Hoosiers address offensive, defensive lines with pair of transfers
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Indiana Hoosiers have beefed up their offensive and defensive lines with the addition of transfers Ryder Anderson and Zach Carpenter, who will both be eligible this fall.
Anderson, a 6-foot-6, 275-pound defensive lineman, recorded 99 career tackles and 6 1/2 career sacks at Mississippi. Last season, he had 43 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks and finished with three tackles and a sack against the Hoosiers in the Outback Bowl. He earned his degree in integrated marketing communications last May.
“Ryder has proven to be an excellent football player in the SEC,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said Tuesday. “He is long, athletic and plays extremely hard. Ryder brings a high level of leadership to our defensive line room, and his addition makes us a better football team.”
Anderson also comes from a talented football family.
His brother, Rodney, played running back for one season with the Cincinnati Bengals after starring at Oklahoma, and his uncle, Mark, played seven seasons as a defensive lineman in the NFL. Mark Anderson made two Super Bowl appearances — one with the Chicago Bears following the 2006 season, the other with the New England Patriots following the 2011 season.
Carpenter was a highly recruited offensive lineman from Cincinnati Moeller. After redshirting in 2019, the 6-foot-5, 329-pounder made five appearances, including two starts at center for Michigan last season.
Allen was among those who initially lost the recruiting battle for Carpenter. Now he’ll get Carpenter on campus and possibly into the lineup next fall thanks to an NCAA rules change that suspends the requirement transfers must sit out one year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know his family well, we know him well, and we are happy for him to be able to join us,” Allen said. “He has experience as a starter in the Big Ten and brings us high character, high work ethic and a lot of toughness.”
On Tuesday, No. 12 Indiana (6-2) closed out a historic season with its highest ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 since 1967, when the Hoosiers finished fourth.
