Depending on personnel groupings, Indiana can play three safeties at once — free, strong and rover. And as of Thursday morning they only have five safeties projected on the 2025 roster. So there is a clear need on the backend of the defense going forward, both for starters and depth.
The Hoosiers do have 10 players at cornerback right now for 2025, and some of the roles are interchangeable, especially rover. So there could be moves made from within to balance things out.
Indiana has one starter returning at safety in 2025, and that player, Amare Ferrell, is very versatile. He was used as an extra man in the box, at strong safety, and at the rover position over the course of the season. He ended up second on the team in defensive snaps, and he’ll clearly fill one of the backend roles in 2025. But the rest remains wide open.
Gone are starters Sean Asbury II and Terry Jones, Jr., who played primarily free safety and rover, respectively. And reserve Josh Sanguinetti, who was a starter at the beginning of the year, is out of eligibility too, along with veteran Nic Toomer.
The only other player returning with any real experience at safety is veteran Bryson Bonds. He saw 80 snaps in 2024 and will be pushing for more in 2025, his final season of eligibility. Bonds has played in 46 games and has 40 tackles over five seasons with IU.
Byron Baldwin is Indiana’s highest rated recruit at any position in the 2025 class, and the 4-star will likely be the rare freshman who sees the field next year. Jah Jah Boyd was a freshman in 2024 who didn’t play at all on defense, and Garrett Reese will also be a freshman in 2025.
Given the openings and lack of experience, IU likely wants to add at least two players from the transfer portal.
Former Hoosier safety Louis Moore just entered the portal this week after one season at Ole Miss. He entered the portal almost immediately after the 2023 season — the day before Curt Cignetti was announced. It remains to be seen whether there is mutual interest there. Moore’s 2023 backend teammate Phillip Dunnam also entered the portal after a year at Florida Atlantic, but he quickly committed to Central Florida.
Here are some more safeties in the transfer portal who could be a good fit for Indiana in 2025. Curt Cignetti emphasizes production over potential, and several of these individuals check that box.
- Jeremiah Johnson – Georgia State: 37 games played, 162 tackles.
- Marc Stampley II – Georgia Southern: 38 games played, 125 tackles.
- Christian Ellis – New Mexico: 31 games played, 161 tackles.
- Tayden Barnes – New Mexico State: 12 games, 57 tackles.
- Christian Harrison – Tennessee: 25 games, 31 tackles
- Jalen Catalon – UNLV: 43 games, 272 tackles
- Jayden Bonsu – Ohio State: Has not played
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Find us on Facebook and Instagram
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
