The preseason recognition continues to roll in for multiple members of the IU football team.
Running back Roman Hemby was added to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which goes annually to the nation’s most outstanding college running back.
Hemby transferred to IU after four seasons with Maryland. He figures to have a prominent role in the Indiana running back rotation.
Over his college career, Hemby has appeared in 41 career games with 38 starts over four seasons at Maryland. He has been named honorable mention All-Big Ten (2022 & 2023) and owns 3,352 career all-purpose yards (2,347 rushing, 921 receiving, 84 kickoff return) and scored 27 career touchdowns (22 rushing, 5 receiving).
The recipient of the 2025 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 12, 2024. The award is named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back Doak Walker.
Meanwhile, Hemby’s fellow running back Kaelon Black has been featured in the Athletic’s annual “Freaks” list published by Bruce Feldman.
Watching fall camp over the last two weeks, Black stands out as the offensive skill position player you’d least want to tackle, so his inclusion here makes sense.
Here’s what Feldman wrote about Black:
One of the former James Madison players who followed Curt Cignetti to Bloomington, the 5-10, 210-pounder rushed for 251 yards and two TDs in limited action. Black vertical jumped 40 inches, bench pressed 415 pounds and squatted over 500 this summer.
“He’s our biggest Freak for sure,” said DL Mikail Kamara. “When he lifts, everything moves so fast. He’s ridiculous. I’ve never seen him struggle (in the weight room). I saw him bench press 415 the other day, and it was butter. It touched his chest and went right back up. It looked like a warmup set. And he’s hella fast.”
Also, the Walter Camp Foundation has announced its preseason watch list for the college football player of the year award with Indiana defensive lineman Mikail Kamara among the 45-player list to open the college football season.
A 2024 finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, Kamara was a second-team All-America pick by The Athletic and first Indiana defensive lineman since Greg Middleton (first team) in 2007 to earn All-America status. The first-team All-Big Ten selection led the FBS in total pressures (73) and graded as the No. 4 edge rusher in the Big Ten and No. 15 in Power 4 (86.7) per Pro Football Focus a season ago.
The award watch list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in early November, and three finalists will be announced in early December. The 2025 Walter Camp Player of the Year will be announced on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show on December 12.
To date, Kamara has been a part of three preseason All-America teams (Athlon Sports, 2nd; Phil Steele, 2nd; Walter Camp, 2nd) and is a member of the preseason watch list for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
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