Indiana University Athletics
Black Headed to Bay Area
4/24/2026 11:00:00 PM | Football
PITTSBURGH – Bloomington West is gaining steam with the selection of running back Kaelon Black by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Black is the third Hoosier picked by the organization over the past two seasons along with CJ West and Kurtis Rourke in 2025.
Indiana continues to set program marks in its NFL Draft history and now has a program-best four selection in the first three rounds and its most picks in a single draft since four during the 1988 draft.
Black is the highest-drafted Indiana running back since Tevin Coleman was the 73rd overall selection by Atlanta in the 2015 NFL Draft. The last IU ball carrier taken in the NFL Draft came 10 years ago when Jordan Howard was a fifth-round selection of the Chicago Bears.
2026 NFL Draft Selections
1.1 – Fernando Mendoza, QB – Las Vegas Raiders
1.30 – Omar Cooper Jr., WR – New York Jets
2.50 – D'Angelo Ponds, CB – New York Jets
3.90 – Kaelon Black, RB – San Francisco 49ers
With 56 career games played and 16 starts - 29 games as a Hoosier – the posted the 21st 1,000-yard rushing season in program history with 1,040 yards on 186 carries and 10 touchdowns in 2025. Over 16 games this season, Black produced double-digit carries in 13 times and produced at least 60 yards rushing 11 times to go along with a 110-yard effort at Maryland and 99-yard outing against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
Combined with Roman Hemby's 1,120 yards rushing, the duo is just the second in program history to reach the century mark in the same season. The only other season IU had multiple 1,000-yard rushers was the 2015 campaign with Jordan Howard (1,213) and Devine Redding (1,012).
For his career, he had 2,596 yards rushing and 17 scores to go along with 55 receptions and 528 yards and six scores. He owned four career 100-yard rushing games (1 at IU; 3 at JMU) and produced 3,202 career all-purpose yards with 23 touchdowns (17 rush, 6 receiving).
Indiana continues to set program marks in its NFL Draft history and now has a program-best four selection in the first three rounds and its most picks in a single draft since four during the 1988 draft.
Black is the highest-drafted Indiana running back since Tevin Coleman was the 73rd overall selection by Atlanta in the 2015 NFL Draft. The last IU ball carrier taken in the NFL Draft came 10 years ago when Jordan Howard was a fifth-round selection of the Chicago Bears.
2026 NFL Draft Selections
1.1 – Fernando Mendoza, QB – Las Vegas Raiders
1.30 – Omar Cooper Jr., WR – New York Jets
2.50 – D'Angelo Ponds, CB – New York Jets
3.90 – Kaelon Black, RB – San Francisco 49ers
With 56 career games played and 16 starts - 29 games as a Hoosier – the posted the 21st 1,000-yard rushing season in program history with 1,040 yards on 186 carries and 10 touchdowns in 2025. Over 16 games this season, Black produced double-digit carries in 13 times and produced at least 60 yards rushing 11 times to go along with a 110-yard effort at Maryland and 99-yard outing against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
Combined with Roman Hemby's 1,120 yards rushing, the duo is just the second in program history to reach the century mark in the same season. The only other season IU had multiple 1,000-yard rushers was the 2015 campaign with Jordan Howard (1,213) and Devine Redding (1,012).
For his career, he had 2,596 yards rushing and 17 scores to go along with 55 receptions and 528 yards and six scores. He owned four career 100-yard rushing games (1 at IU; 3 at JMU) and produced 3,202 career all-purpose yards with 23 touchdowns (17 rush, 6 receiving).
Players Mentioned
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