NFL Hoosiers Returning to Bloomington for Penn State Game
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A few familiar faces will be at Memorial Stadium on Saturday when the Hoosiers take on Penn State at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Indiana coach Tom Allen said former Hoosiers Micah McFadden, Peyton Hendershot and Jason Spriggs will be with the team on game day. Both rookies, McFadden now plays linebacker for the New York Giants, and Hendershot is a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants and Cowboys are both on a bye week in Week 9. Spriggs is currently a free agent after being released by the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 12, 2022.
McFadden was selected by the New York Giants in the fifth round with the 146th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He recorded his first NFL sack on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, and has 14 total tackles through the first eight games of his professional career.
McFadden led the Hoosiers in tackles for three consecutive seasons dating back to 2019. In 2020, he was voted to the first team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media, and he landed on the Associated Press' third team All-American.
As a senior, McFadden was honored with Indiana’s Anthony Thompson Most Valuable Player Award, finishing his career with 216 tackles, 14 sacks, 37 tackles for loss, four interceptions, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and four pass breakups.
Hendershot caught his first NFL regular season touchdown on Oct. 23 against the Detroit Lions, a 2-yard score that secured the Dallas' 24-6 win. The Cowboys signed Hendershot as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana University before the 2022 season. Through the first eight weeks of Hendershot's rookie year, he's caught nine passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Hendershot graduated from Indiana University with the most receiving yards (1,479) and receptions (136) in program history among tight ends. As a redshirt freshman in 2018, Hendershot started 10 games for Indiana, He made his first career catch, a 3-yard touchdown, in the season opener at Florida International. In 2019, he set Indiana single-season tight end records with 52 receptions and 622 yards, starting all 13 games. He was tied for fourth in the nation among tight ends with 52 catches, and totaled 67 yards in the Gator Bowl.
In 2020, Hendershot finished second on the team in receptions and touchdowns, including a score that helped Indiana defeat Michigan. Hendershot was a team captain during the 2021 season, and led the Hoosiers with 46 receptions, 543 yards and four touchdowns.
He earned Indiana’s Anthony Thompson Most Valuable Player Award in 2021, as well as Indiana's Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year. Across his five-year collegiate career, Hendershot garnered All-Big Ten honors three years in a row.
Spriggs is not on an NFL roster at the moment after the Colts released him in August, but he's played in 59 games as an offensive tackle dating back to 2016. The Green Bay Packers drafted Spriggs in the second round with the 48th overall pick in 2016. He played the first three years of his career in Green Bay, followed by one season with the Chicago Bears and one with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021.
Indiana Hoosiers offensive lineman Jason Spriggs (78) celebrates with wide receiver Mitchell Paige (87) after scoring a touchdown during the 2015 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The Blue Devils won 44-41 in overtime.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Spriggs left Indiana after the 2015 season as one of the top offensive linemen in program history. He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention during the first three years of his career before a breakout senior year.
In 2015, Spriggs, along with Dan Feeney, became the fifth and sixth first team All-American offensive linemen in program history. Spriggs and Feeney anchored an Indiana offense that finished first in the Big Ten in total offense, passing offense and scoring offense. Spriggs allowed just two sacks on 475 pass attempts, on his way to becoming the first Outland Trophy semifinalist in school history.
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- JAMES FRANKLIN PREVIEWS IU: Penn State football coach James Franklin brings the Nittany Lions to Bloomington, Ind. for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Here's what he said about Indiana. CLICK HERE
- AARON CASEY STEPS IN FOR CAM JONES: When Indiana football's leading tackler and captain Cam Jones went down with a foot injury, linebacker Aaron Casey closed in on an opportunity to be a defensive force and an emerging leader who now leads the Hoosiers in total tackles. CLICK HERE
- WEEK 10 DEPTH AND INJURY CHART Heading into Indiana football's matchup with No. 16 Penn State on Saturday, check out a few injury notes to keep an eye on, as well as the Week 10 depth chart. CLICK HERE
- UNCERTAINTY AT QB: Indiana football coach Tom Allen and offensive coordinator Walt Bell are evaluating different options at quarterback heading into a Week 10 matchup against Penn State. CLICK HERE
