A wave of former Indiana Hoosiers is spread across the NFL landscape heading into Week 3, with a few already carving out roles and others sidelined by early injuries.
Indiana had eight players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, a milestone that added another layer to Curt Cignetti’s tenure in Bloomington. That pipeline is already showing up on Sundays, with rookies like Kaelon Black and Kahlil Benson making immediate impacts and a long list of ex-Hoosiers turning up on active rosters and practice squads around the league.
Not everyone is available this week, though. Omar Cooper Jr. is on IR after only two games, and so is Jets teammate Marcelino McCrary-Ball. Mikail Kamara was placed on IR before the season began.
Even with those absences, there’s still plenty of former IU talent to track in Week 3.
The early window on Sunday, September 27, brings a packed slate. The Panthers face the Browns at 1:00 p.m.
ET on FOX, with EJ Williams Jr. listed for Carolina. At the same time, the Jets meet the Lions on FOX, and that matchup includes D'Angelo Ponds, along with injured Jets players Omar Cooper Jr. and Marcelino McCrary-Ball.
CBS has another full 1:00 p.m. ET lineup.
The Texans play the Colts, with Aiden Fisher on Houston and Nick Westbrook-Ikine on Indianapolis. The Chiefs take on the Dolphins, where Kahlil Benson and Cam Jones are both on Kansas City’s side.
The Titans draw the Giants, featuring Pat Coogan for Tennessee and Raheem Layne and Micah McFadden for New York. In Bengals-Steelers, Ke'Shawn Williams is with Cincinnati and Riley Nowakowski is on Pittsburgh’s roster.
The later games keep the Hoosiers in the mix. Arizona against San Francisco starts at 4:05 p.m.
ET on FOX and includes Kaelon Black and Kurtis Rourke with the 49ers, plus injured 49ers defenders Mikail Kamara and C.J. West.
Minnesota-Tampa Bay, also at 4:05 p.m. ET on FOX, features Myles Price for the Vikings and Dan Feeney and Luke Haggard on the Buccaneers.
At 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS, Elijah Sarratt is with the Ravens for their game against the Cowboys.
The Raiders-Saints matchup is also set for 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS, though the source does not list any former Hoosiers for that game.
In Other News...
Indiana Win Brings Two Injury Worries Hoosier Fans Will Be Watching
Indianas win over Northwestern came with an unwelcome dose of concern, as the Hoosiers saw running back Turbo Richard leave in the first half and never return. Head coach Curt Cignetti addressed Richards injury and the circumstances surrounding the tackle afterward, adding a small postgame cloud to what should have been a clean result.
Rolijah Hardy added to the uneasy feeling later in the game when the starting linebacker went down as well, though he was able to walk off the field on his own. Jeff Utzinger stepped in for Hardy, and Indiana will now wait to see whether either injury lingers beyond a victory that otherwise moved the team forward. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Escapes To 4-0 With A Bigger Problem Ahead
Indianas Big Ten opener delivered the kind of result that keeps an undefeated start intact and, for stretches, showed why this team has been able to survive early tests. The defense set the tone against Northwestern, holding the Wildcats to negative rushing yards in the first half, while quarterback Josh Hoover steadied things after some early struggles and helped guide the scoring drives that carried Indiana to a 29-23 win and a 4-0 record.
The bigger issue now is what the victory may have cost. Injuries to running backs Turbo Richard and Khobie Martin surfaced as the game went on, and in a conference stretch where depth matters almost as much as momentum, Indiana will need answers quickly if it wants the start to mean more than just a strong September. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Survived A Real Big Ten Test After A Costly Scare
Indiana had to work for every bit of this one at Memorial Stadium, where Northwestern pushed the Hoosiers far harder than the final margin might suggest. The 29-23 win came with a heavy dose of urgency after Turbo Richard left the game injured, forcing Indiana to lean even more on Lee Beebe Jr., who responded with 203 rushing yards and a touchdown to keep the offense moving.
Josh Hoover eventually delivered the play that settled it, scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a quarterback run late in the game. For Indiana, the bigger concern may be what came before that final push, because surviving a Big Ten test is one thing, but doing it while watching an important back exit in the middle of the fight changes the conversation heading into what comes next. [Read more 🡒]