Indiana DT James Carpenter Thankful His ‘Incredible Ride’ Made Him A Hoosier

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – He wasn’t here long, and he is one of several one-year Indiana wonders who have taken the Hoosiers to unprecedented heights in their 10-win 2024 dream season.

The brief and glorious ride that defensive tackle James Carpenter has been on in an Indiana uniform is close to its final act.

The final game of the regular season for Carpenter and his teammates is Saturday when Indiana hosts Purdue in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff.

It won’t be Indiana’s last game as the postseason beckons, but it might be the last chance for Carpenter to bask in the appreciation of home fans who have grown to love him and some of the other Hoosiers – new and old – who have taken Indiana to a possible College Football Playoff berth.

Carpenter will be out of eligibility after the 2024 season. Other prominent Hoosiers, transfers or not, such as quarterback Kurtis Rourke, running backs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton, wide receivers Myles Price and Ke’Shawn Williams, center Mike Katic, defensive linemen Lanell Carr Jr. and Jacob Mangum-Farrar and safety Josh Sanguinetti, are among the senior-plus players who are nearing their post-college football futures.

For Carpenter, coming to Indiana and being an integral part of the Hoosiers’ 10-1 season has confirmed to him (and many of his transfer teammates) that they made the right choice to try their luck in the Big Ten after playing at a so-called lower level in the Sun Belt Conference.

“It’s really just having a chip on our shoulder. Most of us that have transferred here, we were under-recruited guys who didn’t get recruited by the schools we wanted to coming out of high school,” Carpenter said.

“So I think we’ve always kind of had that chip on our shoulder coming here, We saw a lot of stuff about how we were too small. We weren’t going to be able to play in the Big Ten. We’ve used that as motivation for us” he said.

That fuel has pushed Indiana’s defense to impressive heights. The Hoosiers have the best run defense in the nation, giving up just 76.1 yards per game. Indiana is third in total defense at 261 yards per contest. The Hoosiers also rank third nationally in first downs allowed (167).

Carpenter said that defensive coordinator Bryant Haines keeps things fresh by adding layers to the defensive base principles each week.

“Coach Haines and Coach (Pat) Kuntz (defensive line coach) have definitely added a lot of different stuff. Different fronts, different pass rush schemes, a lot of different blitzes and unique looks,” Carpenter said. “They put a lot on our plate, and we welcome that.”

Carpenter – who has 29 tackles, including five sacks and nine tackles for loss – also cited a good rapport with fellow defensive tackle CJ West, himself a transfer from Kent State.

As they have grown accustomed to one another, Indiana’s run defense and push up front in pass rushing situations have become that much tougher for opponents to handle.

“In camp, we usually build upon the base level stuff. Then, each week, we’re putting in a bunch of new blitzes, different looks,” Carpenter explained. “A bunch of guys have been in the system long enough, we work well together. So they can throw a lot at us, and we’re going to go out there and execute.”

At a minimum, Indiana will have a bowl game after its regular season finale against Purdue. However, Saturday might be the last chance for Carpenter to play at Memorial Stadium, a happy place for him as he’s concluded a college career near the top of mountain after he was barely recruited out of high school in Roanoke, Va.

Curt Cignetti believed in Carpenter. He was one of his first recruits at James Madison and brought him to Indiana, where both men have enjoyed career highs not known before.

Carpenter will walk on the Memorial Stadium turf on Saturday thankful for his time as a Hoosier.

“It’s definitely going to be a little bit of an emotional moment,” Carpenter said. “It’s been an incredible ride. It’s definitely going to hit me when I’m out there with my parents, but I’ll just save that for that moment.”

A moment Carpenter earned by covering himself in glory in his one season in an Indiana uniform.