IU football makes first transfer portal addition to address RB room

Posted by Admin December 13, 2024 Football

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IU football‘s rebuild of its running back room started in earnest with the Hoosiers‘ first dip into the transfer portal.

On3Sports’ Pete Nakos reported UAB running back Lee Beebe has signed with the Hoosiers. Beebe, who just completed his redshirt sophomore season, led the Blazers with 1,103 all-purpose yards and rushed for 885 yards and seven scores. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry and added 30 catches, including another touchdown.

IU needs to replace its two leading rushers with Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton exhausting their eligibility.

Reserve back Elijah Green, who transferred in from North Carolina last offseason, entered the transfer portal, leaving Kaelon Black as the lone returning running back with experience.

The Hoosiers only other running backs are Khobie Martin, who redshirted this year, and 2025 signee Sean Cuono.

Beebe was an unranked prospect coming out of Park Crossing High School in Montgomery, Ala., and originally signed with the Blazers as a walk-on.

It’s easy to see what the staff liked about Beebe when looking at his numbers.

He ranked among the top 20 FBS running backs last year with 3.83 yards after contact, forced 39 missed tackles and had 25 runs of 10-yards or more (one every 12.5 carries).

Beebe also tied for 17th among running backs with 30 receptions — IU’s running backs combined for 27 catches this season — while averaging 8.8 yards after the catch. According to Pro Football Focus, he lined up all over the line of scrimmage as well with reps out of the slot and split out wide.

Why UAB transfer Lee Beebe is a good fit for Hoosiers

Curt Cignetti values production over potential in the portal and wants to bring in guys that have a chip on their shoulder.

Beebe fits that profile in a big way as a former walk-on who landed a spot on UAB’s roster during a summer workout just weeks before the 2022 season. According to AL.com, he spent much of his prep’s career as a receiver.

“Of all the guys that are in my room, they’re all special to me in some way, Lee embraces all challenges with an unbelievable attitude,” UAB running backs coach Hindley Brigham said in an interview with AL.com. “He’s got an infectious way about him and is super competitive without being edgy, which is hard to do. He lays it all on the line and gives maximum effort every day, but does it with a smile on his face. That’s an unusual person.”

Beebe has the added bonus of having two years of eligibility left. Indiana only signed a handful of players that fit that description last year — Black, Elijah Sarratt, Aiden Fisher, D’Angelo Ponds and Tyrique Tucker — and it will help with Cignetti’s stated goal of balancing out the roster so he doesn’t have to be so transfer-dependent on a yearly basis.