When Indiana football takes the field for its spring game April 18, it will do so without running back Trent Howland.
The redshirt junior announced he’s entering the transfer portal via X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.
“Thank you to Indiana and the new staff for the opportunity to walk cream & crimson again,” Howland wrote. “I know all things happen for a reason. With that being said, I will be re-entering my name into the NCAA transfer portal on April 15th with 2 years of eligibility left.”
Howland initially put his name into the portal Nov. 27, the day after Indiana fired head coach Tom Allen, but he returned to the program Dec. 17 to play under Allen’s replacement, Curt Cignetti.
Over the Hoosiers’ last three 2023 contests, Howland rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. The Joliet, Illinois, native led the team in rushing yards and yards per carry this past season with 354 yards and 4.7 yards per carry.
Cignetti brought in several running backs via the transfer portal, including sixth-year senior Ty Son Lawton and redshirt junior Kaelon Black from James Madison University, senior Justice Ellison from Wake Forest University and redshirt junior Elijah Green from the University of North Carolina.
Howland watched much of Tuesday’s spring practice from the sidelines — and it turned out to be one of his final in the cream and crimson.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana football offseason.
