Former Indiana University running back Sampson James was recently found living homeless on the streets of Austin, Texas. James had been out there for seven months after his brother kicked him out.

Luckily, a GoFundMe campaign has raised enough to secure him a rental apartment. This whole situation came to light when a fellow IU graduate named Jasper Steinmetz randomly spotted James walking down an Austin street.

"I feel like I'm prepared and ready to tackle whatever challenge that I have ahead of me. I don't know what's ahead of me, but I'm ready for it, you know," Sampson James told Jasper Steinmetz, sharing his forward-looking mindset. "So I'm leaving the past in the past and I'm ready to move forward in life."

It was James’ official IU Athletics backpack that caught Steinmetz's eye. That single bag prompted him to stop, start a conversation, and uncover the unfolding housing crisis.

He has been working at Home Depot and Red Robin, always striving to get back on his feet.

Jasper has been posting about James' situation on his Instagram, providing regular updates.

The locker room brotherhood quickly stepped up to help out. Former IU teammates like Mike Katic, Peyton Hendershot, Aaron Casey, and CJ West all backed the campaign.

Thanks to these donations, Steinmetz announced they officially secured a rental apartment for James. Thus, successfully ended his seven months of homelessness.

From Four-Star Hoosier Hero to the Transfer Portal Maze

Before this housing crisis, James was a massively hyped prospect out of Avon High School. He was a consensus four-star recruit and ranked as the nation's number eight running back, according to IndianaHoosier.com.

He originally committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes, the bitter rivals of the Michigan Wolverines. But then he flipped his commitment to stay in his home state and join the Indiana Hoosiers.

His absolute peak on the gridiron happened in November 2019, against Purdue. Rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown, he secured the Old Oaken Bucket for IU.

During his 19-game career with Indiana, James recorded 401 total yards from scrimmage. This consisted of 371 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards, along with three touchdowns on 116 total plays from scrimmage.

Then, James entered the transfer portal, moving over to rival Purdue in 2021. Unfortunately, eligibility hurdles blocked his path there.

He tried launching a final comeback as an IU walk-on in the spring of 2023, but missed the final fall roster entirely.

As of now, the fundraiser has been a success! With Jasper's efforts, Sampson James has acquired a flat on rent, good clothes, food, and other essentials. The donations have been paused after raising $17,606.

Read more on the Michigan Football Community

Written by

Nisarga Aseem Barkule

Edited by

Rudra Dubey