Indiana Football Week 4 Injury Report Against Akron

Indiana listed six players out in the pregame injury report against Akron, including quarterback Dexter Williams II, wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr., cornerback Jamier Johnson, running back Josh Henderson, tight end James Bomba and offensive lineman Max Longman. Indiana listed cornerback Nic Toomer and offensive lineman Bray Lynch as questionable.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – In the pregame injury report before Saturday's 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff against Akron, Indiana listed six players out and two as questionable.

Out

• #5 Dexter Williams II, quarterback 
• #7 E.J. Williams Jr., wide receiver 
• #9 Jamier Johnson, cornerback 
• #26 Josh Henderson, running back
• #48 James Bomba, tight end
• #60 Max Longman, offensive lineman 

Questionable

• #15 Nic Toomer, cornerback
• #74 Bray Lynch, offensive lineman

What this means for Indiana

As expected, Dexter Williams II remains out as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in the 2022 season finale against Purdue. Redshirt freshman Tayven Jackson remains Indiana's starting quarterback.

E.J. Williams Jr. is out for the second consecutive week. He suffered what appeared to be a hand injury against Indiana State, as he's been seen with a brace on his right hand. Williams was listed as a starter when healthy, but Indiana has proven to have a deep wide receiver room, including Cam Camper, DeQuece Carter, Donaven McCulley, Omar Cooper Jr., Andison Coby and Kamryn Perry.

Jamier Johnson did not play against Indiana State after suffering an unknown injury against Ohio State in Week 1. He returned to action last week against Louisville, but he will not play Saturday against Akron. In his absence, Indiana will rely on cornerbacks Kobee Minor, Jamari Sharpe and possibly Nic Toomer, who was listed as questionable. Further down the depth chart, cornerbacks JoJo Johnson and James Monds III could play a larger role on Saturday.

Josh Henderson is perhaps the most notable absence, as he's played every game for Indiana this season. Henderson is second on the team with 22 carries for 91 yards, and he's tied for the team lead with two touchdowns. Without Henderson, leading rusher Jaylin Lucas will continue to see a heavy workload, and Wake Forest transfer Christian Turner will likely have a larger role. Trent Howland is next on the depth chart behind Turner.

With James Bomba out, Bradley Archer and Aaron Steinfeldt will carry most or all of the tight end responsibilities on Saturday. Bomba is mostly used as a blocking tight end, but he also has three catches for 31 yards this season. 

Max Longman started at right guard for Indiana last week against Louisville, but he suffered and injury and did not play in the second half. Matthew Bedford played the entire second half at right guard against Louisville. Bedford was listed as questionable last week, but he is not on the injury report in Week 4. Bray Lynch is listed questionable this week, but he has only played in a few late-game scenarios this season.

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