Kaelon Black

Last updated

Kaelon Black
No. 8 – Indiana Hoosiers
Position Running back
Class
Redshirt Redshirt.svg
Redshirt
Senior
Personal information
Born (2001-10-17) October 17, 2001 (age 24)
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school Salem (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
College
Stats at ESPN

Kaelon Black (born October 17, 2001) is an American college football running back for the Indiana Hoosiers. He previously played for the James Madison Dukes.

Contents

Early life

Black was born October 17, 2001, [1] and attended Salem High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A two-star college football prospect per Rivals.com, he committed to play for the James Madison Dukes. [2] Black was rated the 26th-best senior football player in Virginia by Rivals.com, the 35th-best in Virginia by 247Sports, and the ninth-best in the Hampton Roads region by The Virginian-Pilot . [3] He also competed in basketball and track and field at Salem. [4]

College career

Black began his college football career with the James Madison Dukes. He redshirted the 2020 season after appearing in two games, scoring one touchdown. [5] His 2021 season was cut short due to a knee injury suffered in a game against the Weber State Wildcats. [6]

Black played in nine games, with one start, in 2022. [4] He missed two games due to a broken finger. [7] In a 32–28 win against the Appalachian State Mountaineers, Black scored both a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown while gaining 131 yards. [8]

In 2023, Black played in all 13 games, with 12 starts. [4] He rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown, adding 38 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns, in a 41–13 win against the Georgia Southern Eagles. [9] In the Royal Rivalry game against the Old Dominion Monarchs, he rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown as the Dukes won 37–3. [10] He caught a touchdown pass in James Madison's 31–21 loss to the Air Force Falcons in the 2023 Armed Forces Bowl, JMU's first bowl game in program history. [11] He rushed for a total of 637 yards during the season at a rate of 4.5 yards per carry. [12] Black entered the NCAA transfer portal after the 2023 season. [13]

After the 2023 college football season, the Indiana Hoosiers hired James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti to be the program's new head coach. Several James Madison players, including Black, followed Cignetti to Indiana, [14] [15] as did running backs coach John Miller. [16] Black appeared in all 13 games for Indiana in 2024 [4] in a reserve role (behind Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton) and on special teams. [17] [18] He rushed for a 21-yard touchdown against the Richmond Spiders. [19] Lingering injuries, however, limited his availability throughout the season. [20] [21] Black ended the 2024 season with 251 rushing yards and two touchdowns, [22] averaging 5.5 yards per carry. [23]

In the 2025 season, Black scored a 40-yard touchdown against the Illinois Fighting Illini, [24] a 21-yard touchdown against the Michigan State Spartans, [25] and a one-yard touchdown against the Penn State Nittany Lions. [26] In the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry game against the Purdue Boilermakers, Black rushed for two touchdowns in a 56–3 win to seal the Hoosiers' first perfect regular season in program history. [27] He rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in a 38–3 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2026 Rose Bowl. [28] In Indiana's 56–22 win against the Oregon Ducks in the 2026 Peach Bowl, Black rushed for two touchdowns. [29]

References

  1. ↑ @kaelonblack6 (October 17, 2023). "Blessed to see 22!🙏🏾💯" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 17, 2025. Retrieved December 16, 2025– via Twitter.
  2. ↑ Madia, Greg (December 10, 2019). "Salem RB Black Pledges To Dukes". Daily News-Record . Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  3. ↑ Rubama, Larry (October 29, 2019). "He's Salem's secret weapon and that's how Kaelon Black wants it". The Virginian-Pilot . Archived from the original on December 15, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Kaelon Black". Indiana University Athletics. Archived from the original on December 20, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  5. ↑ Cash, Scott (August 23, 2021). "Kaelon Black is ready to contribute for JMU". WVEC-TV . Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  6. ↑ Fleischman, Noah (April 19, 2023). "Without Agyei-Obese, JMU running backs still have depth, leadership". The Northern Virginia Daily . Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  7. ↑ Fleischman, Noah (August 4, 2023). "JMU RB Black Wants To Grow Skillset Heading Into 2023 Season". Daily News-Record . Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  8. ↑ Warters, Nathan (September 29, 2022). "JMU's Kaelon Black, a former star at Salem High, is making an impact after being sidelined last season by torn ACL". Daily Press . Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  9. ↑ Mettlen, Shane (October 18, 2023). "JMU's running back situation taking shape". The Northern Virginia Daily . Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  10. ↑ Rubama, Larry (October 27, 2023). "Former Salem High star Kaelon Black among local players who add 'spice' to ODU vs. JMU rivalry game". The Virginian-Pilot . Archived from the original on August 29, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Region/state roundup: Seven JMU players, including two from Va. Beach, announce they'll join coach Curt Cignetti at Indiana". The Virginian-Pilot . December 24, 2023. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  12. ↑ Niziolek, Michael (April 19, 2024). "IU football's new RBs impress in spring game: 'Definitely caught my eye.'". The Indianapolis Star . Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Region/state roundup: Running backs from James Madison, Virginia Tech enter transfer portal". The Virginian-Pilot . December 8, 2023. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  14. ↑ Brown, Zion (December 24, 2023). "7 James Madison transfers join Curt Cignetti at IU after bowl game". The Indianapolis Star . Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  15. ↑ Rubama, Larry (August 29, 2025). "Former Salem star Kaelon Black, now at Indiana, looks forward to facing ODU in season opener". The Virginian-Pilot . Archived from the original on August 29, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  16. ↑ Ankony, Jack (April 30, 2024). "Revamped Indiana Running Back Room Shows Depth, Versatility in Spring Game". Indiana Hoosiers on SI. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  17. ↑ Kelly, Jared (February 17, 2025). "Indiana Football Spring Practice Preview: Roman Hemby, Kaelon Black and the RBs". Peegs. 247Sports. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  18. ↑ Niziolek, Michael (April 18, 2025). "Indiana football's running backs star in program's annual spring game". The Indianapolis Star . Archived from the original on April 19, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Kaelon Black's 21-yard touchdown run gives Indiana a 45-14 lead over Charlotte". Fox Sports . September 21, 2024. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  20. ↑ Lasley, Alec (August 4, 2025). "Indiana running back Kaelon Black lands on College Football's 'Freaks List'". TheHoosier. On3.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  21. ↑ Kelly, Jared (August 4, 2025). "Indiana RB Kaelon Black named to 'College Football Freaks List' for 2025 season". Peegs. 247Sports. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  22. ↑ McMahon, Colin (August 9, 2025). "Kaelon Black embodies the culture of Indiana football on and off the field". TheHoosier. On3.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  23. ↑ Flick, Daniel (August 26, 2025). "Indiana Football to Split Carries as Top 3 Set in Running Back Rotation". Indiana Hoosiers on SI. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Indiana RB Black explodes for 40-yard touchdown". NBC Sports . September 20, 2025. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Black breaks loose to extend IU's lead against MSU". NBC Sports . October 18, 2025. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Kaelon Black capitalizes on Penn State turnover with one-yard TD to extend Indiana's lead". Fox Sports . November 8, 2025. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  27. ↑ "No. 2 Indiana moves to 12-0, earns Big Ten title game spot with 56-3 win at Purdue". WNDU-TV . November 28, 2025. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  28. ↑ Sawyer, Haley (January 2, 2026). "Indiana dominates Alabama in Rose Bowl game, rolls into CFP semifinals". The Orange County Register . Archived from the original on January 3, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  29. ↑ Odum, Charles (January 9, 2026). "No. 1 Indiana adds to CFP dominance with crushing 56-22 Peach Bowl semifinal win over No. 5 Oregon". Associated Press . Archived from the original on January 10, 2026. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
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