Portal Positives: 3 Impact Transfers For Indiana Football Defense

After bringing in more transfers than any Big Ten team this offseason, here are three players in line to play a key role in Indiana’s defense.

Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds during fall camp. / Spencer Meyer, Indiana Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – In previous eras of college football, first-year coaches often had to rebuild their program through high school recruiting or wait a year until transfers became eligible. 

But a recent rule change now gives transfers immediate eligibility, allowing coaches like Indiana’s Curt Cignetti to flip the roster in one offseason in hopes of winning right away. The Hoosiers lost defensive starters Louis Moore, Phillip Dunnam, Kobee Minor and Philip Blidi to the transfer portal, but overall, Cignetti feels his first offseason on the job was a positive.

“When you lose an All-American in the portal, you’re cursing the portal,” Cignetti said Monday. “But then when you’re able to bring in 30 new guys, you like the portal.”

“I think in our particular situation, there were so many in the portal when I got hired, the first day I was here we had so many in, that I felt really good about – and I think the portal was a plus. So I think it was easier.” 

Indiana returns a few starting defenders from the 2023 season, but it will rely heavily on transfers as it aims to improve a unit that ranked last in the Big Ten with 394.1 yards allowed per game. 

Here are three transfers who will play key roles on Indiana’s 2024 defense. 

D’Angelo Ponds, cornerback

D’Angelo Ponds was named a Freshman All-American and second-team All-Sun Belt cornerback as a true freshman at James Madison last season. He ranked 11th in the FBS with 15 passes defended and led the Dukes with an 89.7 defense grade and an 89.3 coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus. Among all FBS cornerbacks in 2023, those grades ranked eighth and 10th, respectively.

Indiana landed Ponds during the transfer portal’s spring cycle, despite interest from Auburn, Miami, Tennessee, USC and others. Cignetti said Ponds has special qualities and was a big get, given that the Hoosiers lost starting cornerback Kobee Minor to the transfer portal after spring practice and its depth took a hit when JoJo Johnson and Josh Philostin suffered injuries in fall camp. 

Ponds was recently named a preseason third-team All-American by Pro Football Focus (PFF), and he has made a strong first impression on Indiana’s 2023 leading receiver.

“Making me better, definitely D’Angelo Ponds,” Donaven McCulley said during fall camp. “He’s real good, so I like going against him every day. He definitely makes me better.”

James Madison cornerback D'Angelo Ponds in coverage against Appalachian State. / jmusports.com

Mikail Kamara, defensive end

Indiana’s pass rush could use a boost from last season, and James Madison transfer Mikail Kamara will be part of that effort. The 2023 Hoosiers ranked 129th out of 133 FBS teams with a 60.8 pass rush grade last season, according to PFF, and last in the Big Ten with just 20 sacks in 12 games. Aaron Casey led Indiana with 6.5 sacks in 2023, but he’s off to the NFL, further enhancing the need for a newcomer like Kamara to get to the quarterback. 

Kamara spent four seasons at James Madison, most recently making 52 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two pass breakups in 2023. He was part of a Dukes defense that led the nation in run defense and tackles for loss. Starting 12 of 13 games, he was named second-team All-Sun Belt and a Group of Five third-team All-American.

Indiana's Mikail Kamara (6) works against Indiana's Trey Wedig (75) during the spring game at Memorial Stadaium on Thursday, April 18, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kamara felt once he overcame shoulder and ankle injuries that limited him to five total games across the 2022 and 2021 seasons, he was able to fully showcase his abilities.

“I just needed to go out there and play. I just needed more game experience. Once I got over the hump of the injuries, I was able to play a lot faster, work out harder and it transformed me into a lot better player,” Kamara said during spring practice.

Cignetti is familiar with Kamara from his time at James Madison, but even he sees a difference in the 6-foot-1, 265-pound edge rusher. 

“I think the one guy that’s really upped his game is Kamara,” Cignetti said during fall camp. “You saw that in the spring and it’s continued into the fall. He’s just playing at another level.”

Carter Smith, who started all 12 games at left tackle for Indiana last season, has quickly learned the challenge of blocking Kamara.

“I hate Mikail, man,” Smith said during fall camp. “I hate Mikail. He’s so fast, so good with his hands.”

Jailin Walker, linebacker

Cignetti and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines want Indiana to play a “fast, physical and relentless” brand of football, and Jalin Walker fits that bill. Heading into the 2024 season, he was ranked No. 63 out of 101 selections on the College Football Freaks List by The Athletic, which wrote that Walker has a 40-inch vertical leap.

“He consistently hits 21-22 mph every day,” Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher told The Athletic. “He can jump out of the gym. In all of his explosive efforts that we do, he comes in at No. 1 in all of ’em. It’s really impressive. He’s just so explosive.”

Indiana's Jailin Walker (2) during fall practice at the Mellencamp Pavilion at Indiana University on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Walker played in 31 games at James Madison over the last three seasons, earning an All-Sun Belt honorable mention in 2022 and 2023. Last season, he totaled 65 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles and 1.5 sacks. 

"You can see J-Walk's athleticism on the practice field, sideline to sideline,” Cignetti said. “He can really run. He's one of the fastest guys on the team."

With Casey gone, expect Walker and Fisher to be among Indiana’s leading tacklers this season.

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• PORTAL POSITIVES, OFFENSE: Indiana’s roster is filled with transfers, and these three are among the top candidates to make a difference in 2024. CLICK HERE

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