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    IU football notebook: Two former players taken in USFL draft, King in transfer portal

    Mike SchumannBy IU Football 3 Comments

    Did you know — the USFL is making its return in 2022. The league last played in 1985 before collapsing financially after the 1986 USFL Draft.

    Now the USFL will attempt what it and others have tried unsuccessfully before — to became America’s spring football league.

    The new endeavor is set to begin its 10-game schedule in April.  This week the league’s eight teams began the process of setting their rosters during the 2022 USFL Draft.  In total, 280 players were selected during the inaugural draft.  Teams picked from the same position pool in each round, and the draft used a modified snake format to ensure each team received the top choice in two of the position-specific rounds.

    Two former Indiana players were chosen on day two (Thursday) of the draft.

    Running back Stevie Scott was selected by the Michigan Panthers.

    Scott scored 10 touchdowns in all three of his college seasons with IU. He completed his career ranked ninth all-time at Indiana in rushing yards (2,543) and fourth in touchdowns (30).

    Scott’s rushing numbers did drop off in each of his three collegiate seasons, dropping from an average of 5 yards per carry in his freshman season to 3.6 in his last year with the Hoosiers.

    Scott was not selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.  He signed deals with the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos but did not play for either team.

    Defensive tackle Jerome Johnson was selected by the Philadelphia Stars.

    A four-year contributor on Indiana’s defensive line, Johnson had 13.5 sacks along with 63 tackles in 45 appearances.  He was named first team All-Big Ten by the media following the 2020 season.

    Johnson was not selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.  He signed with the Miami Dolphins but did not make the roster.

    Defensive end Jonathan King in the transfer portal

    Defensive end Jonathan King is the latest to put his name in the transfer portal.

    King surprisingly saw action in just one game in 2021 after trending favorably early in his career.  He played in eight contests in 2020, a season in which he had six tackles, a sack, an interception and a pass defended.  He started at end in the 2020 win at Wisconsin.

    The Tampa product played in seven games at defensive tackle in 2019 and broke up one pass in the Northwestern win.  He was the team’s defensive player of the week for that Northwestern game.

    The 6-foot-3 King arrived at IU in the class of 2018 and redshirted that season.

    King was ranked the No. 39 defensive end nationally and the No. 70 prospect in Florida by ESPN.

    For a complete summary of who has come and gone via the transfer portal during the offseason, GO HERE.

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