With Indiana football off to a 6-0 start under new head coach Curt Cignetti, catch up on previous Hoosiers active in the NFL.
Ian Thomas TE
After spending three seasons with the Hoosiers, tight end Ian Thomas was drafted in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers in 2018. In his time with the Panthers, Thomas has played in 94 games and accumulated over 1,000 yards receiving.
Recently, Thomas suffered a calf injury during training camp, sidelining him for at least four weeks. As a result, Thomas has been placed on Injury Reserve and has not yet made an appearance in the 2024-25 season.
Cam Jones LB
In his time at IU, Cam Jones appeared in 47 of 55 games and earned an honorable All-Big Ten mention from the conference coaches and media panels in 2022.
Now, Jones is in his second season in the league with the Kansas City Chiefs. Jones originally came into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs in 2023.
This season, Jones has made an appearance in all five games. However, he has not accumulated a long list of stats thus far. He picked up an assisted tackle in Week 3 and just recently a solo tackle in Week 5. This brings his total to two tackles this season.
Dan Feeney G
Since being selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft, Dan Feeney has been on numerous different teams, including the New York Jets, the Miami Dolphins, and the Chicago Bears.
Now in his eighth year in the league, Feeney is with the Minnesota Vikings. While he has 67 starts in his career, his role on this team is to add depth as a backup.
So far this season, Feeney has played in the first four games with the Vikings.
Micah McFadden LB
After finishing his time at IU with over 200 tackles, 14 sacks, four interceptions and three forced fumbles, Micah McFadden was a fifth round pick in 2022 by the New York Giants.
Now entering his third season in the league, McFadden is continuing his career with the Giants. In this season alone, he has played in four games and accumulated 22 tackles.
Eight of these tackles came Week 2 against the Washington Commanders, while five more came in both Week 3 and Week 4. His consistency carried over into Week 5 where he added 4 more tackles to his stat sheet.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine WR
In 2020, former IU wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent, where he has led the team in numerous stats.
Despite leading the team in receptions, receiving yards, touchdown catches and receptions for first downs from the 2021 to 2023 season, Westbrook-Ikhine has not been targeted throughout these first four weeks of the 2024-25 season.
During the Week 3 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Westbrook-Ikhine took the field for 25% of the offensive snaps and wasn’t targeted.
Marcelino McCrary Ball LB
After completing his college days at IU, Marcelino McCrary Ball was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2022. However, after being placed on the practice squad for his entire rookie season, he signed with the New York Jets in 2023, where he made his NFL debut.
So far this season, he has been bounced back and forth between the practice team and the active roster. McCrary-Ball was elevated into the active roster for Week 3 against the Patriots, where he took 14 snaps on special teams.
McCrary-Ball was active again in the Week 4 and 5 lineup, where he managed to acquire a solo tackle in both games.
Michael Penix Jr. QB
Michael Penix Jr. spent three seasons at Indiana before transferring to Washington in 2022. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Despite being a high draft pick, Penix has not played throughout five games this season. He will have to find playing time behind veteran starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins.
While only seven former Hoosiers are currently on an active roster, multiple other Hoosiers are members of practice squads, including OL Luke Haggard (2020-22), DB Raheem Layne (2017-2021), LB Caleb Jones (2018-2022), and DB Jaylin Williams (2018-2022).
