2 more Hoosiers go pro

The Hoosier football class of 2005 added two more players to NFL rosters as former Indiana running back Chris Taylor signed a rookie free agent contract with the Houston Texans and former Indiana defensive end Ben Ishola signed a rookie free agent contract with the Miami Dolphins on \nMay 5. \nTaylor and Ishola join fourth round draft picks defensive end Victor Adeyanju (St. Louis Rams) and offensive lineman Isaac Sowells (Cleveland Browns), as well as rookie free agent signees linebacker Kyle Killion (Indianapolis Colts) and linebacker/fullback John Pannozzo (Atlanta Falcons), as Hoosiers that hope to continue playing at the next level.\nTaylor bested his career high of three touchdowns in a season as he crossed the goal line four times and rushed for 740 yards on 156 carries in all 11 games for the Hoosiers in the 2005 campaign. \nTaylor recorded monster games against the Hoosiers two biggest rivals, Kentucky and Purdue. In the Kentucky game, he ran for 176 yards on 17 carries and followed that up by nearly posting his third 100-yard rushing effort with 97 yards on 13 carries against Purdue on Nov. 19. Another standout performance came against Illinois, when Taylor rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.\nTaylor made the best of his offseason workouts as he landed a spot on the Texans roster.\n"Houston said that they were real impressed with the way I ran," Taylor said in a statement. "I told them that I can play special teams. I'll do anything that they ask. I just appreciate the opportunity to go in and compete." \nTaylor has had experience before in taking advantage of opportunities. He was supposed to redshirt his freshman season of 2002 but due to an injury to Brian Lewis, Taylor was penciled in as the second tailback for the Hoosiers. Taylor went on to play in six games for the Hoosiers and lead all true freshmen in rushing.\nIshola has come a long way from his native soil in Berlin, Germany, in which he played for the Berlin Adler American Football Club and helped the team to a 7-8 record in 2002 and an appearance in the league semifinals. Ishola also spent time in Nigeria, the birthplace of his father, as a child. He now joins a Dolphins team that finished 9-7 last year.\n"He has a tremendous upside." IU coach Terry Heoppner said in a statement. "He brings a lot to a team -- athleticism, speed, size. He could have an impact on special teams." \nIshola started all 11 games of his senior season as he finished the year with 27 total tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss. He opened up his senior year in style with five tackles at Central Michigan and followed that up with another stellar performance as he posted a career-high six tackles against Nicholls State. The 2005 season was not the only standout season for Ishola as he played a pivitol role for the defense in 2004. He registered two sacks in an important non-conference road game versus then-No. 24 University of Oregon. Isholo also had a major impact in the Michigan State game in 2004 as he recorded a season-high five tackles, all solo, and had a pair of solo tackles versus then-No. 23 Minnesota. Ishola finished the 2004 season with 12 solo tackles and two assists.