Opportunity Called. Charlie Becker Answered in 'Fantastic' Indiana Football Breakout.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — In one synchronized motion, Charlie Becker lifted his arms and leapt off the turf. Indiana football's sophomore receiver soared over a Kennesaw State defensive back, nabbed quarterback Alberto Mendoza's pass and fell into the north endzone of Memorial Stadium.

When he rose, Becker shook his arms, kicked his left leg and jumped into the waiting arms of center Pat Coogan. On the sidelines, senior receiver Elijah Sarratt, who put his hands on his helmet when Becker had a touchdown called back a few plays earlier, jumped three times in excitement.

The moment was ceremonious because of who, not what. A touchdown in a 55-9 win with six minutes remaining meant little to the Hoosiers. But for Becker, the play marked his first receiving score, and second career touchdown, in his 14th college appearance.

Becker's two-catch, 35-yard performance in the Hoosiers' Week 2 victory wasn't a coming-out party, but it served as evidence that such a party was inevitable.

His teammates already knew as much.

"Charlie, that's my dog right there," Sarratt said the following week. "I'm excited to see him score. He's made tremendous jumps from last year to this year, and he's only getting better every single day."

Now, Becker has blossomed into a rising star. Sarratt reaggravated a hamstring injury in the first quarter of Indiana's 55-10 win over Maryland on Nov. 1, prompting Becker to take over at the Hoosiers' left receiver spot.

Opportunity called. Becker answered.

The 6-foot-4, 209-pound Becker caught only one pass against Maryland, but he turned it into a 52-yard catch-and-run.

Next came the breakout.

With Sarratt inactive against Penn State on Nov. 8, Becker started opposite E.J. Williams Jr. on the perimeter. Becker made seven catches for 118 yards, including a 53-yard catch to setup a touchdown in the first quarter and a key 17-yard contested catch on the Hoosiers' game-winning drive inside the final minute.

Penn State often put Becker in one-on-one situations, hedging its bets he wouldn't capitalize. Becker had a career day instead. The Nittany Lions may have been caught off guard, but sophomore linebacker Rolijah Hardy, who arrived on campus with Becker in the summer of 2024, certainly wasn't.

"He's always been good," Hardy said. "I mean, 7-on-7, he was always one of the young guys that was already getting a lot of reps, so he's really good."

Becker and Hardy were two of four true freshmen who played 12-plus games during Indiana's run to the College Football Playoff in 2024. Becker made his mark primarily on special teams, as he played 121 snaps across kick return and punt and kickoff coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.

Offensively, Becker played only 23 snaps. His lone touch resulted in a three-yard rushing touchdown against Western Illinois.

The Nashville native impressed during spring and fall camp, setting the stage for a step forward in his sophomore season. Against Penn State, he didn't just step forward, he took a broad jump-sized leap en route to being named Indiana's offensive player of the game.

"Becker has taken advantage of his opportunities before the Penn State game, and really proud of him to come up big the way he did in that game," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said Nov. 10. "I thought he just showed a lot right there. We knew he had skills. He was long. He's always done a great job on special teams. He made some good catches when he had a chance to play this season.

"But in that venue to make those plays -- he was the offensive player of the game. Really proud of him, and now let's stay humble and hungry and build on it."

Becker did exactly that. Sarratt, labeled as doubtful due to his injury, went through pre-game warmups against Wisconsin on Nov. 15. He took a break from testing his hamstring to hug Becker on the goal line in Memorial Stadium's north endzone.

Later that afternoon, Becker caught five passes for 108 yards and a touchdown — a difficult grab in the back of the same endzone he'd embraced Sarratt an hour earlier. When he stood up, he brought his arms together and symbolized IU's trident, a celebration Sarratt has used after touchdowns this season.

Becker has learned more than celebratory reactions from Sarratt. The two share a similar play style in terms of ball skills and their ability to win in contested catches.

Becker credits several parties for his evolution, including offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, who doubles as, in Becker's words, "probably the best wide receiver coach in the country." There's also Williams, redshirt junior receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and now-Minnesota Vikings receiver Myles Price, who played at Indiana last season.

But each time Becker distributes praise to his mentors, he always starts with Sarratt, who led Indiana's left receivers through drills last season and subsequently spent considerable time with Becker.

"I think I've grown a lot," Becker said. "All those guys from last year, and learning from these guys this year, it's been so helpful in my personal growth."

Cignetti saw Becker's growth on the practice field but needed to see it translate. There's little doubting the validity of Becker's ascent now.

"Once they have success on the game field, then a lot of incredible things can happen if they use that success correctly," Cignetti said Nov. 13 on the Inside IU Football radio show. "And Charlie Becker has."

Becker embodies Indiana's six-game sprint between bye weeks perhaps better than anybody. He didn't catch a pass in the Hoosiers' victories over Oregon and Michigan State to begin the stretch, yet by the end, he emerged as a critical piece to the offense's puzzle.

Indiana often battled injury woes. Since the previous bye in Week 6, senior linebacker Aiden Fisher missed seven quarters, Sarratt missed 11 quarters, starting left guard Drew Evans missed three games, senior edge defender Mikail Kamara played through a nerve stinger in his shoulder and starting edge rusher Kellan Wyatt suffered a season-ending knee injury.

But the Hoosiers kept winning, in large part due to players like Becker who stepped up and made plays when the opportunity presented itself.

"He's out here playing phenomenal because we have a guy down," Fisher said.

Becker prepared for his moment long before it came. He lives with Fernando and Alberto Mendoza, along with sophomore specialist Quinn Warren. At 7 a.m. during random spring and summer Sunday mornings, Becker ran routes for and caught passes from the Mendoza brothers.

The work that previously went unseen has allowed Becker to thrive with the cream-and-crimson-colored spotlight on him for the first time.

"Chuck has been fantastic," Fernando Mendoza said Nov. 15. "Just his work ethic and what it's all accumulated to is so special to see. He's making huge plays on the field, getting a lot of targets, getting a lot of catches and really contributing to our already elite receiving corps."

Sarratt appears probable to return for Indiana's regular season finale against Purdue at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 28 in West Lafayette, which signals Becker's return to a reserve role.

For the Hoosiers, all eyes remain on the present. They're unafraid to speak of Big Ten Championship or College Football Playoff National Championship aspirations.

But Cignetti acknowledged after Indiana's win over Maryland that, in his job, he's forced to look down the road and think about his roster for 2026 and beyond. To have underclassmen step up, Cignetti said, is good to see — and with the Hoosiers' receiving corps poised to lose several pieces after the season, Becker's recent surge helps ease significant long-term question marks at the position.

"It's been awesome," Becker said. "It just means a lot to be able to come out here and show what I can do."