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BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football has signed former Pittsburgh defensive back Ryland Gandy out of the transfer portal.
Gandy made the announcement with a post on his X account.
The redshirt junior was a full-time starter for Pitt in 2024 — he had 40 tackles (23 solo) with two pass breakups in 13 starts — and has two years of eligibility remaining. The Hoosiers’ previous staff had offered Gandy when he was a three-star recruit coming out of Georgia’s Buford High School in the 2022 class.
He had 20 scholarship offers at the time, including Auburn, Kentucky, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State and USC.
More: Indiana football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out for the Hoosiers
Why Indiana football signing Ryland Gandy matters
Gandy is the second corner IU has signed with multiple years of eligibilty left, alongside Northern Illinois’ defensive back ‘ Amariyun Knighten.
It could make for a crowded cornerback room, with the expected return of D’Angelo Ponds, Jamier Johnson and Jamari Sharpe. Ponds and Johnson were IU’s full time starters last year while Sharpe has double-digit starts in his career.
The coaches could be putting a succession plan in place for Ponds and Johnson for 2026 by signing Gandy and Knighten. Ponds is a strong candidate to leave for the NFL after the 2025 season, and Johnson is entering his final year of eligibility.
It’s also possible that someone from the group could switch positions to safety or rover. The Hoosiers are only returning one starter at the position (Amare Ferrell) and have only signed one safety out of the transfer portal (Louis Moore) during this recruiting cycle.
Inside the numbers for former Pittsburgh defensive back Ryland Gandy
Gandy played the third-most defensive snaps last year (690) for Pitt.
According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 27 catches on 51 targets for 546…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/indiana-football-signs-starting-corner-225217553.html
Author : The Herald-Times
Publish date : 2025-01-06 22:52:00
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