Three Impact Transfers For Indiana Football's Defense in 2023

After watching Indiana football practice and interviewing players and coaches throughout the spring, here are three potential impact transfers for the Hoosiers' defense in 2023.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana revamped its roster this offseason with 18 incoming transfers, and many will be counted on to make an impact in 2023.

While some players haven't arrived in Bloomington yet, most of these transfers joined Indiana for the spring 2023 semester. Coach Tom Allen and the Hoosiers wrapped up their 15th and final spring practice on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, giving fans their first look at the team.

After watching Indiana practice this spring and interviewing players and coaches, here are three potential impact transfers on the defensive side of the ball.

Andre Carter

Carter leads a group of defensive line transfers that all make a compelling case to be included on this list, including Lanell Carr from West Virginia, Philip Blidi from Texas Tech and Marcus Burris from Texas A&M.

From watching Carter this spring and asking Indiana teammates and coaches about him, it's hard to believe he didn't make the jump to a Power 5 school prior to this season. Carter played 46 total games at Western Michigan and started all 12 games in 2022. With 68 tackles, a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks, Carter was named second-team All-MAC as a senior.

At 6-foot-5, 273 pounds, Carter has been a constant source of havoc during spring practices, and he said he has the versatility to play anywhere along the defensive line. Carter was one of Indiana's MVPs of spring practice, along with senior defensive back Noah Pierre, and Allen expects him to make a big impact on Saturdays. 

"He's the biggest, most physical one we've had here since I've been here and very, very disruptive," Allen said. "We've got to get him in elite shape, he's not there yet. Just really excited about him. He's a great kid. He's bought into everything we're about here ... You can tell what he can do, and so it's about the details of his technique that he'll improve on this summer as well. He's a very good football player, and I'm glad he's with us. Now he's got a chance to prove he belongs in the Big Ten."

Western Michigan defensive lineman Andre Carter (5) tackles Nevada running back Toa Taua (35) during first half action of the Quick Lane Bowl on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, at Ford Field :: © Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jacob Mangum-Farrar

Indiana linebacker and three-time captain Cam Jones is off to the NFL, making linebacker a position of need this offseason. While 2022 leading tackler Aaron Casey is expected to lead this group next fall, Indiana also lost talented freshman Dasan McCullough, who transferred to Oklahoma. Early returns show Mangum-Farrar could be a versatile piece to help replace that production.

Mangum-Farrar transfers to Indiana after five seasons at Stanford. He dealt with injuries early in his career, but the a 6-foot-4, 235-pound linebacker made 44 tackles across nine games for Stanford in 2022. Out of Kempner High School in Sugar Land, Tex., he was a four-star recruit and the No. 46 player in Texas in the class of 2018.

Throughout spring practice, Mangum-Farrar has lined up all over the field for Indiana, bringing impressive speed and length at linebacker. Mangum-Farrar mostly played inside linebacker at Stanford, but he said he's had more pass-rush responsibilities since arriving at Indiana, which he said will help elevate his game.

"He's very, very bright, graduated from Stanford and very, very versatile, yes," Allen said. "A lot of things he can do for us from a package perspective. He gives us a lot of flexibility with that, and I expect to use him in those ways, both as a traditional inside linebacker and as an edge guy. So I think he's going to be a big part of our defense, and I'm really excited about him."

Oregon State Beavers wide receiver Tre'Shaun Harrison (0) carries the ball while being tackled by Stanford Cardinal linebacker Jacob Mangum-Farrar (14) during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium / © Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Jamier Johnson

Johnson transfers to Indiana after playing two seasons for the Texas Longhorns. He was a four-star, top-275 recruit out of John Muir High School in Pasadena, Calif. As a freshman in 2021, Johnson appeared in 10 games primarily on special teams, and he played in seven games with one start in 2022.

Indiana lost a pair of veteran starting cornerbacks, Tiawan Mullen and Jaylin Williams, and Johnson will have an opportunity to help replace their production. During Indiana's spring practice on Saturday, Johnson intercepted a jump-ball pass from Tayven Jackson that was intended for 6-foot-3 Clemson transfer E.J. Williams in the end zone.

"He's competitive, which to me, if you asked me what's the first criteria a defensive back must have, it's the mentality of competitiveness. He has that," Indiana co-defensive coordinator Matt Guerrieri said. "Then, he does have length to be able to battle with big wide receivers and he can run. So he's not a bad matchup because has those two things from that standpoint. He's done a really good job with those."

Indiana's Noah Pierre (0) and the defense congratulate Jamier Johnson (9) for his interception of Tayven Jackson (2) during Indiana football's Spring Football Saturday event at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 15, 2023 :: Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

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