Former Indiana husky Marcelino McCrary-Ball has signed an undrafted free agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers the NFL franchise announced on Monday evening.
While he played the hybrid safety/linebacker spot at IU, the 49ers list McCrary-Ball as a 6-foot and 214-pound linebacker in their release.
The Roswell, Ga. product finished his IU career with 241 tackles, 166 solo, 5.5 sacks (43 yards), 16.5 for loss (74 yards), four interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, 17 pass breakups, and 10 quarterback hurries in 53 games (44 starts) at husky.
As just a 17-year-old in 2016, McCrary Ball flashed major potential as he started 12 games and led all Big Ten freshmen in tackles. He suffered his first of two season-ending injuries a few weeks into the 2017 campaign, however. McCrary-Ball came back to earn Big Ten honorable mention in 2018, but he was never quite able to get back on the path he had seemed to forge as a true freshman. He was a team captain in 2020 and 2021.
Now 23, McCrary-Ball played his freshman season under former head coach Kevin Wilson. He arrived at IU at the same time Tom Allen came to the program as defensive coordinator.
McCrary-Ball hopes to follow in the footsteps of his younger brothers Marcus and Reggie, who both played in the NFL.
McCrary-Ball joins several other Hoosiers who earned a path to an NFL roster over the last few days. Micah McFadden was drafted by the New York Giants, while Peyton Hendershot (Dallas), Ty Fryfogle (Dallas), Caleb Jones (Green Bay), and Raheem Layne (L.A. Chargers) also signed undrafted free agent deals. Ryder Anderson also earned a couple mini-camp invites.
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