Indiana Football Loses 4 Players to Transfer Portal 1 Day After Rose Bowl

One day after the first Rose Bowl victory in program history, Indiana football lost four players to the transfer portal Friday, the first day players were officially allowed to enter their names and be contacted by other teams.

Senior receiver Makai Jackson, redshirt junior cornerback Amariyun Knighten, sophomore defensive lineman Andrew DePaepe and freshman defensive lineman William DePaepe entered the portal Friday, according to various reports.

What to know about Indiana's first transfer portal departures

Jackson announced his intention to enter the portal well in advance, as news broke Sept. 29 he left the team. The former Appalachian State transfer played in each of the season's first four games as a reserve wideout, catching three passes for 15 yards — all in a 73-0 victory over Indiana State on Sept. 12 — before opting to reserve his eligibility and take a redshirt.

He played 54 total snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, with 49 at wide receiver, three snaps as a punt returner, one snap in the slot and another as an in-line blocker. Jackson has one year of eligibility remaining..

Knighten provided competition at Indiana's boundary corner position behind All-American and Rose Bowl Defensive MVP honoree D'Angelo Ponds. Knighten appeared in just two games this season, playing four snaps against Kennesaw State in Week 2 and 19 snaps vs. Indiana State the following week, according to Pro Football Focus.

The 6-foot, 178-pound Northern Illinois transfer will have two years of eligibility remaining as he appeared in less than five games.

Indiana cornerbacks coach Rod Ojong spoke highly of Knighten earlier this season on the Inside IU Football radio show.

"You got guys like Amariyun Knighten, who's constantly getting better and working towards getting on the field," Ojong said Oct. 16.

Now, Knighten appears poised to continue that mission elsewhere next season.

The DePaepe brothers are particularly notable departures after struggling to find playing time.

Andrew, a 6-foot-5, 261-pound redshirt sophomore, was a consensus four-star recruit who transferred from Michigan State to Indiana in the spring of 2024. He missed his first season in Bloomington after suffering an injury in fall camp, and he collected two tackles and a half-tackle-for-loss in four games this season.

William, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound redshirt freshman, was a consensus three-star recruit who redshirted in 2024 and appeared in only one game this season. He recorded two tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss against Indiana State in Week 3.

On a seasoned defensive line with several key players set to graduate, the DePaepe's figured to have a chance to see more playing time next season, and Indiana defensive ends coach Buddha Williams felt confident in the future of both brothers.

"Andrew DePaepe is a younger guy that's taking huge strides," Williams said Nov. 13 on the Inside IU Football radio show. "Then I got William, his younger brother. He's also got a huge potential. Both of those guys got that huge potential.

"So, just learning day-by-day, their preparation throughout the week, I think is what they can lean on the older guys with."

They'll now carry their wisdom to a new destination.

What transfer losses mean to Indiana football's College Football Playoff run

Not much. Indiana hasn't lost a member of its two-deep depth chart. Andrew DePaepe may have been next in line had the Hoosiers sustained another injury on their defensive line, but none of Indiana's departures were expected to play a snap in the Playoff.

The transfer portal is open for entry until Jan. 11.