The Indiana Hoosiers will be without a potentially key piece of the wide receiver room for the 2025 season as Michigan transfer Tyler Morris suffered a non-contact knee injury and will miss the entirety of the upcoming campaign. Morris was expected to be the starting punt returner and contend for a role as a slot receiver after transferring from Ann Arbor for his senior season.

"We have stayed relatively healthy with the exception of Tyler Morris," Curt Cignetti told the media on Tuesday after practice. "He had a non-contact knee injury and will require surgery and will miss the rest of the season. So, onward."

Tyler Morris did not put up big stats during his time with the Wolverines but the offensive system at Indiana was expected to give him more of an opportunity to shine.

Losing a transfer you were counting on during spring practice is, obviously, a real negative. The Hoosiers have been relatively healthy thus far as this is the only major injury news to come from the spring but Morris will be missed. IU now has position battles at slot receiver and punt returner. Potential candidates to fill in at punt return would be Solomon Van Horse (his return looks much more meaningful than we initially thought it would be) and LeBron Bond. The role can be an afterthought but Indiana fans should remember a few of the big returns Myles Price had last season that changed games.

Curt Cignetti touched on the state of the wide receiver room on Tuesday. "We are thin numbers wise, that's for sure, right now. We'll bring in a number of walk-ons in the summer for fall camp. I think the freshman, in time, will be okay. (Myles) Kendrick and (LeBron) Bond are with us right now and I like the guys that are out there. Makai Jackson has sort of been limited with a hamstring a little bit the two practices. So, you know, we're seeing what we got with Sam West out there playing a little slot receiver. I like our top-line guys. I like Cooper, Sarratt, EJ (Williams), (Charlie) Becker. I like those guys, you know."

Indiana is deep at wide receiver, but it is now fair to wonder about the slot receiver position. The Hoosiers are loaded on the outside with Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper but they might now be missing a shifty receiver that can play on the inside. E.J. Williams is a much bigger option but he has been used on the inside before and his size could make for some interesting mismatches for Mike Shanahan to exploit. Other options could be Makai Jackson, the transfer from Appalachian State, and freshmen Myles Kendrick and LeBron Bond. Bond, in particular, is a really intriguing option because of his electric ability as a high school player with the ball in his hands. This is not good news but the Hoosiers do have plenty of time to figure out how to replace the expected production provided by the veteran transfer. They may rely on young players to step up and the staff will certainly monitor the transfer portal and could choose to pursue a player they deem to be a good fit after the spring.