Hoosiers Now

West Virginia Defensive Lineman Lanell Carr Transfers to Indiana

Lanell Carr, a former defensive lineman for West Virginia, announced on Saturday that he's transferring to Indiana.

Jack Ankony

In this story:

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Tom Allen wanted to add more depth to the defensive line this offseason, and so far he's added two players to fit that bill through the transfer portal.

Western Michigan transfer Andre Carter was first, and on Saturday, Lanell Carr announced his intentions to transfer to Indiana.

Carr is a 6-foot-1, 245-pound defensive lineman who joins Indiana with two years of remaining eligibility. He played all 12 games for West Virginia in 2022 and made 21 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Carr appeared in 17 games with two starts across his first two seasons at West Virginia.

Carr primarily played West Virginia's bandit position, a hybrid linebacker that lines up in the box or on the edge with responsibilities to rush the passer or drop in coverage. This is similar to what Indiana calls its bull position, which was played by Lance Bryant, Myles Jackson and Dasan McCullough during the 2022 season. With Bryant graduating and McCullough transferring to Oklahoma, it was important that Indiana added to this position, which is coached by Kasey Teegardin.

Prior to West Virginia, Carr played outside linebacker and defensive end for coach Robert Steeples at De Smet Jesuit High School in Creve Coeur, Mo., a western suburb of Saint Louis. Carr helped De Smet Jesuit go 14-0 and win the state championship, as he landed on the Missouri 6A All-State First Team. Carr earned the team's Hammer Award, given to the hardest hitter. 

Carr chose West Virginia over offers from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. He was a three-star recruit out of high school, the No. 11 player in Missouri and the No. 63 outside linebacker in the nation, according to ESPN.

Related stories on Indiana football

  • INDIANA FOOTBALL TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: In our Indiana football transfer portal tracker, you can find a complete list of Hoosiers that have entered the transfer portal, declared for the NFL Draft, exhausted their collegiate eligibility and players that are transferring to Indiana for the 2023 season. We will frequently update this list throughout the offseason. CLICK HERE
  • CLEMSON WR E.J. WILLIAMS TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Indiana football landed wide receiver transfer E.J. Williams, a former top-100 recruit from Phenix City, Ala. who spent the last three seasons at Clemson. CLICK HERE
  • WAKE FOREST RB CHRISTIAN TURNER TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Former Wake Forest and Michigan running back Christian Turner is joining the Indiana football program for his final season of eligibility, he announced on Friday. CLICK HERE
  • STANFORD CB NICOLAS TOOMER TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Indiana football picked up its third commitment of the day through the transfer portal with Stanford cornerback Nicolas Toomer. CLICK HERE
  • FORDHAM WR DEQUECE CARTER TRANSFERS TO INDIANA: Wide receiver Dequece Carter gained over 3,000 yards at Fordham, but he announced on Saturday that he's transferring to Indiana for his final year of eligibility. CLICK HERE
  • 2023 RECRUITING CLASS: Indiana signed 16 players during the early signing period on Dec. 21, including 11 high school players and 5 collegiate transfers. Here's a full breakdown of each player, complete with quotes from coach Tom Allen. CLICK HERE
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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.

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