Former 3-star tight end to leave Indiana football as spring game nears

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football will have a smaller tight end room than expected for the team's annual spring game Thursday night with Sam West announcing he plans to enter the transfer portal.West, who was member of IU's 2023 signing class as three-star prospect out of Greensburg Community High School, made the announcement with a post on social media."I want to thank everyone at Indiana for an incredible past two years.

I’ll always hold my time here in high regard and value the experiences and relationships I’ve built," West wrote. "With that said, I will be entering the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining."'I couldn't wait to be a part of it': Why transfers want to come to Indiana footballWest was also providing IU depth this spring at slot receiver.



He was getting reps at the position after Michigan transfer receiver Tyler Morris suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Hoosiers have only six heathy scholarship receivers on the roster.He played in all 13 games for the Hoosiers last season with much of those reps coming on special teams.

He caught a 37-yard pass in a 52-14 win over Charlotte for his first career catch. Indiana brought in Wisconsin transfer Riley Nowakowski and Tennessee transfer Holden Staes at tight end over the winter as it sought out a replacement for Zach Horton. Horton, who followed Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Bloomington, was an impactful presence for IU last season with 21 catches for 189 yards and four touchdowns.

Insider: Why Indiana WR E.J. Williams is back after entering the transfer portalHis gritty play as a blocker drew the attention of many opposing head coaches throughout the 2024 season.

Nowakowski is more of an inline blocker while Staes is more of a pass-catching threat.Want more Hoosiers coverage? Zach Osterman, Michael Niziolek and Chloe Peterson keep up with IU all season. Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter.

Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU football: Sam West to enter transfer portal, leaving depth at tight end.