indiana as a quarterback, but he has found his future at wide receiver. Making the move prior to the 2022 season, it understandably took some time for him to feel comfortable at his new position. And that comfort switch seemed to turn on during the second half of this season when he finished with 29 receptions for 420 yards and five touchdowns during the last five games. With the potential he has recently shown and with his 6-foot-5, 200-frame, he is a very intriguing prospect.
Schools to watch: Louisville, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ole Miss
DB Jamari Sharpe
The skinny: Sharpe gained some experience last season in three games while redshirting. This season he has established himself as an important part of the secondary with 22 tackles, one tackle for a loss, one interception and three pass breakups while seeing time in all 12 games. He has the size (6-foot-1, 190-pounds) that college coaches look for, and now he has valuable Big Ten experience that he can bring to the table.
Schools to watch: UCF, Missouri, Georgia Tech, Miami-Florida, South Carolina
