The transfer portal is moving quickly.
A day after the portal formally opened, Indiana is a finalist for Penn State redshirt freshman transfer defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam.
On3 is reporting Gilliam is down to Indiana, Notre Dame, and Tennessee, and he’ll visit all three schools before making a final decision.
Along the interior of the defensive line, Indiana will lose rotation regulars Hosea Wheeler and Dominique Ratcliff following the 2025 season.
The 6-foot-2 and 300-pound Gilliam has spent the past two seasons at Penn State. He appeared in five games as a true freshman in 2024 before appearing in all 13 games during the 2025 campaign.
The Montgomery Village, Md. Gilliam started to see an increased role in 2025 along the defensive front. On the season he played 409 snaps and had 15 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss and 0.5 sacks. Gilliam had 15 quarterback pressures including two against IU. He started two games.
He played 44 snaps as a true freshman in 2024.
Prior to enrolling at Penn State, Gilliam was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN and a three-star prospect by 247Sports, On3 and Rivals. He was ranked the No. 18 defensive tackle and No. 8 prospect in Maryland by ESPN. He attended Quince Orchard H.S.
His father, Cecil, played football at Morgan State (1996-97).
Gilliam has three years of eligibility remaining.
More transfer portal information:
- Portal tracker: More IU prospects and players coming and going.
- Position-by-position look at Indiana in 2026.
For complete coverage of IU football recruiting, GO HERE.
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