Indiana Football: Offseason hits keep coming, Sampson James enters transfer portal

The Indiana football program continues to have a tough offseason as another member of the running back room and a fourth total player enters the transfer portal.

After one of the best seasons in Indiana football history, it has been anything but great this offseason for Tom Allen. Along with losing multiple coaches to other programs, the transfer portal has not been kind to the Hoosiers either.

On Monday it was announced that Indiana rising sophomore running back Sampson James has entered his name in the transfer portal. James has now become the fifth notable Indiana player to announce their intention to transfer since the season ended, and the fourth running back since the start of the 2019 season.

Regardless of the previous players announcing their transfer, James was expected to be a main contributor next season for the Hoosiers. The freshman back rushed for 275 yards and three touchdowns on 81 carries this past season.

Having a breakout game in the season finale against Purdue with Stevie Scott sidelined, James ran the ball 22 times for 118 yards and one score, showcasing his ability and potential.

One of the highest-rated recruits in Indiana program history, James flipped from Ohio State in 2018 and signed with IU just a few months after.

James was ranked as the No. 181 overall player in the 2019 class.

The Hoosiers, whose backfield was once extremely deep and talented, is now down to Stevie Scott and incoming freshman Tim Baldwin Jr as the two players who came to Indiana with a scholarship offer. Ahrod Lloyd received a scholarship after arriving on campus and Charlie Spegal, 2019 Indiana Mr. Football, is a preferred walk-on.

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