Bloomington – Indian football was one of the busiest teams in the transfer portal for the third consecutive season.
This time it was under a new team led by Curt Cignetti, who brought in a transfer class that ranks 30th in the country, according to 247 Spots. There are only two teams (Colorado and Louisville) that signed more players than IU in mid-May.
Indiana football’s 2024 opponents may not have been as busy, but there were plenty of impact players on the move.
Here is a list of the top transfers the Hoosiers will face this fall during the 2024 season (presented in alphabetical order):
More: 2024 Indiana Football Projected Offensive Depth Chart After Spring Practice
Top Transfers Indiana Football Will Face in 2024
Jahmal Banks, wide receiver; Nebraska (Wake Forest)
Banks is an NFL-sized receiver at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and a scary deep threat. Last year, he caught 15 passes of 20 yards or more in the air for 449 yards with four touchdowns. In 2022, he tied for the 13th most contested receptions (14) in the FBS and his average depth of target was 16.0 yards. The benches could help spark a dormant Nebraska passing attack that ranked 129th out of 133 FBS teams last season.
Jaishawn Barham, linebacker; Michigan (Maryland)
Barham is a well-built, versatile outside linebacker who is equally capable of exploding off the line of scrimmage while dropping coverage. He also has plenty of experience with 23 career starts while earning All-Big Ten honors in each of the last two seasons. Barham was the top transfer signee on Michigan’s new team and will be an impact defender for the Wolverines this fall.
Aidan Chiles, quarterback; Michigan State (Oregon State)
Chiles is the least proven player on the list, but he may have the highest ceiling. He was the No. 58-ranked recruit in the 2023 signing class (No. 7 quarterback) as a four-star prospect and showed promise last year, appearing in nine games. He threw for 309 yards (68.6%) with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The true dual-threat quarterback could put Michigan State on track to once again be a winning program.
Caleb Downs, Security; Ohio State (Alabama)
Downs was the most watched transfer in the country, according to the 247 Sports rankings. He was a rare freshman starter for Nick Saban his senior year at Alabama. According to Pro Football Focus, he had an 85.4 overall rating last season, playing 768 defensive snaps. He had a team-high 107 tackles (70 solo) with two interceptions, four pass breakups and a forced fumble. He will move all over the backfield of the OSU defense – his position coach is former IU defensive coordinator Matt Guerrieri – and can create havoc with his elite skill set.
More: Projected Indiana football defensive depth chart for 2024 after spring practice
Rico Flores Jr., wide receiver; UCLA (Notre Dame)
Flores showed promise as a true freshman for Notre Dame, with 27 receptions for 392 yards with one touchdown. He helped his team nearly upset Ohio State with a 2-yard score by Sam Hartman in the fourth quarter. The former four-star recruit returned to the West Coast, where he hoped to play for Chip Kelly. He ended up staying awake after Kelly’s departure and gave the Bruins a potential No. 1 receiver. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder will provide IU’s secondary with an early test.
Quinshon Judkins, Running Back; Ohio State (Ole Miss)
Judkins was the highest-rated running back to enter the transfer portal in 2024. He gives OSU a monster two-headed combo in the backfield alongside Treveyon Henderson, who opted out of the 2024 NFL Draft. Judkins had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and scored 31 career rushing touchdowns. In 2023, he averaged 3.4 yards after contact, forced 69 missed tackles (sixth in the country) and made 33 runs of 10 yards or more (tied for 20th in the country). Judkins is a complete defender who fights for tough yards. He will be a real challenge for IU’s revamped defensive front seven.
Bryun Parham, linebacker, Washington (San Jose State)
Parham is the type of transfer that Curt Cignetti prioritized when he got the Indiana job — a guy with several years of experience playing at a high level. The 5-foot-11, 212-pounder has made 180 tackles (99 solo) over the past two seasons, with eight tackles for loss and 23 quarterback pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, he missed just 14 tackles in that span. He joins one of the few positions where Washington is returning experience and could form a formidable duo alongside Alphonso Tuputala and Carson Bruener.
Will Rodgers, quarterback; Washington (state of Mississippi)
One of the most experienced starters IU will face in 2024 maintained his commitment to Washington even after Kalen Deboer left for Alabama. This is a quarterback with 40 career starts, with over 12,000 yards and 96 touchdowns. The Huskies’ overall talent level took a significant hit after reaching the national title game, but Rodgers gives new coach Jedd Fisch the dynamic pro-style offense. Arizona averaged 34.6 points per game (tied for 18th in the FBS) and 448.0 yards per game (No. 20) last year with the eighth-ranked passing attack.
Sebastian Valdez, defensive lineman; Washington (state of Montana)
Valdez was one of the highest-rated defenders in the transfer portal. It will be an adjustment moving up a level, but he has the strength – he can lift 405 pounds – to match anyone. His consistent production over the last three seasons is also a good sign. He put up 92 quarterback pressures, 24 tackles for loss and 16 sacks. Valdez is effective against the run as well as a traditional three-in-a-four-man front.
Jack Velling, tight end; Michigan State (Oregon State)
Jonathan Smith brought his best tight end with him from Corvallis to the Big Ten. It was an obvious move considering Velling established himself as one of the safest tight ends in college football last season. He set an OSU season record for a tight end with eight touchdowns (tied by any tight end in the FBS). He is capable of moving all over the line and should be the top pass-catching option for a Michigan State team in the midst of a rebuild.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all of its coverage clicking here.
This article originally appeared in The Herald-Times: Who are the top transfers Indiana football will face in 2024?
