With Tevin Coleman leaving Indiana early for the NFL, the Hoosiers were facing a rather gaping hole in its running game. On the first day of the new year, consider that hole at least partially filled.
In a press release, IU announced that Jordan Howard has signed a financial aid agreement with the university and will continue his football career with the Hoosiers. Because Howard is transferring in from UAB, which disbanded its football program in early December, Howard will be eligible to play immediately in 2015.
The running back will have two years of eligibility remaining, and has yet to use his redshirt season.
“As our season ended, we thought it was likely Tevin Coleman was headed to the NFL,” head coach Kevin Wilson said in a statement. “Jordan instantly became our top target. What happened at UAB is unfortunate for Jordan, his teammates and everyone involved with the program, but this is a perfect match for both sides. We recruited him very, very hard and we are excited he is joining us. The sign of a good program is finding good players to replace good players, and we have done just that.”
In addition to IU, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Boise State, Nevada and Middle Tennessee State were potential landing spots for Howard.
This season, Howard was second in the conference with a school-record 1,587 yards. His 13 rushing touchdowns were also a school record. As a true freshman in 2013, he was second on the team in rushing with 881 yards.
When Howard arrives in Bloomington, he’ll see a familiar face as former UAB wide receiver Marqui Hawkins announced three weeks ago that he was transferring to the Hoosiers.