Hoosiers Now

NBA Legend LeBron James Praises Hoosiers After Battle With Ohio State

LeBron James, the four-time NBA champion, follows college football closely, and he was very impressed with how Indiana played No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday.

Tom Brew

LeBron James went straight to the NBA out of high school, but the Akron, Ohio native has always rooted hard for his Ohio State Buckeyes,

But on Saturday night, the four-time NBA champion took the time to give a shout-out on Twitter to Indiana's football team and their standout quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. The Hoosiers played James' Buckeyes tough, mounting a furious rally before falling short, 42-35. It was Indiana's first loss of the season.

James said: "IU got a great team, QB got amazing touch, playmakers on the outside, defensive 4 is tough! They’re going to be scary good very soon! Look out! Salute. Nevertheless #GoBucks"

It was nice national recognition for the Hoosiers because James has 48.3 million Twitter followers, and his tweet was liked more than 27,000 people in the first few hours.

Penix was that QB with amazing tough, throwing for 491 yards and five touchdowns in the loss to No. 3 Ohio State. The biggest playmaker was wide receiver Ty Fryfogle, who had seven catches for 213 yards and three touchdowns.

James said Indiana was "going to be scary good very soon!'' and he's not wrong. The Hoosiers had won their first four games, and they were the first Big Ten team to play Ohio State close in nearly two years. Before Saturday, Ohio State had won 18 straight Big Ten games by double-digits.

Several people with Indiana sports ties responded to James' tweet, including the official Indiana football account, Indiana basketball player Khristian Lander, and more.

Related stories on Indiana-Ohio State

  • INDIANA BIG FAVORITE: The point spreads are out for Week 6 in the Big Ten and the Hoosiers are expected to roll over Maryland. CLICK HERE
  • GAME TIME SET: Indiana will play Maryland at Noon ET on Saturday in Bloomington as the Hoosiers look to bounce back into the win column. CLICK HERE
  • GAME STORY: Ohio State holds off Indiana's rally, wins 42-35 to remain unbeaten in the Big Ten. CLICK HERE
  • TOM BREW COLUMN: We learned more about Indiana's greatness in defeat that we did in their first four wins. CLICK HERE
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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as a reporter and editor, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the Indianapolis Star and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered college sports in the digital platform for the past six years, including the last five years as publisher of HoosiersNow on the FanNation/Sports Illustrated network.

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