The next IU football head coach will have to convince the two All-Big Ten players on the offensive side of the ball to stay in Bloomington.
A total of seven Indiana football players earned postseason honors from the Big Ten Conference, as junior Donaven McCulley and redshirt senior Zach Carpenter each earned honorable mention honors on Wednesday as the conference announced the offensive awards.
Both McCulley and Carpenter have said this week they are entering the transfer portal.
The offensive duo joins three defensive honorees and a pair of special teams award winners for the Hoosiers.
Redshirt senior Aaron Casey was tabbed first-team All-Big Ten, while redshirt senior Andre Carter and redshirt junior Kobee Minor each earned honorable mention nods. On special teams, sophomore Jaylin Lucas (return specialist) and punter James Evans were both selected as All-Big Ten third team.
In his second season at wide receiver, McCulley started 11 of 12 games on the outside and caught a team-best 48 passes for 644 yards. His six touchdown grabs were the most on the team and five came over the last five weeks of the season. He caught 60% of his targets during the season with his 10 contested catches ranked No. 3 among Big Ten wideouts in 2023.
His 48 grabs were tied for No. 10 in the Big Ten, his six touchdown catches ranked tied for No. 6 in the conference and a 13.4 yards per catch average ranked tied for No. 14 on the B1G charts. His six touchdowns led the team in 2023 and are the most by a wide receiver since Ty Fryfogle caught seven in 2020. His 48 catches are the most since Whop Philyor hauled in 70 during the 2019 season.
Carpenter made 27 appearances with 25 starts over three seasons at Indiana, which included all 12 games at center in 2023. His 2023 season included 445 pass blocking snaps and just 10 total pressures allowed. His pressure percentage of 2.3% was the third lowest in the Big Ten. His efforts on the line helped Indiana trim 12 sacks off its season total from the 2022 (26), as the unit allowed just 14 sacks in 2023.
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