What is the story about?
Indiana football has 18 program alumni on NFL rosters at the start of the 2026 season, with Curt Cignetti’s national championship core from 2025 doing plenty of the heavy lifting.
With that in mind, we’ll be tracking how the Hoosiers fare at the professional level throughout the season. Follow along! Here’s what to know from Week 1:
Omar Cooper Jr. – Jets vs Titans
- Cooper Jr., selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, made his professional debut on Sunday. He got the Jets into the red zone with some shifty feet after the catch, the exact thing that made him such a dangerous option in Indiana’s offenses in two seasons under Curt Cignetti and Mike Shanahan.
- Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle sprain and missed the remainder of the matchup. Jets coach Aaron Glenn said he wasn’t worried about the severity after the game, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Kaelon Black – 49ers vs Rams
- Black, selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, made his professional debut this past Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. He showed immediate promise, leading the 49ers in carries with 14, picking up 65 yards on the ground and hauling in a single reception for five yards.
WR Myles Price – Vikings vs Packers
- Price, who went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft before signing with the Minnesota Vikings, has carved out a role as a return man and has several special teams highlights to his name, including the following return against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday:
LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball – Jets vs Titans
- 1 tackle
DT CJ West – 49ers vs Rams
- 1 tackle
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