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The top 10 Colts players 25 and under

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The top 10 Colts players 25 and under


The Indianapolis Colts have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL entering the 2023 season.

Through all three phases of the roster, not one player has reached his age-31 season yet. The closest is long-snapper Luke Rhodes, who turns 31 in December.

The youthfulness across the roster is obvious. The Colts brought in 12 new players via the 2023 NFL draft and a handful of others as undrafted free-agent rookies.

For this exercise, we considered players who will be 25 years old or younger throughout the 2023 season. They are ineligible if they turn 26 years old during the season, and we decided to exclude rookies simply because we haven’t seen them on the field yet.

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With training camp right around the corner, let’s take a look at the top 10 players on the Colts roster who will be 25 or younger through the 2023 season:

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Age: 25.2

Entering his third season, the former fifth-round pick will enter training camp as the favorite to start at right guard. He started the final eight games of the 2022 season under interim head coach Jeff Saturday. During those final eight starts, he allowed 18 total pressures and one sack, according to Pro Football Focus. However, he built some momentum over the final three games, allowing just two total pressures.

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Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Age: 24.3

This is a bit of an interesting choice because there’s a chance Jackson doesn’t make the 53-man roster to begin the season. However, he’s been a solid depth piece in the backfield and on special teams. Though he averaged 3.5 yards per carry in 2022, he also recorded 30 receptions, which led the entire Colts backfield.

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Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Age: 25.2

The third-year tight end has shown some flashes in the H-back role. He led all Colts tight ends in 2022 with 31 receptions but failed to find the end zone while averaging 9.7 yards per catch. It will be interesting to see if his role expands under Shane Steichen.

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Syndication: The Indianapolis Star

Age: 24.7

A popular breakout candidate for 2023, Woods is entering his second season in the NFL. He had some impressive games during his rookie campaign but wasn’t used nearly enough as he should have been.

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Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Age: 23.1

The youngest player on this list, Pierce had a pretty up-and-down rookie season. He had plenty of flashes as a down-field threat but also went the entire month of November with just four receptions. In Steichen’s vertical offense, Pierce could be in line for a strong sophomore campaign.

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Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Age: 24.8

The 2022 was a bit of a learning curve for Blackmon, who had to step in as the slot defender during the final month of the regular season. He struggled a bit in coverage, allowing a 137.6 passer rating, according to Pro Football Focus, but he thrived as a run defender. He should find more consistent production taking over the strong safety role in 2023.

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Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Age: 23.8

Odeyingbo really started to hit his stride during the second half of the 2022 season. He recorded multiple pressures in all but one game from Week 10 on and finished fourth on the team with 5.0 sacks despite playing 46% of the snaps.

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Robert Scheer-USA TODAY Sports

Age: 25.0

The hidden gem from the 2022 rookie class, Thomas took over the free safety role in a big way during the Week 3 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and didn’t look back. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a 52.6% catch rate and 62.9 passer rating in coverage.

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(AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

Age: 24.6

Paye is on the verge of a breakout campaign, and there’s an argument he would have finished 2022 with double-digit sacks had it not been for the ankle injury he suffered in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos. Entering his third season, Paye is one of the biggest X-factors on the roster.

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AP Photo/Matt Patterson

Age: 24.4

No one else would be at the top spot on this list. Taylor is among the elite running backs in the NFL even if his efficiency dipped in 2022. Those issues stem more from the nagging ankle injury and incompetence of those around him. As long as he’s healthy, we should expect a big year from the star back.

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Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

WR Michael Pittman Jr.: Turns 26 during the season

OT Bernhard Raimann: Turns 26 during the season

S Nick Cross: Need to see more

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DT Eric Johnson II: Need to see more



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Indianapolis, IN

Aloft Hotels to open new location in Indianapolis

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Aloft Hotels to open new location in Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Aloft Hotels, Marriott’s lifestyle brand, is opening a new location in downtown Indianapolis this February.

Located two blocks east of Monument Circle on Market Street, the Aloft Indianapolis is a short walk away from Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indiana Convention Center, and Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

“We are absolutely thrilled to open our doors and welcome guests to the Aloft Indianapolis Downtown,” General Manager Ryan Niketh said in a press release. “With a focus around local culture, crave-able food and beverage and purpose-built design; the Aloft Indy is the ideal choice for travelers in search of a boutique hotel with bold design elements, but who still want the confidence of a Marriott Brand as well as the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program.”

Aloft Hotel, part of Marriott’s Lifestyle brand, is opening a new hotel in downtown Indianapolis. (Provided photo/Aloft Hotel)

Aloft Indianapolis will have 128 urban loft-style guestrooms, with nine-foot ceilings. Guests will have access to the Arf pet program, which provides lodgings, toys, and treats for your dog, and Camp Aloft, a program designed to entertain children.

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In homage to the building’s original tenant, a bank vault in the lobby was renovated as a lounge for private dining and as an event space.

WXYZ Bar, a new cocktail bar, can be found at home in the Aloft. The mixologist-inspired bar will offer weekly live music.

Aloft Hotel, a part of Marriott, is opening a new hotel in downtown Indianapolis. (Provided photo/Aloft Hotel)



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Indianapolis, IN

Cathedral beats Attucks to win City Championship

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Cathedral beats Attucks to win City Championship


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Cathedral finally got the Tigers off their back.

For the third straight year, the Cathedral Fighting Irish faced the Crispus Attucks Tigers in the Indianapolis City Championship Monday night at Arsenal Tech High School. The Tigers owned the bragging rights from the last two seasons, but the Irish aren’t strangers to hoisting the city tournament trophy. The two programs have won the title the last eight years.

This year belonged to the Irish, though. Led by 19 points from Brady Koehler, Cathedral held off a late Attucks surge to be the city champs once again, beating the Tigers, 71-63.

“Just really proud of our guys, how they just battled,” head coach Jason Delaney said postgame. “We didn’t play a perfect game tonight, but they found a way to win and made some veteran plays when it mattered.”

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“It means a ton. We haven’t won the last two years. I haven’t won since I’ve been on varsity, so I mean it’s great to contribute and get a win,” Koehler said. “We’ve been on a little drought in the city, so just nice to get a dub and I’m doing it with the guys I’ve been playing with for a long time, so it’s great. It feels great.”

Cathedral now moves to 12-4 on the season, holding strong to the No. 5 ranking in Class 3A. The Irish play Winton Woods of Ohio next. Meanwhile, the No. 9 Tigers drop to 10-6 and will host Indianapolis Washington on Wednesday.

Watch WISH-TV’s The Zone every Friday night starting at 11:08 p.m. for the most high school sports coverage in the state.



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Indianapolis, IN

Broad Ripple hot chicken eatery closes its doors

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Broad Ripple hot chicken eatery closes its doors


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Joella’s Hot Chicken opened its doors in Broad Ripple in October 2018.

Sunday the business closed its doors for good.

In a Facebook post, Joella’s Broad Ripple said “It is with heavy hearts that we announce our Broad Ripple location closed its doors for the final time on 1/26/25. We want to thank our team and guests who we have been fortunate to serve since we opened.”

Joella’s Hot Chicken is a national chain, who’s website proclaims: “The place where hearts are always warm and the chicken is spiced just right. At Joella’s, we’ll spice our 100% antibiotic-free, hormone-free, all-natural chicken just the way you like – from just enough heat to bring out the flavors and warm your heart, to Fire-In Da-Hole, bless your heart.”

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The restaurant was located at 1072 Broad Ripple Avenue.

No reason was given for the closing, but competition in the hot chicken market has heated up in recent years with several competitors vying for a slice of the industry.

Joella’s operates another location on 96th street, which is not affected by the closure.

(Joella’s Hot Chicken Broad Ripple Facebook)



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