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BLOOMINGTON — IU 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 Budford High School in the 2022 signing class.
IU football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out for Hoosiers
He had 20 scholarship offers at the time including ones from Auburn, Kentucky, Michigan State, Nebraska Penn State and USC.
Why IU football signing Ryland Gandy matters
Gandy is the second corner IU has signed with multiple years of eligibility 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 under his belt as well.
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 this season and Johnson is entering his final year of eligibility.
It’s also possible someone from the group could be switching positions to safety or rover. The Hoosiers are only returning one starter at the position (Amare Ferrell) and have yet to sign a safety out of the transfer portal.
Inside the numbers for former Pittsburgh DB 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 yards and three touchdowns. One area where he needs to improve is his…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/iu-football-adds-acc-starting-230853976.html
Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star
Publish date : 2025-01-06 23:08:00
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